Behind the Selfie Profile South Africa

#BehindtheSelfie with... Marcus von Geyso

This week, we go behind the selfie with Marcus von Geyso, founder and executive creative director at Blacksmith Collective.
Marcus may or may not be from here...
Marcus may or may not be from here...

1. Where do you live, work and play?

I live in Pretoria, work in JHB, and I play between the two cities.

I love being outside, hanging out in nature.

2. What’s your claim to fame?

I’m definitely not famous, and I prefer it that way. I like to blend in, and let my work speak for itself.

3. Describe your career so far.

A lot of hard work and unexpected adventures.

In 2014, I faced up against 100 creatives from all over the country and ended up winning my first job as an art director at Ogilvy & Mather. When I joined, the entire above-the-line (ATL) department was retrenched and I had to step up to the plate. This was a blessing in disguise, as I could show what I was capable of.

Fast forward a few months, and I did my first Castle Lager ad, Coming Home, with my copywriter partner, Justin Oswald.

This unearthed my love for producing content, and I felt that I had a knack for it. This is when Diogo asked me to join his new production company and sign on as the creative director. So I left Ogilvy in 2015 and joined the production house where we did a lot of music videos – roughly 180 in 18 months.

I learned the ropes really quickly, and we became really good at managing teams and producing content. Then in April of 2016, we started pre-empting a major shift in the advertising industry. This sparked the creation of our own production collective, Blacksmith Collective.

Since then we’ve worked on some of the biggest brands in the country, creating beautiful work along the way, and I see us doing the same for the foreseeable future.

4. Tell us a few of your favourite things.

The rain, the beach, the ocean.

I love skateboarding, surfing, swimming and enjoys every thunderstorm.

5. What do you love about your industry?

The fast-paced nature of it all, and the fact that no two days are ever the same. I love thinking on my feet and adjusting to changing circumstances. And then at the end of the day, amidst all the craziness, something beautiful emerges.

6. Describe your average workday, if such a thing exists.

My average workday consists of waking up and then searching the internet, reading about the latest trends, news and looking at some creative inspiration. I then catch up on my mails and have a phone call with Diogo to plan the day.

I then attend meetings, go to a shoot, do a site recce or sit in an editing session with my creative teams.

I then come home, do some design work, build presentations, catch up on mails and go to bed at around 2am.

7. What are the tools of your trade?

A laptop, a cellphone, a camera and the occasional great cup of coffee.

8. Who is getting it right in your industry?

Terence Neale and Sunu Gonera.

Two awesome directors with a knack for storytelling. Their attention to detail is remarkable. And how they make it seem easy to make their creative visions come to life, as this is a lot harder to pull off than most people think. You know their names for a reason. They are really, really good.

9. List a few pain points the industry can improve on.

The market moves to where their problems can be solved. Not all problems are being solved for clients at this stage. And that is where we come in. We want to solve creative problems for our clients, any and all creative problems.

10. What are you working on right now?

11. Tell us some of the buzzwords floating around in your industry at the moment, and some of the catchphrases you utter yourself.
Collaboration is the big one. People have started to see that the industry is shifting, and that clients are looking for companies that can deliver on their extensive briefs.

Marcus von Geyso and Diogo Mendonça
#BizTrends2018: Today's kids will never know...

  8 Jan 2018

We feel like we’ve pre-empted this big shift, and we are positioning ourselves to be at the forefront of the new advertising age.

12. Where and when do you have your best ideas?

When it’s overcast and cold. My brain just functions better then and I feel inspired.

13. What’s your secret talent/party tricks?

I am really good at visualising things. I can see a final execution during ideation and conceptualisation phases.

At the office. �� #thisisliving

A post shared by Marcus von Geyso (@marcusvongeyso) on

And I stick to that vision, and use it as a reference point for what we’re doing, along every step of the way.

How I do it? Well, that’s a secret.

14. What would we find if we scrolled through your phone?

A lot of pictures of things that I find interesting, such as architecture, light, patterns and travel. I also take pictures of my handwritten notes. But honestly, it would be way more interesting to scroll through my laptop. I have a lot of creative inspiration folders on there.

15. What advice would you give to newbies hoping to crack into the industry?

Showcase your talent. There is something you do really well. Show that and get your work out there.

If you can show people what you can do, then they will be more willing to hire you. Also, give us a call, we love unearthing new talent all the time. The best creative ideas and talent emerge from the minds of ‘newbies’. They’re hungry and want to prove themselves; there is no better catalyst for creativity than that.
Simple as that. Be sure to follow both Blacksmith Collective and Von Geyso on Twitter and Instagram, as follows: Blacksmith Collective's Twitter ‏| Blacksmith Collective's Instagram | Von Geyso's Twitter | Von Geyso's Instagram | Von Geyso's travel Instagram

*Interviewed by Leigh Andrews.

About Leigh Andrews

Leigh Andrews AKA the #MilkshakeQueen, is former Editor-in-Chief: Marketing & Media at Bizcommunity.com, with a passion for issues of diversity, inclusion and equality, and of course, gourmet food and drinks! She can be reached on Twitter at @Leigh_Andrews.
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