What sets The Mill apart from other visual effects agencies?

I think the history. They were the first to go digital, while everyone else was still working on tape and film, they were always focused on new technologies. They've always done things in a slightly different way and haven't always taken the safe option. For example, about 3 years ago they wanted to do more digital stuff and they want to start directing commercials, there are a lot of exciting things going on. In the same vein, they wanted to set up a digital department, but they wanted to lead it creatively focused.

For someone who's worked in digital all their life, you don't always get access to the best directors or the best visual effects artists. The first project we did at The Mill, was for the launch of the the Audi A8 in India, it was a mad 3D ad and then they just had all the same guys do the digital stuff, and I don't think anywhere else would have done that.

What do you find the most exciting part of your job?

Because everything is different, all the briefs are so varied- Absolut, is a classic example, I don't think there was an agency involved. Sahm who is the director suggested that The Mill would be able to do it, we were scratching our heads a little bit, but then thought, 'Nah, actually! We can do it, we have the right people, let's give it a go.' We had to fly one guy over from our New York office. He worked here for around 7 weeks, didn't get much sleep, but he's on holiday now!

What do you find the most technically challenging part?

Well, the thing with the Absolut project was that I'd never worked with that type of code, or those developers. Normally when you work with a developer you can judge the amount of time, but when I was told that we could do it in a couple of weeks, I was just like, ‘Well…I’ve got to trust you!’ And that’s not a very comfortable position for a project manager to be in, to just trust developers.

It was a learning experience, it was really good. I certainly have a better appreciation for what it is they can do. The other thing that’s difficult is that The Mill is sort of seen as a production facility, so, ‘Here’s what we want, go and build it.’ Whereas we’re trying to get more of the creative side of it, and putting our own spin on things.

You’ve used 3D for the Absolut project

Yeah, it’s not really 3D in the normal sense that we’d use 3D, traditionally you’d create something and spend ages rendering it, but all of this was in real-time, so we had to create 3D polygons and shapes. It required a different approach, but it was fun.

Do you like 3D? Why do you think it has become so popular?

You can do anything in 3D, so you’re not limited by what you can shoot. The latest Audi commercial that we did with the hummingbird, there’s no real shoot with that, it’s all 3D, so it allows your imagination to go wherever it wants to go.

Where do you think it will go? do you think it will become more of a fixture in homes?

I think in the cinema it has a good place, I think technology will develop more and it will become normal for people. I watched a football game in 3D in a pub and thought that it was really interesting, but you stick on the glasses and you don’t really look at anyone else, so it ruins the whole pub atmosphere, and I didn’t like that, and I think the same thing would happen at home.

For computer games it would be incredible, completely immersed, which is why 3D works, but in a social situation, watching X Factor, it would just be weird…

Why did you get into visual effects initially?

Well I got into digital advertising and I started by getting into advertising, working at AKQA almost straight out of uni and I realised that I was much more focused on what we were doing as a team internally, rather than what the client wanted. I like to work collaboratively with the designers and the developers and that was my focus. So I moved to project management and that just led to working with AKQA on the Nike account- one of the biggest accounts and doing stuff for the World Cup. I felt like I had done everything I could size-wise at AKQA, so why not try something else? That’s when The Mill came along. I’m still doing digital advertising, but the lines are getting blurred now, what visual effects are and what digital advertising means, so if we’re doing generative art based on your dance moves then that’s visual effects, sort of but it’s still digital advertising.

It’s really interesting because it’s right at the cutting edge of technology, so there’s always a different challenge and something that we haven’t done before. Absolut are very brave to go with that and just see what we can do. You don’t often get brands that are that brave.

What city do you think is the most exciting technologically?

There’s a lot in Asia, like Tokyo, but if you work in digital advertising or advertising in general, there are a lot of people from South America talented creatives, so I can imagine that a city like Sao Paulo could be the next big place. Rod, the creative director, is from there, it’s great working with him because some creative directors are very much focused on the aesthetics, but he’s also interested in the marketing side as well.

Why do you think advertising has become such high quality and cinematic?

I think it’s because the technology is improving, the quality of the creative is getting better and there are so many people that are growing up with advertising and digital advertising. They’re pushing all the people that are older and more experienced to be innovative. Advertising was always about story-telling, and now it’s story-telling in the digital-age, so rather than saying, ‘Here’s a story and you can buy into it, it’s more like, ‘Here’s a story, you can get involved in it.’ That’s the way that digital is going, people can make their own middles and endings so it’s really exciting.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to get into the same career as you?

Just don’t be afraid to get in at the bottom and start working. There’s nothing better than experience in this industry, just learn from people around you and don’t be afraid to move if you’re not happy.

Do any projects intimidate you?

Yeah, I can’t say that I haven’t been intimidated by a project. Absolut intimidated me because it was new technology. At AKQA, our chairman came up to us and said, ‘Apple are launching the iPad in six weeks and we need to deliver an iPad application for it, and I think it should be a different version of your project’ and my project had about six weeks to be done and it was full into production, so I was like, ‘I don’t think it can be done…’ And he was like, ‘Make it happen.’ (Laughs).

We were one of those companies that had the iPad chained to a table in a darkened room and had to develop something new, so that was pretty intimidating…everyone within AKQA and everyone at Nike had their eyes on us. You feel the pressure, but that’s why you do it.

Do you like working with a bigger budget, or do you find it more exciting when you have to be creative with a limited one?

Yeah, you can do more, with a bigger budget but I prefer to work with a set time frame. If there’s no urgency then you are never efficient, if there’s a set budget and a set time-line then you know what you have to make happen.

What inspires your work?

I’m inspired by the people around me, my creative director, the techies that I meet who want to do something crazy. I’m inspired by other people’s work, there are a lot of things out there that are interesting and inspiring, and I suppose it’s just a case of taking things that you learn and applying it to your work. As long as you feel like you’re adding something to the process, then you can be happy.

What are you working on next?

There are a few things in the pipeline, which I can’t really talk about! There are some exciting things, our New York team have just done a thing for AT&T which is just incredible, it’s in a media centre and it’s this huge, interactive world that you can control with an iPad and there are similar things that we’re trying to do in London.

What process do you most enjoy?

I like the first bit and the last bit (laughs). The middle bit is stressful, but you have to go through that to get to the reward.

Who is your IDOL?

I suppose I’ve had a few. Ajaz Ahmed, the chairman of AKQA, is one of them. He’s very focused and clear in his thinking and he’s amazing at presenting. There’s a guy called Jesse Stollak from Nike that I work with, who again is just cut-to-the-chase, just knows what needs to happen and not afraid to make calls with a million-pound budget.

Interviewed by Emma Hurwitz