Matt Scutt is the Creative Director of London Agency, working across a variety of mediums: photography, television and music. Although he started off as a painter, he quickly discovered his considerable talent for the arts and graphic design. He started using Instagram as a way to share pictures for his friends and got featured by supergroups like #photooftheday and #instagood within two days.
Below are highlights of our conversation.
Q. Could you tell us a bit about yourself and your background?
Matt Scutt: I am a Creative Director for a digital agency whose studio lies in the shadow of the Shard, London. I’m known primarily for my skills as a designer, but I am pretty good at photography (with over 300,000 followers on Instagram), creative writing (commissioned script and copy writing), music composition (scored soundtracks used by the BBC) and film (for TV, advertising and corporate). I started my career as a water colour artist, visualising architectural plans (hence my love of architecture in my photography). I am ambidextrous, but cannot juggle.
Our mantra is “telling complicated stories clearly”
MS: I’m the creative director and operations director for a digital marketing agency near London Bridge station. We consist of 14 staff varying from designers, developers, campaign managers, producers and sales people. Our mantra is “telling complicated stories clearly” which describe us pretty well – our client are complex and it’s a valuable skill to be able to translate their stories into an online message.
MS: I sat an A level exam in Graphic Design at college without doing any of the course, does that count? Beyond that, I never trained – everything is through experience. I originally studied for a more technical role working with architects. I have very good spatial awareness, meaning I can visualize three dimensional environments from engineering drawings and accurately draw what they would look like when built.
Q. How do you see the future of these professions?
MS: It’s becoming increasingly easier to project a persona just using elements which are obtained through stock libraries – music, photograph, film and illustration. It’s devalued the skill base somewhat, making the onus on being a creative, being original and integrating the latest technologies before they become mainstream. I have the benefit of working with some exceptional people so boundaries such as “it’s not possible” can often be broken through innovation.
MS: A typical day could include filming interviews, location filming, 3d modeling and animation, post production, social campaigns using Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, writing scripts, writing musical scores, conceptual design and UX design for websites for B2B and B2C clients, TV advertising. There’s loads more, like stand design, exhibitions and photoshoots, but the list is so exhaustive!
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Q. Where do you find the inspiration for your photographs?
MS: From within. I always try and show an angle or a concept that is away from the norm.
I can visualize three dimensional environments from engineering drawings and accurately draw what they would look like when built.
Q. Did you plan to get this famous on social media (Instagram) when you started?
MS: Not at all. I had become disenfranchised with Twitter and a friend introduced Instagram to me as an alternative. My first post was featured by the supergroups @photooftheday and @instagood within two days of each other. This propelled me from around 40 followers to 400 in a day. And my account growth has been pretty high since – it snowballs.
Q. Do you set a goal to achieve with your pictures?
MS: Other than to be different? Not really – there’s no agenda.
I have the benefit of working with some exceptional people so boundaries such as “it’s not possible” can often be broken through innovation.
Q.What is your best London tips for visitors?
MS: Don’t use an umbrella or pull your luggage behind you. There’s no room!
Q.What type of camera and equipment do you use during a shoot?
MS: I have a lot of equipment! But my default camera is a Canon 6D – full frame with wifi so I can access directly on my iPhone for instant posting.
Q. What are your future plans and dreams?
MS: I am launching a website in the next few days dedicated to photography and Instagram marketing.
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To learn more about Matt Scutt, follow him on Instagram
All Picture Credits to Matt Scutt
