Marie RONN

1. What was your very first job? 
I picked strawberries one summer on a farm in Southern Sweden. (Although I didn’t make much money as I ate most of my crop.) 

2. Please describe, in your own words, what your job is and what work it entails. 
As a Creative Director, I’d say I help grow ideas, trying to ensure they make it out into the world in their shiniest way possible & also solving the right problems. Of course working closely with the creative teams, producers, strategists and many more to get there.

3. 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 was always very into drawing and making stuff, but not sure exactly how that could play into a profession. And so I figured I’d apply for a foundation course in Art and Design to help guide me. After a year at Camberwell College of Art in London, I continued with a degree in Graphic Design and Advertising at Central Saint Martin’s (also University of the Arts, London). I gravitated towards advertising because I enjoyed the framework & problem solving it entails. I find that for me the guardrails help make the task more interesting and also more rewarding when you crack the idea. 

4. In your constantly growing and expanding industry, how do you find inspiration to keep your work fresh, innovative and relevant? 
Inspiration for me comes from so many different places. May it be great storytelling, stunning visuals, innovative new tech. Even this new start-up culture is so inspiring, seeing people trying to solve real problems by bringing new product solutions into the world. I find it hard to pin-point one source of inspiration, sparks and ideas are sort of all over the place.

 5. 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? 
It would have to be Project Body Hair for the start-up razor brand, Billie. We were the first female razor brand in history to actually show body hair in a commercial. And also the first brand to encourage women to decide for themselves whether or not they want to shave in the first place. It was a dream project with so many talented people. And the best part was that it was received incredible well by women all over the world and brought the conversation of body hair shame to the surface.

 6. Which creative disciplines do you commission most, and are most interested in seeing more of and why? (ie photo, film, social, experiential, vr, etc)
The nature of my work is such that no two projects are the same and the media requirements often vary. And so we’ll commission all of those disciplines for different projects depending on the idea. But more often than not there is an element of filmmaking involved.