You read it right, an interview by one of the most famous comedians on our planet, or at least his intelligent, slightly more artificial brother.
Interview by Ricky Gervais, photographs & projects by Yara Perotti.
Hello and welcome! I’m Ricky Gervais, and today I’m thrilled to be joined by a junior creative who is already making waves in the advertising world. This young talent has been turning heads with their fresh and innovative ideas, and I can’t wait to delve deeper into their creative process and find out what makes them tick.
As someone who has spent years in the entertainment industry, I know just how difficult it can be to break into a creative field. So, it’s truly inspiring to see someone so young and talented making such a big impact so early on in their career.
So, without further ado, let’s dive right in and get to know this exciting young creative a little better!
RG: Alright, so you’re a creative in advertising, yeah? Walk me through your process, how do you get from a brief to a final product?
YP: What I start out with is to rewrite or well, actually dissect the assignment. That way it becomes clearer for myself and I see all the facets better, what I need to think about and thus work with. Often, I then pick a key word that I want to focus on in particular. After that, I just start looking for inspiration. On Pinterest, internet, Insta, but also outside during a walk. Anything can be a source of inspiration for me. Once I get a good insight, I start looking at how to make this insight appropriate for the corresponding assignment. I talk to people a lot to get feedback and sharpen my concept. After the feedback sessions and all the changes, I slowly move toward the final product. But what is still missing, is a good mockup of what the idea might look like. I always try to design this nicely, to paint as clear a picture as possible. And yes, after this the idea stands and the it can go to the CD and the designers.
RG: You’ve worked on a few campaigns, yeah? Which ones did you enjoy the most and why?
YP: We are now working on a job for a really cool festival. Everything to be involved in this job I find so incredibly fun and a good fit for me. I can’t say much else about it yet, but stay tuned, just before the festival more will be announced.
‘Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t.’
RG: So let’s say you’re working on a campaign and the client asks for something completely different. How do you handle that sort of thing?
YP: This is difficult, of course, because you have put a lot of time and effort into a nice concept. But you soon get used to this. After all, this is how it works. You come up with something, and you work it out. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. Every job is a new challenge and so is when the customer wants something different.
RG: How do you keep up with the latest industry trends and techniques? Do you read books or just watch TikTok ads all day like I do?
YP: Hmmm, depends. I often read books on topics I find interesting and sometimes there are techniques related to that. But in general I look a lot on social media, like TikTok and Instagram. Next to this I read many, many, many articles or ask people who know more about it.
RG: When working with other creatives on a campaign, like copywriters or designers, how do you make sure you’re all on the same page?
YP: During a collaboration, we always have a lot of contact with each other. We schedule check-ins and do review sessions, so we always stay on track. Alongside this, I work with my work partner and we have a very fluid collaboration, where she has taken on a copywriting role and I more the art direction role.
RG: Tell me about a time when you had to finish a project under a tight deadline. How did you make sure you didn’t end up producing something crap?
YP: There have been times when we had to finish something on very short notice. What we always do, is keep reviewing with the other creatives. Maybe even more often than usual. This way you increase the pressure a bit and keep delivering and improving in a short time and, together, you still end up with a nice end result.
RG: I love getting feedback, especially when it’s about how brilliant I am. But seriously, how do you incorporate feedback from clients or colleagues into your work?
YP: Actually, it’s very simple. I write down the feedback, read it carefully and then go and see in what way I agree with it and how I can implement it back into my work.
RG: Can you think of a time when you had to come up with a creative solution to a difficult problem? How did you approach it?
YP: Yes sure, this was about sexual abuse over the Internet. The client in question wanted to pay attention to this, when, in my opinion, this was not their place. I do think it’s an interesting topic, so I then looked at it from: “ok, how can I pay attention to this, without it being out of place for this client?” In the end, we came to a bold result.
‘So much has already been conceived and made that companies are now starting to focus more on how it is made.‘
RG: What’s your favourite ad campaign and why? I bet it’s not as good as the one I did for my TV show.
YP: Several years ago, a campaign went live called ‘Sweetie’. The virtual 10-year-old Filipino girl who managed to identify more than 1046 pedo’s. Social issues really attract me to work with, but also to read about. This project I found really insane because it was actually effective.
RG: So, what do you think is the biggest challenge facing the advertising industry at the moment, and how would you deal with it? I’d say the challenge is coming up with new ways to make me even more famous, what do you think?
YP: Haha the standard answer, stay relevant… But I think rather that relevance is also a changing guideline. So much has already been conceived of and made that companies are now starting to focus more on how it is made. More techniques are coming into the market. Sometimes commercials are really cinematic instead of just a cheap sales ad.
RG: Well, that brings us to the end of our conversation. I want to thank our guest, the talented Yara Perotti, for taking the time to chat with me today. It’s been truly inspiring to hear about their creative journey so far and the exciting projects they have in the pipeline.
I hope our readers have gained some valuable insights into the world of advertising and the creative process. Whether you’re a seasoned professional or just starting out, there’s always something new to learn, and I think our guest today has demonstrated that beautifully.
As we wrap up, I’d like to encourage everyone to keep pushing themselves creatively and never be afraid to take risks and try new things. Who knows, you could be the next big thing in the world of advertising, just like the junior of this month.
Thanks again for joining us, and until next time, this is Ricky Gervais signing off!
