The Essential List: Tom Vaughan-Mountford
Tom Vaughan-Mountford is the production director of JMS Group, a long-established DRTV commercial production company in Norwich. During a near 25-year creative career Tom’s no airs and graces style, and down to earth views on advertising, have helped earn JMS Group the reputation of being a go-to production house for direct response ad agencies, smaller brands, and first-time advertisers.
Lifestyle
o Place of birth: Norwich
o Hometown: Norwich
o Staycation: Lake District. Just a rucksack, hiking gear, a bunk in a youth hostel, and a pub for lunch
o Vacation: Las Vegas. I’m a Trekkie, my most recent visit was for the Star Trek Las Vegas convention. The bucket list vacation is a tour of Japan’s Pokémon Centres
o Pet: Two Persian cats, Chief O’Brien and Seven of Nine. People into Star Trek are nodding in approval right now
o Place of work: Our studio is a former egg-grading shed on a farm. We’ve been here 40 years, so it’s got a comfy lived-in feel. I can walk to work across the fields, and I wouldn’t ever swap for a city location
o Place of workout: Local 24/7 gym, or a run round the neighbourhood
o Good Habit: Get up at 0500, HIIT or yoga, then a cold shower
o Bad Habit: The Domino’s app
o Mode of transport: In the sun – Skateboard. In the cold – Mountain bike
o Bonus Travel Essential: Kindle
Culture
o Artist: Simon Stålenhag, a Swedish artist specialising in dystopian retro-futuristic digital images
o Musician: Classic – Beastie Boys. New Find – Awkwafina
o Film director: Not a very esoteric or high-brow choice, but… Spielberg. Crowd-pleasing hits that stand the test of time, got to respect his solid track record
o Author: I prefer non-fiction. I’m currently enjoying professional adventurer Simon Reeve’s books
o Photographer: Teemu (Instagram @teemu.jpeg). Night-time street photography in rainy Seoul and Tokyo
o Film: Does anyone manage to choose just one? Upbeat film: Jurassic Park. It just works, by every measure it gets everything right. Film to mess you up: Threads – BBC, 1984. A kitchen-sink drama about a thermonuclear blast over Sheffield, and the onset of a nuclear winter. Despite low-rent special effects, Threads is still a nightmarish creation
o Series: American Dad. I love animated comedy, and I never get tired of watching the same old episodes on repeat
o Invention: MacBook Pro. I’m always using it, and can’t imagine not – ergo, a great invention!
o Commercial: Crusha. After almost 20 years this cheap as chips ad for a milkshake concentrate still makes me smile
o Music Video: Eiffel 65, Blue (Da Ba Dee) – 1999. Objectively, even back then it was probably considered naff CGI, but 17-year-old me loved it
o Video Game: Call of Duty Modern Warfare
o Book: Vagabonding, An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel - Rolf Potts. I’ve got a well-read 20-year old paperback that’s been on my coffee table for years - almost every page has been struck through with multiple highlighters
o Podcast: Again, I’m being greedy and staying on the fence! It’s a tie between the Art of Manliness for its quantity of sage wisdom, and the Jocko Podcast by retired Navy Seal Commander Jocko Willink
o Newspaper (off or online): I don’t read any, never have
o Obsession: By nature, I’m impulsive and obsessive. I got my first tattoo this year and my interest in all things ink snowballed, my skin has become an ongoing creative project
o Bonus Culture Essential: Drug Store - my local indoor skatepark, shop, and clothing label - all housed together in a mediaeval church. The pews are racks for decks, and you pay at the altar. It’s got a chill culture all its own. If you visit Norwich, it’s only a fiver for two hours
Food and Drink
o Breakfast: Black coffee and Nesquik cereal. In an ideal world I would be served Eggs Benedict every morning, but life isn’t fair like that
o Restaurant: The Waffle House, Norwich. Opened 1978 and got the magic so right it has never needed to change. I could try every restaurant in the world and would still endlessly return here for comfort food
o Working lunch: Peanut Butter sandwich and a bag of Hula Hoops. I’ve not moved on much from school packed lunch
o Guilty Pleasure: Kung Po Chicken and a Special Fried Rice from the Chinese down the street
o Booze: Peroni Gran Riserva. Pair a couple of these bad boys with a pizza and the rest of the meal will be a very enjoyable blur. Thank me later
o Not Booze: Black coffee, drip-filter jug. Simple pleasures
o Bonus Food: Curried anything
o Bonus Beverage: A big fat Merlot
Kit
o Phone: iPhone 13 Pro Max
o Computer: Mac Studio for production. Custom-build gaming PC for fun
o Headphones: I jump between AirPods, a scuffed-up pair of Beats, and a Razer gaming headset
o Camera: I use my phone right now. My last ‘proper camera’ was a Canon 7D. I fried it with a dodgy off-brand battery. Don’t risk it
o Pen / pencil: Awful handwriting. Can’t draw. Expensive writing instruments are wasted on me
o Where you document an idea: I just use Notes on my phone
o Casual Clothing: What other clothing is there? I’m a t-shirt collector; and always pair them with shorts, regardless of season. My bare legs are often a topic of conversation!
o Smart Clothing: People have stopped mentioning this
o Footwear: I’m a sneakerhead, but nothing will ever match the classic Vans Sk8-Hi. They’re the perfect shoe. As soon as I trash a pair, their replacements are unboxed
o Accessory: Apple Watch. I can struggle with time perception and initiating action, so I rely on it heavily for prompts and tracking my activity
o Home comfort: Soft hoodies
o App: Cadrage. The app equivalent of a director’s viewfinder, I just dial in the camera and lenses I’ll be using on a shoot and can scout locations and block out shots onto a storyboard entirely on my phone
o Work program: InDesign for pitching. Premiere, After Effects, and DaVinci Resolve for production
o Digital work tool: Condenser mic and a Focusrite Scarlett interface. During any project I’m on a lot of Zoom calls and often endure sub-par audio. I don’t want to inflict more pain myself
o Bonus Kit Essential: Secret Lab Throne 2020 gaming chair, designed for those of a smaller stature. It’s been a worthwhile investment in my lower back
