Ad Chat - Ron Smrczek

This Monday we chat with Ron Smrczek the Executive Creative Director of TAXI Europe. You can catch up with him on twitter as @smrczek where he shared many interesting links.
What's your favorite funny story about yourself?
- I used to be a serious ten-pin bowler.
What piece of art (movie, book, music, painting, etc) has influenced you most? How or why?
I've been given this book several times from different people. I have three copies of it. And I always pick it up when I need some inspiration – "It's Not How Good You, It's How Good You Want to Be" by Paul Arden.
Who was your favorite mentor and why?
My third year teacher at Conestoga College, Matt Miller. He introduced me to the advertising world and we've been good friends since.
What's one thing that excites you about the future of advertising?
That it's always changing.
If you could meet with anyone in history (dead or alive), who would it be and why?
John Cleese. I'm certain he could spend hours simply telling amazing stories about his time with Monty Python.
What’s your favorite website/blog, and why?
I got hooked on eastvillageradio.com when I worked in New York – Patrick Oliver was one of the first guys I met in New York and he hosts a fantastic program called "We've only just begun"
What's your trick to break out of a creative block?
Stop. Let you brain reset. Get outside. Go for a walk. Be inspired by the world around you. If you feed your brain interesting things you'll start to think of interesting things.
Who is your advertising hero and why?
I know it's cliché, but in for me, Helmut Krone's "Lemon" ad broke convention and gave advertising a personality.
Tell us one of the things on your bucket list.
See a great white from inside a shark cage. Except I don't scuba dive. So this one may be on my list for some time.
What piece of advice do you wish someone had told you when you were starting out?
It's okay to fail.

Koert Bakker Director of Strategy at Victor & Spoils
Evan Brown, Sr. Copywriter at TBWA\Chiat\Day
Dena Walker, Digital Strategist at Irish International in Dublin, Ireland
Bernie Watt, copywriter at Make, in Sydney, Australia
Ron Smrczek, Executive Creative Director of TAXI Europe
Vincent Vella, Creative Director - Grey Paris, Euro RSCG and Publicis.
Gideon Amichay, Creative Chairman of Shalmor Avnon Amichay Y&R Tel Aviv
Richard Tseng, Freelance Copywriter at CP+B
Claudiu Florea, Managing Partner - Wunderkid, Romania
Snorre Martinsen creative at Saatchi & Saatchi Oslo
Laura Jordan Bambach, Executive Creative Director LBi
Simon White Creative Lead from Rapp, London
Richard Gorodecky Executive Creative Director at Amsterdam Worldwide
Ray Page Creative Director at Tribal DDB
Adam Pierno of Off Madison Ave.
Edward Boches of Mullen
Dirk Singer of Rabbit, UK
Gareth Kay of Goodby, Silverstein and Partners
Tim Brunelle of Hello Viking
Rob Schwartz of TBWA\Chiat\Day