Ad Close & Personal
Rik Corijn: Tintin in lebanon's Ad Land
RIK CORIJN
‘When I’m in Lebanon, I miss Belgium’ laughs Rik Corijn ‘And when I’m in Belgium, I miss Lebanon.’ Exactly 20 years ago, creative director Rik exchanged
‘Le plat pays’ for ‘The Land of the Cedars.’ What was supposed to be a stint, transformed into an international career with assignments all over the world. After a regional role in Kuala Lumpur, the ‘Tintin of Advertising’ is back in Beirut to live new creative adventures. In ‘Up ‘n Close’ we are granted a rare glimpse in his own, private universe.
What gets you up in the morning?
A river of coffee.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
The daily transformation of a silly sketch into a big idea.
Who do you ultimately want to become?
Me, just better.
What is your greatest extravagance?
Walking 900 km to Santiago de Compostela.
What’s your motto in life?
Do it well or not at all.
What keeps you in the game?
Passion.
What keeps you up at night?
Netflix.
What would be your worst nightmare?
Paralysis.
What inspires you most?
Art.
What music have you been listening to lately?
Joi Noir ‘Celeste’.
What is the gadget you cannot live without?
My phone, unfortunately.
What can we find on your phone?
I’m a big fan of the Gram’.
What quality do you most look up to in a woman?
Kindness.
What quality do you most look up to in a friend?
Trust.
Who would you like to sit next to on a seven-hour flight?
Henry Rollins.
If you could live for one day the life of another person, who would it be?
James Hetfield.
If you could have dinner with someone, living or dead, who would it be; and what question would you ask him/her?
Tuba Büyüküstün – Just to catch up.
If you were to be reincarnated, what would you like to come back as?
An eagle.
If you were to change profession, what would you choose to do?
Art curator.
What do you consider to be the greatest headline of all time?
“We try harder” (Avis).
What business tip would you give the newbies?
Always be curious & generous.
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Breakfast with that special one.
Where can we find you on a Friday night?
Mar Mikhael.
If you could choose one superhero power, what would it be and why?
Time travel – relive all the great moments, undo all the bad.
What would you do if you won the lottery?
Buy a house in the center of Ghent.
What is the one word you catch yourself saying too often?
‘‘Good, good, good.”
What would you like to be doing five years from now?
Scriptwriting.
If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you be?
Langkawi, Malaysia.
What’s the last book you read or movie you saw? (opinion)
‘God’s Battalions – the Case for the Crusades’ (Rodney Stark).
What is the one thing you wish you had designed?
The Coca-cola bottle.