#BehindtheSelfie with... Brendan Linley Arries
1. Where do you live, work and play?
I live in the beautiful city of Cape Town, where my work and play needs are well met.
2. What’s your claim to fame?
I invented the toaster strudel. Well, not really but I would have liked to.
My claim to fame is really pushing the boundaries of what’s possible, which could be anything from building white-label solutions to starting client-facing innovations labs.
3. Describe your career so far.
It has been quite the journey. My career started, like they do in the movies, from the metaphorical mail room. I started at Lilo as an intern, which turned into a full-paying job as a designer/front-end developer. From there, I moved on to Gloo where the fun really started and worked on some really great projects which bolstered my love for the industry.
With the help of a few great mentors – Graham Talbot and Paula Hulley to name a few – I just kept climbing the ladder one step at a time, absorbing as much as I could from those around me.
Now cut to 2019, where I’m working for HelloFCB+ as a creative technologist among some of the most amazing creatives and developers in Cape Town. I couldn’t have asked for anything better!
4. Tell us a few of your favourite things.
Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens. These are a few of my favourite things… alongside being a foodie, enjoying the hustle and bustle of Cape Town and anything Japan (the good stuff, not the weird stuff).
5. What do you love about your industry?
Honestly, it's the creativity. There is nothing more enjoyable than watching the cultivation of an idea.
6. Describe your average workday, if such a thing exists.
The good thing about being in my position is that every day is different. Yes, the meetings and admin are consistent but beyond that, it's anyone's guess how my day will go.
7. What are the tools of your trade?
Google, Google and more Google. Learning is a key part of the job and constantly keeping in touch with the latest technologies, strategies and creative buzz is key.
Beyond the textbook research approach, there is also communicating with industry professionals to unearth more experienced insights regarding technology, prototyping the core concepts of the end product and then presenting it on where it makes sense to everyone.8. Who is getting it right in your industry?
9. List a few pain points the industry can improve on.
Internship programmes need some improving. I’d love to see us taking on a more structured approach, which focuses on the growth of the individual in a goal-orientated system, or dare I say gamifying their growth.
It would not only shape our industry for the better, but also produce better talent.
10. What are you working on right now?
I just finished up a round of judging for a particular digital awards show, but beyond that, I can't really say. Just imagine something creative needing a technological overhaul and that's where you’ll find me.
11. Tell us some of the buzzwords floating around in your industry at the moment, and some of the catchphrases you utter yourself.
- Artificial intelligence
- Algorithm
- Machine learning
- Chatbots
- Paid media
- Earned media
- Augmented earlity
- Innovation
- What's the budget?
- Make it more dynamic?
- Is it live yet?
12. Where and when do you have your best ideas?
Usually while I’m driving to and from work.
13. What’s your secret talent/party trick?
Latching onto any conversational topic and convincing people that I know what I’m talking about. It's all lies, lies I tell you. Queue evil laugh!
14. Are you a technophobe or a technophile?
I'm square in the middle.
While technology is my work, I don't make it my life and enjoy desensitising from time to time.
15. What would we find if we scrolled through your phone?
Nothing really, be my guest and check. Maybe a few terrible attempts at being Instagram relevant!
16.What advice would you give to newbies hoping to crack into the industry?
Don't be afraid to take the long road in your career.
The journey more than makes up for any shortfalls you may experience, and provides you with an infinitely more useful toolbox as your career progresses.Keep growing and take every opportunity you have to show your passion and you will be rewarded for it.
Simple as that. Follow Arries on LinkedIn Twitter, Facebook and Instagram; and HelloFCB+ SA on their LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram feeds, as well as the FCB Joburg press office, for the latest updates.
*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.
