As Luxid’s Head of Creative in the UK and US, Jonathan Bradley is all about curiosity, inspiration and ideas. But he’s very aware that, in his profession, so are many others. This really keeps him on his toes: “Competitiveness motivates me to work hard,” says Jonathan. “Not only that, but also a fear that someone else will have a better idea.”
Jonathan is someone who is very focused on the task at hand, getting in the zone, you might say. “I’m a great believer in ‘flow state’. And if I have a superpower, it’s definitely thinking on my feet.”
With a background in copywriting, Jonathan takes his creative inspiration from a variety of sources: “Professionally, it’s Howard Luck Gossage, aka the sage of San Francisco. He was a visionary copywriter who said ‘Nobody reads ads. They read what interests them, and sometimes that’s an ad’. Personally, there’s a vast list of creatives, from Grayson Perry to Salman Rushdie and Warren Zevon.”
Like many of his colleagues, Jonathan loves music, which provides another source of creative inspiration. “My favourite band is Sparks,” says Jonathan, “Not just for their music (which is great) but for their indomitable spirit, creative resilience and facility for constant reinvention.”
But unlike many of his colleagues, when asked what he would do for a day if he could choose anything, Jonathan steers clear of the usual high action pursuits or travelling to remote parts of the world and goes for something that definitely underlies his deeps sense of curiosity. “I would be a woman,” reveals Jonathan. “It’s not a gender identity thing—I’m intensely curious about humanity and would love to experience first-hand the joys and challenges of being a woman.”
Jonathan has a key role at Luxid leading a team of around 40 very talented creatives: writers, designers, motion graphics specialists and filmmakers. “I love seeing these people grow and progress, it’s one of the best parts of my job,” says Jonathan. He’s very much involved in the creative ideation and planning for clients, but right now Jonathan is heavily focused on pitches and Luxid management activities – supporting the agency as it grows and develops its offer for clients.
“Luxid has a real ‘can-do’ spirit and emphasis on customer satisfaction,” says Jonathan. “As a business, it’s smart, witty and has really talented people. And there’s no big agency BS.”
Jonathan says that the Luxid value he most relates to is Resourceful: “This is all about thinking differently when it comes to client problems, doing more with less, and approaching challenges pragmatically.” He says that he sees the agency living the Resourceful value every day in its flexible, client-led approach that’s completely at odds with the inflexibility and inertia of big network agencies.
Outside of work, Jonathan has become an avid skier. “One of my proudest accomplishments is learning to ski in my 40s,” says Jonathan. “It was agonisingly hard, but skiing is now a constant source of pleasure.” In winter he now chooses a holiday destination with good red runs and fresh powder. But summer is more about the likes of the Greek Islands and Mauritius.
And if he could make one change in the world? “It would be to slow the pace of change to something humanity can keep up with.”
If like Jonathan, you are curious, creative and want to get ahead of competitors with winning creative ideas for clients, then Luxid could be just the place for you. All you need to know about careers at Luxid can be found here.
