Five Minutes With: Janet Hull
We spoke to Janet Hull OBE, IPA Director of Marketing Strategy & Lead CIC CreaTech.
“Five Minutes With” is a regular feature that gives you an insight into some of the greatest minds in the immersive industry, all within the time it takes to grab a cup of coffee.
Janet has over 35 years experience in the international advertising and marketing services industry. She has held senior management positions at Y&R advertising, Burson-Marsteller PR and Lewis Moberly brand design. Janet was awarded an OBE for services to the Creative Industries in the 2014 New Year Honours list.
For the last 10 years, she has been Director of Marketing Strategy at the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA), the Chartered Professional Institute for UK-wide advertising and marketing services agencies. Janet also represents the advertising sector on the Creative Industries Council (CIC), a joint forum between Government and Industry, where she leads the CreaTech programme as Chair of the CIC Marcoms Group.
What’s exciting you about the immersive industry right now?
If the metaverse turns out to be all it’s hyped up to be, it will take immersive to the next level. It was so exciting to hear Improbable founder Herman Narula on the CreaTech stage at CogX, enthuse about the parallel worlds our avatars can inhabit and the simulations that can be created to pre-empt, predict and find solutions to real-world events. And how it will take the more digitally savvy generations that follow, and cross-disciplinary teams, to uncover its potential.
What advice would you give to your 18-year-old self?
You only have one life on this earth. Make the most of it!
What and/or who is your source of inspiration?
In the year 2015, I would have said Aung San Suu Kyi, human rights activist and opposition leader whose party, the National League for Democracy, came to power in Myanmar. A long-term campaigner and creator of a movement she believed in, with vision, courage, and determination to see it through, and an active following. We honoured her with a special award when I served on the Women of the Year Lunch committee, and I visited Myanmar the year she came to power to experience what it felt like for the population at large. It’s tragic to see her back in captivity, out of touch with what’s going on now in her country.
What is your favourite thing about what you do for a living?
The people I work with on projects who make a difference. For the Creative Industries Council, I’ve helped develop a programme to promote the great minds and great work that’s going on where emerging technologies are being used to enhance the arts, culture, creative content and service across all sectors of the creative industries, under the umbrella of CreaTech. Now in its fifth year, it’s good to see its value becoming much more widely appreciated and understood.
Just for Fun!
If you didn’t have to sleep, what would you do with the extra time?
I’d put as much time into my passion projects as I put into work; painting, playing the piano, keeping fit, walking, world travel, counselling and therapy, family and friends.
What is something you think everyone should do at least once in their lives?
Climb to the top of a mountain, any mountain, to feel the spectacular views. A particular lasting memory for me comes from a charity trek to the Atlas Mountains in Morocco. Snorkel in tropical waters, whether the Great Barrier Reef or in the Indian Ocean. I can still remember the thrill of swimming alongside turtles among the translucent tropical fish on a reef in the Maldives.
Where is one place you want to travel to in the world?
It would have to be space next. I enjoyed a tour of Virgin Galactic during a DIT trade mission to Silicon Valley and Hollywood some years ago and really caught the bug. But now I’m more likely to follow Elon Musk and SpaceX, if I can afford it, to orbit the earth. I love his vision. Might even try and get on the booking list now!
Whilst you’re here, is there anything you’d like to plug?
If you’d like to find out more about CIC CreaTech visit our website and go to Tech Nation’s website to read this year’s two-part CreaTech Report.
XRLO: eXtended Reality Lowdown is brought to you by REWIND, an immersive design and innovation company. If you want to talk tech, ideas, and the future, get in touch here.
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