
Al Nicolini
Creative Director
Graphic Designer
Animator
Art Director
Executive
Web Designer
A hybrid of Batman and Homer Simpson.
As a kid I binged MTV and The Simpsons, so it made sense for me to enter the industry through music videos and animation (sometimes animated music videos). I saw an opportunity to mobilize young, interdisciplinary creatives in the (then) emerging field of 'social content' and disrupt the classic agency and production models. As the internet and industry continually evolve, I try to stay as open as ever to new ways of thinking, making and communicating.
It's important to know what people are resonating with, but not as important as finding an original angle. As Rick Rubin says, "the audience doesn't know what they like, they only know what's come before".
Right now I am trying to resist the urge to grind. There are always moments when a sprint is needed, but I know that when I am rested, healthy and fulfilled, I have better ideas and can work faster.
Get up everyday and give it your best shot. Consistency is everything.
I am a writer by trade so I don't think or operate as technically as my collaborators in design, film, experiences. I like to create ideas that blend instruction with opportunity and then work with more technical folk to iterate, play and execute.
It's case by case. Any templated approach or fixed ideology does not take allow for the phenomenal uniqueness of every brand, team or project. That said, each brief must have a clear definition of success; whether it's clicks, sales, comments or something else.
In a previous role, I had to oversee dozens of projects at once. It worked best for me, and for my teams, for me to be either hands on or hands off. I was either fully on the tools for a project, or checking in sporadically and not intervening. I thought of it as a 'lead by example' approach. It's very different to how most ECDs or GCDs operate, but it worked well at that time in that model. Mostly.