Ed HORNBY

What was your very first job? 

Apart from the inevitable bar jobs, my first proper job was as a Product Designer of educational toys and electronics kits.

Please describe, in your own words, what your job is and what work it entails. 

I head up the Digital team at VCCP. I make sure that everything from the creative to the code is the best it can possibly be. That means being creative with not just what we do, but also how we do it.

How did you discover that the creative world was right for you? Was there a time in your life that you credit to this discovery? What was there train of events that brought you to where you are today? 

I don’t think there was a single eureka moment. From an early age I’ve always been interested by how things work, and what attracts people to them, or to put it another way, how people work. Underneath, I’m really a musician and composer, and the one thing I have in common with people who are actually any good at those things, is an absolute fascination with the creative process, no matter which medium.

In your constantly growing and expanding industry, how do you find inspiration to keep your work fresh, innovative and relevant? 

In two ways. Firstly, by talking to people in the industry about what they’re doing, how they’re doing it and what out there has piqued their interest. Secondly, by looking outside of the industry at other creative pursuits and industries, and how they are their work – it’s a way of finding new ways to break new ground.

If you had to pick one piece of work or project that you are most proud of, more for the creative work and innovation it required, rather than its recognition or industry “success,” what would it be? 

Be More Dog campaign for O2. The overall creative idea was brilliant, and in order to come up with further digital creative ideas and deliver them, we not only used new technologies (eg web sockets were brand new at the time) we fully exploited a new method of working in the technology team, based on continual testing and prototyping, without which we would never have been able to deliver anything as bold or innovative.

What social media artist are you most influenced by?

Mrwhisper on Instagram. Essential following for any Londoner, or smartphone photography fan.  Bal is a real talent and a living example of how being a good artist is a combination of creative expression and mastery of your tools.