On My Radar: Tomas Jacobi

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

I loved the B2B marketing campaign Spotify did called Spreadbeats. It was made by FCB NYC, and it’s a music video made in it’s entirely on Excel. Starts with a Spotify media plan made on Excel and then it starts morphing into this incredible music video. I believe it was the first time someone created a music video or animation using a spreadsheet program.

What website(s) do you use most regularly?

Gotta be Surfline, which is a surfing forecast website. I check the beach cams and the surf forecast all the time to know if there will be good surf around town.

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

This is super-music specific, but I bought something called an S4, by a brand called Torso Electronics. I believe they call it a sculpting sampler but it’s more It’s like a sampler/granular synth. You can use it to capture and design sounds. You can do a lot of crazy textural stuff. I’m a huge fan of ambient music and creating my own tonal/atonal textures and soundscapes. Haven’t dived in fully yet, but my first impression of it has blown me away.

What product could you not live without?

Probably [caffeine-rich, infused herbal drink] Mate. I’ve been in the States for over 20 years, but I’m originally from Argentina, and Mate it’s something that it’s part of my culture.

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

I recently watched Wim Wenders latest film, Perfect Days, and absolutely loved it. I don’t wanna spoil the film by saying too much, but it’s about a Japanese worker and his everyday routine. Every day it’s the same, yet he finds wonder and beauty in everything, from nature to silence to the most mundane things. It’s beautiful. A really good representation of really being in the present moment.

What film do you think everyone should have seen?

Apart from what I mentioned above, the film is beautifully shot in Tokyo and has the most amazing soundtrack. No score, but an amazing music supervision job. Music is a key factor in this film. It comes from POV of the protagonist’s taste in music while he drives to work. The soundtrack has music by The Animals, The Kinks, Patti Smith, The Velvet Underground and the list goes on. I think that pretty much says it all!

What’s your preferred social media platform?

Instagram. It’s the only social platform I have or use. It is super-addictive and has a lot of negative things, but I do get inspired everyday by a lot of different artists, creatives and musicians. I just need to be careful not use it too much.

What’s your favourite TV show?

At the moment I’m really enjoying The Bear. I grew up around food, and it’s bringing me a lot of memories. My mom is a cook who worked at restaurant and taught cooking classes most of her life, and my grandparents had a hotel and restaurant, so it’s reminiscent of my childhood.

What’s your favourite podcast? 

A podcast called Tape Notes, which consists of a host interviewing music producers and the producers sharing how they created their projects. They sit down and talk about the producers' Logic or Pro Tools sessions, and how they approached the specific song. They could be talking about how they recorded a synth part, or which plug-in they were using to create the sound you are listening to. It's really good to see what talented producers are doing. You realise how different other approaches are, yet still all of them are great! I also love Rick Rubin’s podcast, Tetragrammaton.

What show/exhibition has most inspired you recently?

Another hard question. I feel, here in LA, you are constantly inspired. Every musical act comes through and there is amazing art happening at all times. If I had to choose one, I think it has to be Caetano Veloso at the Disney Hall. I have seen Caetano many times, but seeing him at 80-years-old, and still performing the way he does, was truly inspiring.

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

This is the hardest question ever. I like everything from Stravinsky to Radiohead. From Brian Eno to film‬‭ scores. From pop to hip-hop… but if I had to choose something, it would have to be The Beatles.‬‭ You can listen to them today and they are still relevant. I feel they will always be. They are eternal.‬

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

I think and feel that the industry is doing this already, and has been really pushing this for a while, and that's increasing diversity and representation in advertising. As a Latino/minority myself it would be great if we could further amplify diverse voices and perspectives in the industry. In my opinion, the more viewpoints and perspectives the better. I feel this can create more authentic and relatable campaigns.