One of the reasons I accepted my role with BootB is because of the amazingly creative and talented people I have yet to meet and discover through the interview process.

This time, I had the pleasure of interviewing Ben Keenan, winner of the “DONE! Press and Web Campaign” Pitch…

Catherine Realce (CR): Hi Ben! Congrats on winning the DONE! Pitch. I also heard you became a new dad very recently. How amazing is that creation! Congrats to you, your wife, and your new family member! I know you are going through a lot of adjusting.
Ben Keenan (BK): Hi Catherine. Nice to hear from you and thanks for the congratulations. My daughter is one week old today! And she’s fantastic, still adjusting to the world of having no real days or nights, but it’s all worth it.

CR: Tell me a little bit about yourself.
BK: My name is Ben, I live in Melbourne Australia with my wife and one week old daughter. I like making, writing, laughing, singing, daydreaming.

CR: I see on your profile that you work for a huge agency. How did you get to where you are today?
BK: Ten years ago I managed to mess up the sound on the graduate film of James Wan and Leigh Whannel who went onto make Saw while doing film school. I made some music videos, played in many bands myself, worked as a web designer, taught kindergarten in Japan, returned to Australia and washed up on the shores of Advertising by doing an industry run course. I finished second in my class, became a copywriter at a US agency and have since moved on to an English one.

CR: Wow, Saw, really? That was quite a twisted flick. I enjoyed the sequels, as well. Even though you feel you messed up back then, it seems you went on to doing a lot of other great things for yourself. Have you worked on any notable music videos or children’s books that I may have seen?
BK: I’ve brushed shoulders with some really talented people, which is a product of never really specializing in one area. The music videos I made were for bands like Augie March, The Underground Lovers. Indie bands that aren’t very well known outside of Australia.
I did a project called DJ Roo and the Outback Crew. It was a virtual kids hip-hop band. I wrote some songs and stories about rapping Australian animals. It was great fun, very silly. It’s me voicing all of the make bits! http://www.thethoughtpolice.com.au/djroo
I also wrote a retro book and tape for a web piece at my last agency.
http://www.thethoughtpolice.com.au/sammy/

CR: Can you share an experience or project that you feel most proud of?
BK: My first ever ad, it was a Christmas drink driving outdoor poster.
(“Drink driving” is an Australian-ism, same as drunk driving.) I was driving home in a taxi and without any prompting, the driver commented on how much he liked it. That was very cool. I have some personal projects that top any of the commercial work I’ve done, but as far as ads, that was a favorite. It’s like the feeling you get when you bring a drawing home from school when you are a kid and your Mum sticks it on the fridge, on a very grand scale.

CR: Composed film scores, directed music videos, and written children’s stories? Is there anything you don’t do that you wish you did?
BK: This is going to sound odd, but I’ve got a genuine interest in ventriloquism, I think it’s an art form that is so uncool that it’s going to flip back the other way and spark a revival. I have a dummy from the 1930’s given to me from a family friend that I want to restore.

CR: I don’t think the talent of ventriloquism itself is odd, however, I admit that I find old wooden dummies a little creepy. It probably has a lot to do with how mainstream films feature them. Dummies, plastic dolls and clowns are currently not high on my list of warm fuzzy things. When you eventually restore your dummy and spark that revival, let me know where I can catch one of your shows.
BK: I agree, the dummies are pretty creepy, for the same reason animation that looks too human is… the whole uncanny valley thing. My wife has threatened to leave me if I run off and become a bonafide ventriloquist! So that show might not eventuate!

CR: How did you learn about BootB?
BK: I think I found BootB on a Google AdWords when checking my Gmail…

CR: How did you arrive at your solution for the DONE! Pitch?
BK: The insight came from the relationship production companies have with clients. Essentially a production company’s primary job isn’t to make amazing work, that’s a given. It’s to exceed expectation and make their clients look like geniuses for choosing them.

CR: How has having a daughter changed things for you?
BK: I’m off work for a couple of weeks as I try to learn to be a Dad, and dreading long hours when I return to agency life.

CR: I’m sure you’re enjoying every moment of your time away from work. What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned up to this point?
BK: My biggest lesson is that ideas and creativity are a craft. You need to practice it everyday to improve and love the process, not the results. Also, I think the most important skill you can learn is to get out of your own way… the most talented people I know don’t have big egos or agendas. They have a quiet confidence and get on with the work.

CR: Have you done anything interesting with the pitch prize money?
BK: We bought our daughter a very funky designer Danish cot! She looks very cute in it.

CR: Ben, you are a man with amazing talents. I wish you the best as a ventriloquist, a composer, a writer, a singer, a daydreamer, a music video director, a band member, a web designer, and most importantly… I wish you all the best as a new father. Congrats to you!
BK: Thanks Catherine, that’s too kind. I think it’s more nervous energy than talent! It’s been a pleasure! If anyone needs a bad ventriloquist act, they can reach me at www.thethoughtpolice.com.au