The Essential List: Jon Collins
Jon Collins is a Liverpudlian in New York. Born and raised as an Everton fan in the English city of Liverpool, he moved to New York in 2004 to open Framestore’s operations in the city. He’s been there ever since and in the time that’s passed has been promoted to the company’s President of Integrated Advertising (Worldwide). So what keeps this Englishman going in The City That Never Sleeps? We ventured to find out by roping him in for his Essential List.
Travel
◦ Place of birth: Liverpool. The Blue side.
◦ Hometown: New York.
◦ Staycation: Shelter Island, Governor’s Island, Roosevelt Island. In fact, any NY island other than Rikers.
Roots: Liverpool, UK
◦ Vacation: Australia, Jamaica.
◦ Place of work: Framestore - New York.
◦ Place of workout: Running the streets of Brooklyn.
◦ Mode of transport: Feet.
◦ Miscellaneous Travel Essential: Running Shoes.
Culture
◦ Artist: I mostly like art from 1880s -1970s Manet, Sisley, Gauguin, Van Gogh, Pollock. Contemporary artists: Richard Serra, Olafur Eliasson, Anish Kapoor.
Anish Kapoor's Cloud Gate
◦ Musician: The Beatles. Costello, Dylan, Stones, Hendrix, Radiohead, The Smiths, Jackson 5, JS Bach, John Martyn, Jimmy Reed...there are millions. But if there’s only one, it’s The Beatles.
◦ Commercials director: Howard Greenhalgh. An incredible director. And one of the best people you’ll ever meet.
◦ Film director: Woody Allen, Yasujiro Ozu, Fellini.
◦ Photographer: William Eggleston.
◦ Film: The Godfather 1&2.
◦ Series: Does Marc Maron’s WTF podcast count? I religiously listen to every episode.
Favourite ad
◦ Commercial: Blackcurrant Tango ‘St George’. One of the first major commercials that we did after I joined Framestore and a complex project although most people I showed it to thought that it was all done in camera.
◦ Music Video: Skunk Anansie ‘Lately’ (the only music vid that I’ve been in!).
◦ Book: The Wolf Throne - Samuel Collins. Or written by a non-family member: Harpo Speaks - Harpo Marx.
◦ Newspaper (off or online): New York Times.
◦ Magazine: Runner’s World.
A star part: favourite music video
Food and Drink
◦ Breakfast: 2 x Espressos...followed by 2 x Americanos.
◦ Restaurant: Eleven Madison.
◦ Working lunch: Lure Fishbar.
◦ Dish: Anything but boiled carrots.
◦ Snack: Popcorn.
◦ Guilty Pleasure: Cuban Cigars, Shack Burger.
Guilty pleasure: Shake Shack's Shack Burger
◦ Bar: Milk & Honey, London. 2003.
◦ Tipple: Up until three years ago it would have been an Old Fashioned.
◦ Soft Tipple: Lemon, Lime and Bitters.
Kit
◦ Phone: iPhone 6.
◦ Computer: Macbook Air.
◦ TV: Samsung.
◦ Headphones: Vi (wireless Runners AI headphones - Harmon Kardon speakers).
Headphones
◦ Camera: Used to be a Nikon F2. These days it’s the iPhone.
◦ Soundsystem: Mostly iphone.
◦ Pen / pencil: Nope. Mostly iPhone.
◦ Where you document an idea: iPhone notes.
◦ Watch: Rolex.
◦ Website: BBC Football.
◦ Blog: My daughter’s: That's What She Said. And one by a non-family member: Charles Day’s The Looking Glass. BTW his Fearless Podcast about creative leadership is also brilliant.
◦ Morning grooming: Have you seen me…?
