You know something is good when everybody wants to try it out. You know something is great when they come back again and again.
Such is the case with David Bonner, SVP, Executive Creative Director of Jacksonville, FL based St. John & Partners. An award winning creative director with years of experience at such places as BBDO and GJP in Toronto, JWT Chicago and Doe Anderson in Louisville, David came to Giant Hydra this past summer, eager to test the mettle of the HydraHeads with a project. It wasn’t long before David came back with a second, and then a third challenge for Giant Hydra. Of course our HydraHeads were up to the task.
With summer out of the way — at least for us northern hemisphere HydraHeads — we finally caught up with David to chat about his Giant Hydra experiences, including how he gets the most out the system and what his agency creative team thinks of it all.
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Giant Hydra: How did you first hear about Giant Hydra?
David Bonner: “ A colleague heard about Giant Hydra at an industry conference. When I looked it up, I realized we had some connections back to Toronto.”
Giant Hydra: Let’s go back to your first project. How easy was it to pick that perfect first team of HydraHeads?
David: “ It was simple. I could see who had some experience working with Giant Hydra, and then a quick access to their portfolios allowed me to make a value judgment about what they’d bring to the party.”
Giant Hydra: In a bricks and mortar agency, you’re used to seeing your creatives face-to-face. How difficult was it to adjust to a virtual, globe-spanning team of HydraHeads?
David: “Lately, I’m usually travelling or popping in and out of meetings anyway – so it’s almost identical on most days. At least with Giant Hydra I can access the ideas whenever I have a moment. I don’t have to wait for a team to be available to tell me what’s pinned up on a wall back in the agency.”
“…with Giant Hydra I can access the ideas whenever I have a moment. I don’t have to wait for a team to be available to tell me what’s pinned up on a wall back in the agency.”
Giant Hydra: You’ve been heavily engaged in the process and progress of each Giant Hydra project your agency has done. Is it tricky for a creative director to stay on top of the action?
David: “Like most projects, if you let a project float, it can float away on you. Or you can give it a rudder and course direction. Good CDs know when to step in, and when to let a project steer itself.”
Giant Hydra: Do you find it better to keep a many Seeds open as possible when moving into the Ideas and Executions stages of a project, or do you get better results when you narrow down the options for the team?
David: “It really has been determined by the needs of the specific project, but generally speaking, I find the creative process to be most productive the more it iterates. It needs room and space to develop and evolve.”
Giant Hydra: Not only have you used Giant Hydra on a number of projects, but you’ve also had your own staff join in and work alongside the HydraHeads within the Giant Hydra interface. How have they taken to using Giant Hydra?
David: “They’ve loved it. It’s allowed them to work with some new people, hear new perspectives, and try something a little different. Even people who are very comfortable and confident in their working style have gotten a lot out of it. It’s a safe place to create.”
Giant Hydra: What has been the most surprising aspect of your Giant Hydra experience? How it the reality match up to your expectations?
David: “Our world has only sped up. The fact that I could access as much talent, as quickly, as economically as I did was all the proof I needed. We got a lot of great ideas quickly. Whether it was 20 years ago, or last week – it’s still about great ideas. Giant Hydra has helped us get there more quickly and more economically than I could’ve in the past.”
Giant Hydra: At the end of the day, who’s happiest with the results — the creative director, the client or the people in the finance department?
David: “The client doesn’t know where the ideas come from. Even I don’t sometime. It’s just an idea in a list. As a CD, Giant Hydra has become a tool that’s helped me deliver great work. For the accounting department, tying free agents to a specific project is something they can get their head around.”
Giant Hydra: What would you say to a fellow creative director or agency head who was unsure about giving Giant Hydra a try?
David: “I imagine it’s what sex, drugs and California were like in the 60’s – good, pure stuff, and nothing that’s going to be permanent. If it doesn’t work out, you just head back east.”
