On My Radar: Daniel DelPurgatorio

What was the most creative advertising idea you’ve seen recently?

The Nike You Can’t Stop Us spot was a really fantastic piece. The execution was seamless. It was refreshing to see a spot carefully curated for the Nike brand so perfectly cut together with existing footage to tell a unique story. This spot would have been amazing if it was produced outside the constraints of a pandemic, too.

What website(s) do you use most regularly?

My most used sites would definitely be IMDB and Bloody Disgusting. I’m always reading news about the film world, particularly the horror genre, and IMDB is a vital resource when it comes to tracking what folks in the industry have been working on. Those are the two mainstays.

What’s the most recent piece of tech that you’ve bought? 

I bought a 3D printer for my 10-year-old’s birthday. While the printer is technically his, it’s been a fun experience diving in and learning how to use it together.

What product could you not live without?

As cliche as it may be, it would have to be my iPhone, for many reasons. It’s amazing for keeping in touch and, while I don’t like text messaging that much, it can definitely be more efficient to connect with people in short spurts. While I prefer calling or seeing folks in person, I appreciate that I can stay in touch with a lot more people. It also helps me stay updated with all things related to work, personal life and scheduling for the family.

What’s the best film you’ve seen over the last year?

Although highly topical for this particular year, I had been wanting to see Parasite for a long time, and finally made that happen. I missed it when it originally came out and so, when I finally saw it streaming, I jumped on it. I’m an “own the movie” type of guy, so I typically prefer to purchase a movie. I sat on this one for a long time, but it was really amazing. I’m a huge fan of director Bong Joon-Ho’s work.

What film do you think everyone should have seen?

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. It’s definitely a personal top three favorite film of all time for me, for so many reasons. That film still really holds up.

What’s your preferred social media platform?

Instagram because it seems more personal. I like seeing people posting photos of friends, family, kids and pets. It’s a nice getaway.

What’s your favourite TV show? 

My favorite is definitely It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. The show does a really great job at picking up on things that are issues in everyday life that aren’t necessarily focused on, but highly relatable. They’re not afraid to push it and go crazy with the topics in fear of it offending someone. They’re also really great at making fun of themselves and writing jokes for devoted fans that relate to something from eight seasons ago.

What’s your favourite podcast? 

I don’t really listen to podcasts all that much. I feel like podcasts are similar to a book in that you need to be fully invested in it, not just playing in the background for white noise. Between work and kids, I don’t really have the time to sit down and invest in podcasts, unfortunately.

What show/exhibition has most inspired you recently?

Once I had kids, my whole focus outside of work became spending time with my family. I’ve been really inspired by their own personal creative experimentations. They have done a lot of cool comic books, stop-motion videos, and more. It’s really fun to see that the things they are excited about creating are really not far off from what I do both professionally and personally in the creative realm. I’m constantly looking at what they are putting together and getting inspired by the creativity and genuine enthusiasm they bring to every project.

What’s the most significant change you’ve witnessed in the industry since you started working in it?

The approach in how people do creative work has changed significantly. The process was longer in terms of execution of a spot, but also in terms of how you think of a creative concept. Especially during the last year, things have become a lot faster and more aggressive. I like that when it comes to creative problem solving, because you often get some of your best ideas when you are limited in terms of budget and schedule. When we come out of this pandemic and things are back to 'normal', I hope that part remains.