Live:Tamboerskloof, Cape Town.
Work: Woodstock.
Play: Family, mountain, beach, tennis courts, books, podcasts and imagination.
I love growing people and I believe I have a good ability to get the best out of individuals and teams. I am also incredibly curious and have a collection of over a thousand documentaries I have watched, and am unfortunately always eager to recommend. Playing beach bats: I reached 876 consecutive hits on the Copacabana in Rio!
It’s been very entrepreneurial. I started selling tracksuits at 10 years old in school and have always been on the lookout for something new. I am not driven by money, but more by my desire to have the freedom to create and chase opportunities.
I loved advertising but was very disillusioned early in my career with the politics, ego and constraints that went with it. It was the mixture of business and creativity that I loved and I started HYH with my partner because I thought there could be a better, easier and more fun way to do it.
I love the creative freedom for ideas. I love being able to explore and understand humanity. I am driven by understanding the Why – why we do everything. I love that the world is our lab and we get to try and figure out problems and create smart innovation every day.
My brain, my empathy, my imagination and EQ. Those are the essential tools I rely on and constantly develop for everything I do.
I'm not sure. I think there are many people getting parts of it right, but not holistically. Our industry hasn’t changed in the past 70 years and I haven’t seen enough innovation or challenging of the status quo yet to signify anyone as getting it right.
We are not being brave enough to disrupt ourselves.
I feel like we hold ourselves as the Holy Grail and there is too much ego attached to our inner circle of the industry. We need more mavericks, more disruptors, more change. There is a lot of skilled craft, but how are we evolving in line with how the world is?It’s getting tough economically and we are seeing lots of agencies fight for survival. The dynamic of working relationships with some are changing, as they are fighting for territory and the fight is not for what’s best for the brand, but for what each agency can get their hands on.
That is the start of the end and must always be stamped out.
Right this very minute, I am finishing off a presentation for a talk in Paris, explaining the forces shaping society and how this influences design.
I desperately try to stay away from buzzwords. I think it is a crutch for not really having a clear understanding of the subject and is a hindrance to clarity.
But the things you will hear me talk about a lot this week are evolutionary psychology, behavioural economics, and the zeitgeist...
A word I fell in love with yesterday was quixotry. I will leave it up to you to look up the meaning!
I think best when my mind has space to float, which is almost never at work, as there are too many meetings, distractions and disruptions for your brain to really dive deep into thinking about a topic.
It’s on weekends, in the evenings after work, trying to fall asleep or early mornings. Time, space and isolation are essential for me to think.
I am faster than a ninja at leaving a party, and I can do a pretty cool disappearing cigarette trick.
I am a mix. I am the last to pick up on a new gadget. Hardware doesn’t really excite me, but I get very excited about the power or ability that something new provides. So, I am focused on the outputs that new software, tools and apps will provide.
I’m very focused and will do research before jumping in, as I try to reduce time wastage in my life. I do my best to stay disconnected and avoid distraction, but at the same time, curate lots of content that I want to feed my mind with.15. What would we find if we scrolled through your phone?
16. What advice would you give to newbies hoping to crack into the industry?
Simple as that. Stewart’s not on social media himself, so be sure to follow HaveYouHeard on their LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram feeds for the latest updates.
*Interviewed by Leigh Andrews.