Peter Semple is a Brand Director at Anomaly, an independent advertising agency in NYC. That involves a lot of culture digesting, and when he is not reading, writing, listening to music or taking in some art, you may catch him running past you on a Manhattan sidewalk as he takes on his long-distance running.
1. How long have you been in NYC?
Since January 2008.
2. Where do you live
East Village.
3. What brought you to NYC?
I’d lived and worked in London for a number of years, and figured now it was a good time to make a change. I’ve always wanted to live in New York because a lot of the cultural things I love – primarily in music and art – have their origins in NYC. Hip Hop, graffiti culture, basketball, fashion, numerous literature and film references. The list goes on and on.
4. What keeps you busy?
Work keeps me much more busy than I’d like. But outside of that, I spend all of my time out in the city – there’s so much going on every day and every night of the week here that you’re always spoilt for choice. I’m rarely ever in my apartment for very long. Certain things I do regularly are: visit MoMA (there’s always something incredible on), go on long runs around the city, hunt down new music, drink a lot of whiskey, drink a lot of coffee, eat out, etc. And this year I’ve actually started venturing out to areas around the city or other US cities at weekends – with NY as a base it’s easy to see more of the States than I ever had done before.
5. What is the difference in strategy in advertising to the US audience vs the British audience?
Actually, a lot of the work I’ve been involved in since I moved here has been focusing on global audiences or specific overseas ones rather than the US specifically. That said, I’ve recently become responsible for a major US lifestyle/sportswear brand, so I’ve been fully engaged in Americana in that role. With the particular projects I’m currently working on, there’s a great need for deep understanding of American sports culture and how it’s evolved over the last several decades which at times proves challenging for someone who didn’t grow up here. But fundamentally, advertising strategy is about understanding the consumer mindset, consumer needs, and the market context – that’s basically true no matter where you are or what you’re working on.
6. What do you miss about London?
The most notable thing is of course friends and family, and with that the familiarity of a city you grew up in and around. Occasionally I miss the (comparatively slightly-less hectic) pace of life that London offers, but generally I figure I’ll return to that in a few years – in the meantime I’m here to experience everything I can.
7. What do you love about New York?
I always say to people that if and when I leave New York – even if at that point I feel like I’ve had my fill of it – it’ll be difficult to leave behind the convenience and accessibility of everything that the city has on offer. I don’t know if there’s another city in the world (maybe Tokyo I guess?) quite like it here. I also love the fact that almost everywhere you are in the city, it’s a place that’s somehow familiar – whether it’s been referenced in a song, or you’ve seen it in a video or a film. Every corner in New York evokes a story of some kind. And finally, contrary to popular opinion, the people here are pretty great – the English thing goes a long way over here, which I still find surprising sometimes, given how cosmopolitan this city is.
8. Is there a dose of Britishness you would like to inject into NYC and what would it be?
On a conceptual/philosophical level, not really, as I came here looking to experience something totally different to life at home. I do wish Americans could more easily grasp the English pronunciation of the name “Peter” though: the hard “t” stumps at least one person per week, so I have to slip into a faux American accent and repeat my name as “Peeder” for them to get it. That pisses me off.
9. What inspires you?
Meeting different, interesting people every day. Music – new and old. Reading. Running. The Manhattan skyline every time I come back into the city from the airport. That yellow New York light that hits the brown-brick tenement buildings on a sunny Winter afternoon. Occasionally booze.
10. Complete this sentence, ‘You know you’re a New Yorker when…’
“…leaving a party at 5am seems like a relatively early night.”
11. Survival tip to living in New York.
Never pass up an opportunity. Take the city for all that it’s worth.
New York Londoner 