Magneti’s Creative Director Pete Dunbar has a habit of slingin’ pixels and directing work that drives excellent digital marketing.
He’s also on a quest to conquer all of Colorado’s 14ers, and casually plays the bagpipes in his spare time. Meet Pete:
What drew you to Magneti?
The small agency feel is something I’ve always enjoyed. My past work history includes several small agencies roughly the same size. Often you can find these organizations to be more nimble, creative, and collaborative – which is very essential in the marketing & advertising space. This move seemed like a great opportunity to be part of a great team.
PETE AND HIS WIFE BETH
You’ve spent some time outdoors, camping, casually hiking mountains… Tell us about it.
Camping is an activity that my wife and I have always enjoyed. Just being outdoors surrounded by nature brings about feelings of calm and tranquility. You’re free to lose yourself and let all the restraints of regular life fall away. At the same time it opens the door to exploration and inspiration. I believe that my love for camping originated as a child. My parents would remote camp every summer by Sebago Lake, Maine. As an adult, I would camp with my friends in all weather conditions. The coldest location I’ve camped is on the Appalachian Trail in January in temperatures as low as negative 20 degrees. It was cold enough to freeze water within seconds holding your Nalgene bottle. Hiking is another love, which pairs well with camping. Summiting 14ers is a small hobby of mine. I usually try to fit one or two in a season. These require overnights, and sometimes hiking into a site to camp. These are sometimes the most spectacular spaces to camp.
PETE AND HIS DOG ON A 14ER
If you had one extra hour in the day, what would you do with it?
I’d like to say that the extra hour would be used to expand my learning. This would be done by watching LinkedIn learning videos or reading any number of books that I have piling up… but the truth is I’d probably use that time to read comics. Even as an adult, I still love getting lost in a quality story and good art.
What’s the best trip or vacation you’ve ever taken?
Tough one to answer because there are a few I’d put on that list. My time studying abroad in Scotland for six months has to be the top adventure. It may not qualify as a trip or a vacation, but it was one heck of an experience. I studied at the Glasgow School of Art. Many of my cohorts were from all over the world: Japan, Germany, France, etc. I made some great friends, and was so fortunate to learn from amazing professors. During my time there, I explored Scotland from the southern boards to the northern highlands. And as a college student there were lots of fun, wild nights in the city.
PHOTO CREDIT: GOOGLE MAPS
A little bird told us you play the bagpipes. Okay, it was you. You told us that. How long have you been doing that?
Bird, Ha!.. I’ve been playing for roughly 20 years. As bagpipes goes, I started late, but you could probably say that for any instrument. What’s more interesting is that I could have played the guitar or drums – which would have netted me more girlfriends. Alas, the sound of the pipes drew my attention and became a passion. Over the years, I’ve performed from Estes Park, Colorado to Northern New Hampshire, and even the Western Alps of Switzerland. The instrument is extremely fickle. It requires deep knowledge to configure it under specific weather conditions (both temperature and humidity) and an engineering mind to precisely tune. You’ve got to love all that to stick with it. But the most exciting things are being part of a band, marching in parades, and competing in highland events. It’s an opportunity to craft and hone your skill and measure up to the competition. There’s a whole world out there like that and it’s wonderful.
PETE PLAYING THE BAGPIPES
What’s your comfort food?
Easy. Pepperoni Pizza. Large. From Ians.
(FULL TRANSPARENCY: WE WORKED ON THIS AT LUNCH TIME)
What movie (or show) has your favorite quotes or one-liners?
Star Wars, New Hope… The original with Mark Hamill as a young upstart. “I was going into Tosche Station to pick up some power converters…” “These aren’t the droids you’re looking for…” “Flying through hyperspace ain’t like dusting crops…”
What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
Follow your passion. It takes time to get there, but it’s worth the wait.
WHERE’S PETE? THERE’S PETE.
If you could live anywhere, where would you choose?
Portland, Maine. It’s a fun little town that has a great night life and looks out over the ocean. And the seafood is unbelievable.
PHOTO CREDIT: THIS LOVELY SPOT
Your future biography will be titled…
The Man Who Knew Too Little