Creative Q&A: Grey Group's David Sin is in the hot seat

How did you get into advertising?
By accident. I was more interested in design but the job paid poorly and the clients weren’t the most appreciative (in the early years) and the ad guys always seems to be better this and that.

What was your first ever ad?
A classified ad for my old beat up Mini Clubman.

Which ad do you wish you’d made?
Hmmm, tons. Let me think. I wish I’d done... Coke’s Happiness Machine Viral. Bloody simple, entertaining and you’ll want to share it after watching it.

What was your worst job ever?
I had a holiday job once painting lifeboats in a scrap yard. I used to console myself by imagining I was painting on a humungous canvas.

What qualities do you look for in a prospective employee?
Unafraid, curious and most importantly keen.

What does it take to impress you?
Being spontaneous, unexpected. Stop me in my tracks. Make me think again.

Where do you go to be inspired?
An art show, a movie, read a book or in desperate times a visit to the loo helps, strange...

Who do you consider to be a creative genius? Why?
William Bernbach of course. His thinking still applies today despite the digital age threatening everything.

If you were not working in advertising, where would you work?
A design studio designing something... A t-shirt...a toy...a font perhaps.

What is your guilty pleasure?
A really expensive pair of sneakers.

What would you like to be in a next life?
An alien. Must be quite fun learning about what makes humans tick because we never really know.

What is your favourite word?
*hit. The word appears when I’m impressed or disgusted. Must be subliminal.

What is the first thing you do when you wake up?
A strong brew of Arabica.

Worst haircut you’ve ever had?
A barber a friend recommended. Turned out his version of short means 3mm from the scalp.

What’s your favourite song lyric?
“You're the cutest thing that I ever did see I really love your peaches, wanna shake your tree” - Steve Miller, 'The Joker'.


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