On My Radar: Toby Walsham

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

I love the recent British Airways OOH campaign. It's just great. Some may argue it lacks much in the way of creativity as it's just so simple, but the images captured, which include no supers, no legals, no website URLs, say more than any bit of clever copy. They are beautifully executed and my favourite thing out there right now.

What website(s) do you use most regularly?

Well, my phone will tell you that I am on Gmail 75% of my day. Not sure that counts for a website. For inspo, I still don’t think you can beat Instagram. The short time I spend on it a day leads to a few memes shared and a number of fun creative ideas or insights saved for another day. 

But my most used tool is a GPT I built using Chat's deep research function, that allows me to dive into any subject I am working on at that moment so incredibly quickly. I even used it this morning to understand more about Bari, Italy, where I am off to for a wedding... did you know that Bari is home to the Basilica di San Nicola, built in the 11th century to house the relics of Saint Nicholas? Yes, the same Saint Nicholas who inspired the legend of Santa Claus!

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

I used to collect tech. New iPad; I’d have it. New phone; it’s on order. But since moving to the countryside in the US, my focus has been trying to find more balance. My last five ‘tech’ purchases have been a leaf blower, a pressure washer, a sprinkler system and a full CCTV system for the house (mostly to watch the cats when away on a shoot). 

There is a huge amount of technical advancement right now, I’m even being contacted by a ton of wearable AI tech brands to make spots for them, but honestly, I think all this new wearable AI tech feels like it’s going to be dated the week after they release. I am sitting on my edge of my seat to see what Open AI and Jony Ives do.

What product could you not live without?

My wood-fired stove. I love making a fire and sitting having a whiskey after a hard day.

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

I just re-watched The Intern… is that really lame? Robert De Niro is a real cutie in that.

What film do you think everyone should have seen?

The Pianist always gets me, it’s a beautiful and heartbreaking story told so well.

What’s your preferred social media platform?

Instagram. I do enjoy the occasional death scroll between video calls. I like to give myself a break from my medium screen to have a little small screen treat. 

What’s your favourite TV show?

It’s not original to say this, but I could watch and re-watch The Office. But it has to be the US office. I must be on my eighth or ninth time around watching the nine seasons. It is so well written, but it's also great TV to just zone out too on a Sunday by the fire. 

What’s your favourite podcast?

I don’t really do podcasts, even though I am always recommended them. I am exposed to all sorts of health and wellness podcasts when my wife is riding passenger in the car en route to NYC for meetings. I know all there is to know about microplastics and parabens, but don’t have a clue how this helps my career or creative endeavours!

What have you been most inspired by recently?

As someone whose background is largely on the traditional production front, it’s been incredible and inspiring to watch the way AI has been opening up new creative routes and opportunities for us that we hadn’t considered across some of the creative briefs coming our way. In fact, I was so inspired by this that we decided to open up an AI roster, Made by Humans, specifically to embrace it and see where it takes us. Made by Humans is now busier than our live-action arm. The errors, artefacts and straight up weird shit AI does can sometimes trigger a thought process and send us down a very interesting rabbit hole. 

If you could only listen to one music artist from now on, who would it be?

Too embarrassing to answer this truthfully… Next question.

If there was one thing you could change about the advertising industry, what would it be?

I believe it’s time for a serious rethink of how our industry approaches the pitch process. Too often, we’re seeing agencies and brands engage production companies under the guise of genuine interest, only for those opportunities to disappear without explanation. This wastes significant time, creative energy and financial resources.

Personally, I’ve seen five single-bid projects evaporate this year alone, and I know I’m not the only one. Across the board, there’s growing frustration about the lack of transparency and accountability on the client side. We’re being asked to invest heavily in treatments and creative work for projects that were never viable in the first place.

In reality, agencies and brands are commissioning unpaid labour under the pretence of a live brief or competitive bid, only to shelve the project entirely. It’s not just inefficient, it’s exploitative. To move forward, agencies must be more upfront about the process: who’s being considered, how many parties are involved, and where the client truly stands. That level of honesty would go a long way toward reducing wasted effort and restoring trust. But, beyond that, as an industry, we need to start calling out poor practice when we see it and stop allowing this cycle to continue unchecked.