Peter Lawlor Interview(s)
Point of View: Creative
In a few words, can you tell us who you are what your job title is?
Peter Lawlor. I'm currently the Principal Economic Advisor at Deutsche Boerse (that's the German Stock Exchange folks!), but I was for many years a record producer, songwriter, and composer.
Did you have a mentor at one point in your life and how did that person help guide you?
My parish priest, Father Knight.
If you were going to choose one project to post on AdForum to represent your creative vision, what would it be?
My most well-known work is probably the music to Levi's Creek; an utterly superb commercial. That music does represent a lot of what I was trying to achieve; the combination of styles: the choral piece I wrote for the opening; the guitar work which had stylistic elements of the Kinks, Nirvana, Joy Division, and Boston. Perhaps my single favourite composition was for a UK Guinness commercial, which I will try to dig out and upload at some point.
Is there a band or an artist that you listen to most during the work week to help you relax and spark creativity and if so, who is it?
If anything, it would be J.S. Bach.
What would be the one word you would use to describe your office’s culture?
Fast.
What can you do creatively when working on branded content that you might not be able to do in the “traditional” ad process?
Nothing.
What would be your least favorite thing about the pitch process?
The occasional cases where producers were either not direct, or (much worse) dishonest. It's very poor practice and redolent of short-term thinking.
If you had a chance to be President and/ or King for a day and can enact any rule into law, what would it be?
A ban on all economics articles written by people without any significant economics training.
What do you think will be the big change in either technology or culture that will most affect advertising in the next 5 years?
Political shifts.
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