Ad Chat - Snorre Martinsen

This week we bend the ear of fellow viking Snorre Martinsen, who seems to have the itch to travel. He's a senior creative at Saatchi & Saatchi Oslo, and can be found tweeting away at @snorrem when he's not planning viking raids in far-off lands.

What's your favorite funny story about yourself?
When I was born my mother was given the choice of either naming me Snorre, or Hårek. Hårek beeing the name of a drunken, fat viking cartoon my father thought brilliant in the early 70's.

What piece of art (movie, book, music, painting, etc) has influenced you most? How or why?
I was always bit of an arts geek growing up. But in truth what inspired me most, and is most likely the reason for me eventually ending up in advertising - would be my peers in the art/graffiti scene throughout the 90's. The visual freedom, playfulness and creativity it spawned has since been an absolute favorite book in my mind's big book shelf.

Who was your favorite mentor and why?
The internet has been my mentor since I can remember. No one person in particular, but the collective wisdom and willingness to share of all the people I've come in contact with over the years. Well that, and of course my mother. She's a fantastic woman.

What's one thing that excites you about the future of advertising?
What excites me the most about the future, is how our lives are fundamentally changing trough internet and mobile. The possibilities this presents, and will present are hugely inspiring. Both in -and outside of the advertising bubble.

If you could meet with anyone in history (dead or alive), who would it be and why?
Shit that's a tough one. I think It'd have to be Andy Warhol (late 60's version). Anyone who can whip up that level of creative productivity has got to rub off on you. Also, experiencing the inner workings of The Factory would be something almost any agency culture could learn from.

What’s your favorite website/blog, and why?
I'd have to say Twitter, though G+ is giving it a run for it's money as of late. It's amazing to me how every time I visit my twitter (or G+) I walk away a tiny bit smarter. Well, at least that's how it feels. I'm not crediting either of them with the capability of magically increasing the number of brain cells i possess. I'm giving that credit to the people I follow.

What's your trick to break out of a creative block?
A wise person once said; 'Look at more stuff, and think about it harder'. Sadly I don't have a secret formula for it. But in general walking away from the internet tends to force you into thinking for yourself. Preferably while airing your thoughts/problems with colleauges or friends. In conclusion perhaps my answer would be; Nothing is better for a creative block than a friend with a fresh perspective.

Who is your advertising hero and why?
Not sure I have one singular advertising 'hero'. But what I am sure of, is there are a lot of people I look up to and admire. A few of them I even consider to be friends - much thanks to mentioned development of internet and mobile. And I get to share my thoughts with them on a regular basis. Can the Internet be an advertising hero? I suddenly think it can.

Tell us one of the things on your bucket list.
#1 - Having lived, loved and worked on all continents.

What piece of advice do you wish someone had told you when you were starting out?
Remember, whomever is on the other side of that table, is a person, just like you.



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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
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Hårek is Hägar the horrible in English, and he was in Skol beer ads in the 80s by the way. :)
Skol / Hägar the horrible - Karate - (1989) :30 (UK)