TheFWA - Johnny Slack

I'd like to fly a giant chocolate-covered glazed doughnut covered in sprinkles. But instead of sprinkles they would be Spanish babes. And just like how the sprinkles are multi-colored fluorescents, those would be the bikini colors. I hope this answers the question.

Please give us a brief bio of yourself.

My name is Johnny Slack - originally from Indiana, USA. I believe the last time we spoke I was living in San Francisco. I've since relocated to Amsterdam to co-found Cartelle last year with my comrade Stevijn van Olst. We're now a three-man interactive shop. Actually, it's not as much an interactive shop as it is an interactive super group trying to do for digital what The Firm did for hiphop - to wrap this bio up - I'm the Foxy Brown of this web shit.

What do you regard as your biggest achievement.

Probably a tie between starting Cartelle and eating a whole bag of Doritos while smoking a cigarette.

Please list 3 of your favourite sites.

1. Grooveshark. 2. BBC News. 3. Perez Hilton.

What do you do for inspiration?

Music (mostly soul lately). It's just always a mind refresher. It's a good benchmark for doing anything creative. The discipline, vision and passion that is required - all invaluable things that can be applied to what we do.

What would be your ultimate vehicle to travel in?

What was the last digital effort you saw (or were a part of) that used social media in a way that really made sense. Why?

I'm not completely sure - but I really hope all my fellow web bros out there stop making those facebook-connect-only sites. I think failing to make a clever alternative alongside a FB connect site is pretty lame. WIth that said, I guess I'll change my answer from 'not sure' to 'no'. Holy shit, I hate facebook.

What does the future hold for your company, or you as a person?

Cartelle will be launching a couple of new projects around the new year. For one, we're concepting the new Cartelle site alongside a couple of other interesting client projects. We're also excited about launching a branch of Cartelle that is dedicated to design and design-oriented products. It will allow us to play and experiment outside digital experiences, which is refreshing.

We'd like to work more internationally as well - looking for new collaborations with agencies and clients for even bigger and better projects.

How many hours do you work each week?

three

What country excites you the most in terms of innovation?

Netherlands! There's some really amazing, creative people here in Amsterdam. It's becoming the new Sweden, except without all the hipsters and polar bears.

When your company was just getting started, what did you find was most effective for getting new clients?

Doing work that we believed was always our best, banking on word of mouth and of course advertising.

How do you relax or unwind?

There's a place just south of the Amsterdam center that I go to. You put 2 euros in the coin slot and a window magically opens and it's two people making sweet love on a spinning wheel. I go there.

How have you learned so many Flash/design skills and techniques and can you offer any advice for newbies?

Always be self-critical. You should really hate everything you do. If you like something you did and feel good about showing it to your friends - it's probably terrible.

Are there things you do OUTSIDE of work to ensure that you are in the right mindset to be creative and/or successful in whatever you are doing?

the spinning wheel.

What's your favourite part of your job? What's the hardest part of your job? What do you do when you get stuck?

Watching concepts come to life is always such a cool thing. The hardest part in every project is keeping your original vision alive through all the rounds of client feedback.

There must be a project that you have always dreamed of doing, what is it?

I would like to do killer projects with one of these three brands because I think they're seriously premium and amazing: Stüssy, Bentley Motors and Agent Provocateur. If any of these clients are reading, ditch your agency. Page us.

What type of overcoat do you wear when Flashing, basically are you a labels man?

I only wear the finest. Not cologne though - I rely on my natural pheromones.

Any parting shots or pearls of wisdom?

I would encourage all the talented designers and developers to pursue their passions to the fullest. Be sure the people that are working around you are allowing you to create to the best of your abilities. I'd guess that 90% of the people that surround all the super talented do-gooders fall into one of three categories…

1. toxic to the creative process
2. full of shit
3. useless

Raise hell, do your thing and innovate.

It has been a privilege, thanks very much

Thankya!

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