Our first installment of 8 Questions with Creative People is with Nick Routley, partner and creative director at POPCORN, but you probably know him as his 3D-Glasses wearing social media alter-ego: Phanyxx.

Nick has worked on successful campaigns for A&W, UBC, Maynards, Asia Pacific Foundation, SPUD.com among others. He’s also a pretty major social media geek, managing accounts for a ton of companies over the years, along with his own wicked personal Twitter and Instagram accounts. That, and the fact that he’s a rad guy who happens to be a friend of Junction make him the perfect brain to pick for our first 8 Questions:

What’s your must follow Twitter account?

@Maurice – He’s the person all the social media types love. Interesting links, fantastic photos, and dude knows his food / travel.

Who is your guilty follow?

@ChrissyTeigen – She’s hilarious, hot, and always doing something entertaining.

What are 3 Apps that you couldn’t live without?

Photoshop Express, Twitter, and Instagram.

When you need to get out of the office, where do you find yourself?

Usually a coffee shop (Revolver or JJ Bean). Luckily, I’m often running around between offices and meetings, so I don’t get cabin fever during the work day. On days when I really want to fly under the radar, I’ll sneak off to Granville Island and crash the Emily Carr library.

What’s one piece of advice that you’d give to the high school you?

That autonomy and professional growth make any career more rewarding. If a job isn’t offering that or exposure to successful mentor types, move posthaste on to something else more rewarding.

What song is playing on your iTunes right now? (be honest)

Oats in the Water by Ben Howard. It’s haunting and dark; perfect for late night photo editing.

What’s the most valuable offline tool that you use?

Relationships. Finance, retail, marketing, whatever, it always comes back to people in the end. No matter how complex or daunting a task may seem, there’s always someone who can make your life easier (through advice, connections, assistance, etc). The key is having a robust enough network to reach out to.

The one thing I’m a geek about is:

Networks of all kinds. City planning, transit lines, international shipping, social media connections, you name it. I’m obsessed with discovering the interconnectivity between every mundane thing.

Huge thanks to Nick for being the first person to take the 8 question plunge. Next week, we’ve got Amy Judd from Global News.

Check out Nick Routley on: Web | Twitter | Instagram