On My Radar: Ollie Wolf

What’s the best ad campaign you’ve seen recently?

The new Tide advert that the Trackor boys have just done is superb [below]. Also, the Smirnoff work my good friend David Goss is doing out of 72andSunny is lovely. 

What website(s) do you use most regularly and why?

I find myself on It’s Nice That a lot looking at the photography section and then on YouTube, listening to Joe Rogan. I’ve become a bit addicted to that guy. 

What’s the most recent piece of tech that you’ve bought and why?

I think may have had a post-30 crisis as I bought a pair of Pioneer XDJ2000 decks last year so I can get back into DJ-ing again. I’m sure the neighbours are overjoyed.

What’s your favoured social media platform?

Instagram. It’s great for keeping up with what other directors and DPs are doing. 

What’s your favourite app on your phone?

Reddit. It’s my guilty pleasure for the best cat videos.

What’s your favourite TV show and why?

The Detectorists. I really think its one of the best British TV shows ever. Mackenzie Crook’s writing is just fantastic and it takes me back to my childhood growing up in a small village. I’d encourage everyone to watch that.

What film do you think everyone should have seen and why?

Rosetta, directed Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne. It’s one of the few films that has had a long-lasting impression on me. Their ability to make the everyday cinematic always astounds me. It’s a hard watch but powerful.

Where were you when inspiration last struck? 

The British Museum. The Great Court is one of my favourite places to think and listen in to other peoples conversations.

What’s the most significant change you’ve witnessed in the industry since you started working in it?

Having to tell stories in just 20 seconds and the lack of flamboyant characters like Mark Denton.

If there was one thing you could change about the advertising industry, what would it be?

That we’d all spend more time trying to solve real-world problems.

Above: Wolf directed the Dominic West-starring short, Five Star Fouad, which was one of three films to pick up the  Jameson First Shot prize at the end of 2017. 

What or who has most influenced your career and why? 

Doing a MA in screenwriting at Royal Holloway. It pulled the veil off the structure of storytelling and has made me a better director for it. I don’t think I’d have won Jameson First Shot [above] if I hadn't done it. I recommend that course to any up-and-coming directors.

Tell us one thing about yourself that most people won’t know.

In a previous life, I lived in Egypt and sailed down the Nile collecting honey.