MERRY CHRISTMAS...

The CB Blog will is now closed and will come back around the 8th January so have a great Chrissie and a Happy New Year.

JULIAN AND FIONA HORTON'S FUNERAL TODAY, 10.30am

A reminder of the funeral details this morning for Julian and Fiona Horton.
The funeral will be at 10:30am, today (Thursday December 21st), at Holy Spirit Catholic Church, 191 Cox's Rd, North Ryde.

BADGER AND BEAMISH DEPART PATTS MELBOURNE FOR SAATCHI AUCKLAND

Creative team Hilary Badger and Rob Beamish are leaving George Patterson Y&R Melbourne after less than a year to join Saatchi & Saatchi, Auckland. Before Patts, the pair did a short stint at Grey Worldwide Melbourne. Prior to teaming up, Badger was a star at Clemenger BBDO Melbourne, where she co-created the Dulux 'Ghost' spot (MADC Best of Show and AWARD Silver) while Beamish was at Leo Burnett, Melbourne.

OFFICIAL: DDB NZ SNARES TALBOT FOR ECD GIG

DDB New Zealand has lured top ranking creative Toby Talbot from Saatchi & Saatchi NZ to take the helm as its new Executive Creative Director.
Currently Creative Director at Saatchi's, Talbot is ranked by industry magazine Campaign Brief as Australasia’s number one creative director.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of DDB New Zealand and Australia Marty O’Halloran described the appointment as a major coup for the DDB Group.
“We’re delighted to have secured someone of Toby’s calibre to take up our top creative role,” he said.
“Toby is one of the best creative directors in the Asia Pacific region. He’ll lead an award-winning creative team here who, I know, will be delighted to welcome him onboard. We have major plans for 2007 in terms of business growth and creative expansion and Toby will be a key part of this strategy.”
DDB Group Managing Director Sharon Henderson added: “The DDB role is undoubtedly one of the most attractive in the industry. Our blue-chip client base provides some of the best creative opportunities in the New Zealand market. From a business perspective, someone of Toby’s exceptional talent will be invaluable in making a tremendously strong business even stronger.”

CHANGE IS GOOD

by Mike O'Sullivan, ECD of Saatchi & Saatchi New Zealand

It's time to officially confirm what everyone is talking about.
Jay, Andy, Stacey Lee, Rosita, and Toby Talbot will be leaving us in January.
“Oh my God, why are all they all leaving?” I hear you say.
Well I’d reply by firstly saying, have a look at where these people are
going.
For a start, five Saatchi creatives have become Creative Directors in 2006.
Anybody who’s taken that leap knows you just have to give it a crack.
Then there’s Toby who is stepping up to become Executive Creative Director
of DDB Auckland. If you read the paper this will not come as a surprise.
There are only two people in our industry that could do the job.
If ever there was a guy who should be an Executive Creative Director, it’s
Toby.
He’s done a great job here, not just as a Creative Director, but creative
partner and all-round good mate. Bar a short break we’ve been working
together for eight years at Colenso and then Saatchi. We have had a roller
coaster ride of a trip but now it’s time for him to head off and do his own
thing.
“To be honest, it’s a great relief for me. It’s been eight years and now
finally, I don’t have to go fishing any more. I hate fishing,” says Talbot.
“Actually, it’s been great. The last two years at Saatchi have been hugely challenging and also very satisfying. Mike and Rocky have been great leaders, but the time is right for me to step up. I wish the guys well.”
All of the above are moving on to bigger, more challenging jobs.
And what about Matty, Dave, Stacey and Rosita?
They are not crossing the road to another agency in town.
No, these people are only going to two of the greatest hotshops in the world – Droga 5 and 180 Amsterdam. What a great success story!
Just 18 months ago Rosita was a junior art director at Adworks Ogily, she teamed up with Stacey, had a great year, and now they are off to creatively head Adidas Woman wear at 180 Amsterdam. How cool is that?
Losing people all so close together is a bugger, but it’s not something you can control. People move on. Most of them we’ve helped, some we haven’t.
That’s what happens with a good creative department. A creative department that in one year helped Saatchi win 5 Cannes lions, 14 AWARD pencils, a Grand Effie, Grand Axis and B&T, Campaign Brief and Admedia Agency of the Year.
Change is good, particularly when you plan for it.
Over the last few months you may have noticed we’ve changed our model and a few people. Quite a lot of people. The extremely observant may have noticed that Toby and I been quietly replacing people. In fact today we can announce that Hilary Badger and Rob Beamish will be joining Saatchi NZ, from George Patts Y&R, Melbourne.
Earlier in the year we hired Adam Oliveira, Levi Slavin, Dave Govier, then more recently Tim Huse and Hywel James. In January another four seriously awarded creatives will be announced.
As we become fully integrated we will continue to attract great ideas people and we’ll get used to the fact that they may only be with us for a short period. This year we’ve hired 40 new people, bringing out staff numbers to a staggering 202.
These people have joined to be the best they can be.
So yes, there are big changes at Saatchi. It's not a pitch, we've not lost business, and we're not making redundancies. It's just great people coming and going.
Next time you see any of the people I’ve mentioned, give them a pat on the back. They have taken their next big leap. Good on them.
Have a great Christmas and roll on 2007. I reckon it’s going to be a beauty.

Mike O

TALBOT TAKES ECD GIG AT DDB NEW ZEALAND

After weeks of speculation, Saatchi & Saatchi NZ creative director Toby Talbot has indeed taken the ECD gig at DDB New Zealand, left vacant after the departure of Paul Catmur to the regional ECD role at Young & Rubicam. More on this as details come to hand...

TOP NZ DIRECTOR JOINS FILM CONSTRUCTION

Top tran-tasman production house Film Construction has lured Nic Finlayson to the team, one of New Zealand’s leading directors.
Says Film Construction GM Stephen Douglass: “His early background as a DoP has given him a deep technical understanding and a strong visual sense – but his driving force is storytelling. Nic is an outstanding talent, his preferred photographic approach is a combination of naturalism and beauty, enhancing scripts with a strong, clear aesthetic”.
Some of his recent work includes ‘Speights’ for Publicis Mojo (Auckland), ‘Castrol’ for O&M (Singapore) and ‘Prime’ for FCB (Auckland). To see more of Nic’s work contact his Producer Phil Liefting on phil@filmconstruction.com

CHESS BOARDS BWM AS CD

After seven years as an award winning senior writer at Saatchi & Saatchi, Sydney, CB hears Luke Chess has been lured to BWM Sydney as creative director, with a place on the management board, effective late January. CB understands current CD Adam Hunt will remain at the agency, and will be CD on some of the agency's accounts. (More details on the appointment is expected in mid January, when the trade press come back from their break.)
Meanwhile, Saatchi & Saatchi ECD David Nobay says he will be looking to replace Chess (who had been partnered with Vince Lagana) with a high profile creative in the near future. Says Nobay: "It's a great new challenge for Luke, and one I know he's going to nail. While it's sad to see him go, I know it's the right move for him too."

DILALLO AND BENJAMIN TO JOINT DEPUTY CD GIG AT JWT SYDNEY

After four years with Saatchi & Saatchi, first in Sydney, then in Auckland, one of Australasia's hottest teams, Andy DiLallo (top) and Jay Benjamin (bottom), are leaving the network to take the role of Deputy CDs of JWT Sydney under Andy Mckeon.
While at Saatchi & Saatchi, the team - currently ranked third in the CB Creative Rankings - played a role in garnering four Campaign Brief Agency of the Year titles in three years. Three of the titles were with the Sydney office and one was with the Auckland office.
Before Saatchi’s the pair worked together at Bozell New York, the third most awarded agency in the world at Cannes in 2002. It was also there where they first worked with creative mentor David Nobay, who was responsible for bringing the duo to the region.
Most recently the team has been at Saatchi & Saatchi Auckland where they have worked on high profile work for such clients as Toyota, Tiger Beer, Eta, Fonterra, Young Guns, and WWF.
Says DiLallo: “It has been an amazing run with Saatchi, but the time has come for us to look towards new challenges. The opportunity to be a part of building a new legacy at JWT is an exciting one and we can’t wait to hit the ground running. With the support of Andy Mckeon, Amy Smith (CEO) and (worldwide CD) Craig Davis we feel that we can help take the network to new heights in the region.”
When asked about leaving Saatchi, Benjamin says it was a very hard choice: "We have and will always have a special place in our hearts for Saatchi & Saatchi. Their dedication to excellence is something we hope to carry with us. It has been a privilege to have worked with so many talented people. But after meeting Andy Mckeon and his team at JWT we look forward to working with many new talented people.”
McKeon says the two are just who has been looking for “super talented, hungry and crap at karaoke.”
They join new recent world-class hires including Julie Rath, who worked at Goodby Silverstein & Partners with Andy, Paul Bruce from The Glue Society who has been freelancing there for a few months, Jeffrey Oley, a designer from New York and the Miami Adschool teams (associated with Crispin Porter + Bogusky) JWT is hosting to work with their AWARD School juniors.

BURNETT RETRENCHES OSTROM AND OTHERS PRIOR TO XMAS

CB hears Leo Burnett Sydney has retrenched several staffers in various departments today, including senior art director Andrew Ostrom, who only joined the agency in February this year. Prior to Burnett, Ostrom had an even shorter six month stint at Clemenger BBDO, Melbourne who lured him from BMF Sydney, where, together with former partner Andrew Petch (now a star senior creative at Saatchi & Saatchi, London) he created the Tooheys Dry "Tongue" spot.
Ostrom told CB that far from being disappointed, he plans to set up something he had put on hold for too long, a product/brand consultancy with a senior industry figure, effective late January. Meanwhile, he says he's looking forward to a restful summer.

CB/AWARD LEGENDARY LUNCH IN SYDNEY

The biggest of the Industry Xmas Lunches must surely be the CB/AWARD Sydney Legendary Lunch, which was held at the fabulous Mezzaluna in Potts Point on Thursday (14th December). AWARD co-chairman Phil Putnam welcomed the 120+ AWARD members who attended and asked them all to raise their glasses in tribute to Julian and Fiona Horton. Julian, a staunch AWARD supporter, would have enjoyed this lunch, which in truly legendary style, ended up at the Bayswater Brasserie.
Thanks to our generous sponsors Geoff Clow from EMERALD CITY, Anna Fawcett and Dave Denneen from FILM GRAPHICS, and Karla Henwood from TIGER SOUND for making the CB/AWARD Legendary Lunch possible.

CB/AWARD LEGENDARY LUNCH IN MELBOURNE

The pics have finally been found for the brilliant CB/AWARD Melbourne Legendary Lunch held at One Fitzroy Street, St Kilda on the 7th December. The who's Who of the Melbourne creative industry were there as usual to hear an introductory talk by AWARD co-chairman Phil Putnam, who welcomed nearly 100 new AWARD members from Melbourne since last year. Of course lunch turned into more good times at Bar Corvino.
Special thanks to our generous sponsors Geoff Clow from EMERALD CITY, Julie Rutherford at HONEY FILMS, and Matt Hayward and Barry Stewart at SOUND RESERVOIR/ WHARF STUDIOS.

MTV SPREADS SOME CHRISTMAS SPIRIT VIA LOWE HUNT

A Christmas branding campaign for MTV Networks Australia will break this week with series of three films created by Lowe Hunt, Sydney. As the holiday season approaches, this campaign hopes to make Christmas relevant and cool to MTV’s youth audience.
The film follows a group of teen friends. They make suspicious glowing devices and head out to the dark city streets on a mission. When they finally reach a building on a dark corner, they begin to throw hundreds of glowing ‘throwie’ lights all over it – decorating it like a Christmas tree.
LED ‘throwies’ are a new form of graffiti which emerged recently from the US and spread throughout the world. Each ‘throwie’ consists of a coloured LED bulb taped to both a battery and a strong magnet, so that it sticks to any metal surface it’s thrown at.
The shoot was unconventional in that it was neither scripted nor acted. Two handheld cameras were passed around to capture the action in a candid, documentary style.
Says Dejan Rasic, Creative Director of Lowe Hunt: “Instead of producing the usual cheesy Christmas stuff you see on TV at this time of the year, MTV wanted to create something relevant to their audience – something you don’t normally associate with Christmas. So out went Santa and in came throwies.”
Vanessa Zuppicich, Creative Director of MTV Networks Australia, adds: “It was great to do something different. ‘Throwies’ taps into youth culture and links it to Christmas in an entertaining way”.
CREDITS
Client: MTV Networks Australia
MTV Creative Director: Vanessa Zuppicich
Agency: Lowe Hunt
Lowe Hunt Creative Director: Dejan Rasic
Creative: Simone Brandse
Head of Production: Darren Bailey
Editor: Kris Rees
TVC Director: Simone Brandse
Senior Producer: Lisa Cordukes
DOP: Frank Buffone
Media: MTV Networks Australia
Photographer: Ben Sullivan
Typography: Hillary Bunt

HANKINSON LEAVES JWT TO FINISH BOOK

After two and a half years as Creative Group Head at JWT Sydney, writer Paul Hankinson is leaving to finish a book he started earlier this year. Entitled Shantaram, the book is an autobiography set in India.
“It’s shaping up to be an epic,” Hankinson said. “I bought it at an airport on my way overseas, but it’s a bit of a tough read and to be honest I’m having trouble getting past the second chapter.”
Hanko is also keen to tackle a few writing projects, and can be contacted on 0423085014.

AWARD, AFA FLOODED

AFA & AWARD Offices have been damaged by flood from a roof water storage unit and the offices will be out of action for up to a week. Power is out and phone lines are down so members wanting to contact AFA or AWARD should call;

AFA
Lesley Brydon – 0413 990 991
Gawen Rudder – 0419 488 636

AdSchool
Jessica Smith – 0417 678 762

AWARD
Lucy Mckee – 0407 391 229
Angelika Wachs – 0405 687 031
AWARD School
Pauline Smyth – 0405 491 471

A LETTER FROM AFRICA

The following is a letter from Julian Horton emailed to Lynchy recently (including pics of Julian and Fiona on safari), which was to form the basis of an upcoming 'Expats' article on his exploits and creative work in Africa. He also writes about his beloved safari vehicle which he named 'The Beast' and the dangers of driving in Kenya. The finished story will appear in the next issue of CB.

I left Australia in June 2003 to take up a regional cd role with JWT, based in Bangkok. I soon came to realize what the term ‘based in’ meant and after two years of too much airline food and waking up wondering which city I was in, it was time to do something completely different.
And indeed, Africa is something else. In August 2005 I arrived in Nairobi, also known locally as Nairobbery. According to my Lonely Planet guide, it's the most dangerous city in Africa, having taken the title from Johannesburg a couple of years back. Now there's a number one to be proud of.
I work for The ScanGroup: Lowe, McCann, JWT and Grey all under one roof. Yes they’re part of different and competing international networks but hey, this is Africa.
The Group dominates the local industry, both creatively and in billings. You name it and there’s more than a 50% chance we handle it. It’s enough to make even Singo jealous.
There are probably only a handful of Aussie Creatives in Africa, and most of them work for ScanGroup. As well as myself there’s Pat Richer (ex Mojo Sydney), Justin Connolly (ex Clemenger Sydney) and Andrew White (ex ECD of O&M Singapore).
To make it even more incestuous I sit in an office that was once home to a good friend of mine - another Aussie, Damian Linklater.
Outside my 5th floor window eagles circle constantly in wide arcs, riding the currents. The smell of burning plastic wafts in with poisonous regularity. There is almost no garbage collection here, so most rubbish is burnt in backyards and by the side of the road, where it is often feasted upon by bloated-bellied goats.
In the office, people speak English, Swahili and a mixture called Sheng. I’m slowly learning Swahili, swear words first of course.
I’m also learning the meaning of 'Kenyan Time' in which people arrive for meetings seemingly at random. It’s not uncommon for clients to come to the agency an hour or two late for a meeting, or for friends to meet you an hour later than planned.
Things are generally a little ‘looser’ than Australia. From no booze buses (the government introduced them just before Christmas and they lasted 3 weeks) to the fact that television and radio commercials can be any length – if your edit works perfectly at 37 seconds then this is as just acceptable as 30.
Then there’s tribalism. People will often do what will benefit only their own tribe (there are 42 plus tribes in Kenya). Meaning you’ll look to employ a person from your tribe. Or in some cases like account management, a tribe that matches the tribe of the client. This doesn’t necessarily mean that they must be the same tribe – in some cases the account manager must be of a tribe that the client feels comfortable bossing around.
Another complication is skin colour. There are relatively few photographs on the Internet of Africans, so our Mac layouts for presentations tend to feature Europeans, leading to the occasional client asking in a somewhat embarrassed manner if they will, in fact, be African. But it’s not only photographic reference that can be a problem. One of my clients wanted to use mannequins for a promotion, but because they couldn’t find ‘African’ mannequins they ended up buying ‘white’ ones and painting them brown.
There is a myriad of belief systems that need to be taken into account when creating work for Africa. For instance, voodoo is common so it’s important to be careful when talking to less sophisticated markets. As an example, in the Congo, a character in your poster with an oversized nose may lead your audience to believe that drinking your brand of soft drink will give them a giant proboscis.
The Kenyan market, however, is quite sophisticated, and so are the clients, many of whom have studied overseas. Most of the world’s major brands are here, and some you may only recognize by their similarity to big brands: Kevian water, Kobil service stations, and the Silver Hound bus service.
What’s exciting is that most Kenyan clients actually believe in creativity. There is very little of the ‘paralysis by analysis’ that I encountered in Asia. Kenyans have a keen sense of humour and the majority of clients understand the value of being interesting and entertaining in order to communicate a message and a brand personality.
The most powerful medium is print. Newspapers are expensive, but the population devours them, mainly for the political news which is a topic of daily conversation. Because of the cost, ‘papers are generally shared. It’s estimated that on average every newspaper sold is read by more than ten people. It’s considered quite prestigious to have your own copy, and some people actually write their name on the front, as if they were books.
Radio is the other mass medium. The majority of the population don’t have electricity, much less television. People flock to the bars for the nightly television news at 7 because news, particularly of the political kind, is a national obsession. Corruption, political and otherwise, is always in the news.
And it’s a day to day reality. I visited an orphanage for HIV/Aids affected children, only to discover that almost all the client funding had been stolen by an intermediary. Instead of many thousands of dollars the orphanage received a couple of rolls of chicken wire, a bag of chook feed and some fertilizer.
Life outside the office has a certain edge to it too. I'm living on a property near the Ngong Hills, right near Karen Blixon's farm where Out Of Africa was set. I’m in the guest cottage of an amazing couple, Simon and Wiggy, who have been in Africa for 15 and 20 years respectively, doing extraordinary things like living with the pygmies in the Congo, or working as a cameraman in the midst of the bloodshed in Rwanda and Sudan. At the time of writing, Simon is building his own airplane.
With his guidance I’ve bought myself THE car. A custom built professional safari vehicle that took the likes of Onassis on Safari in its heyday. It's a huge, converted 1972 Landcruiser known simply as ‘The Beast’. Solid steel, built to go anywhere. Not only is it perfect for safari but I get a lot of leeway in the chaotic traffic around the city too.
In The Beast I’ve traveled widely in Kenya, mostly with Pat on camping adventures. I say adventure because the camp sites are not in any way partitioned off from the animals, and it’s not uncommon to hear a lion’s roar or be visited by buffalo or elephants in night. Some of the experiences I’ll treasure include seeing millions of flamingoes like distant pink candy floss as we approached Lake Nakuru, sitting on the roof of The Beast less than five metres from a tank-like white rhino, leaping onto the roof (dragging the esky of course) when a hippo* came to the camp site, seeing a cheetah chase down an Impala, getting head butted by a giraffe, being chased by a bull elephant that was sporting half an erection…the list goes on and on.
Safari aside, everyday life can be trying. Take the roads. They’re full of potholes, people drive like maniacs, and car jacking is a constant threat. Because of the latter there are frequent police checkpoints, with ‘fines’ able to be paid ‘on the spot’ without paperwork for real or imagined traffic infringements. Because I live way out of town, it’s also not uncommon to have to stop for crossing herds of cows and sheep. Then there’s driving at night with almost no street lights - statistically the chances of having an accident at night are 400 times as high as in Europe.
Poverty is endemic. Unemployment is around 60% and occasionally the frustration of the impoverished will flare up in violent incidents. Crime is expected, so security is everywhere. Everybody I know lives behind fences, either high and spiked or electrified, with security guards and dogs.
I used to jog a lot around Sydney harbour, a beautiful and relaxing experience. Here I jog near my home, along dirt roads and down bush tracks. Several months ago, another runner in the area was being stalked by a leopard as he ran. He was lucky, it wasn’t hungry. A few weeks later I saw a leopard myself as I drove along the same dirt road where I run, maybe 200 metres from my house. This can be a little unsettling, considering that leopards are lethal and strong enough to drag a zebra backwards up a tree to their lair.
I’ve become a better cd living here. And a tougher person. Overcoming obstacles is part and parcel of surviving. No electricity for weeks at a time. No water for days on end. I ‘irrigate’ my garden at night with the real possibility of leopards lurking in the trees. I’ve camped out in a flimsy tent in the wild, and woken up face to face with a huge monkey inside my house. Not to mention the office, where the obstacles to getting work done can be mind boggling.
Sitting in your first world office this probably all sounds so absurd as to be unbelievable. And there are moments where I have to check to make sure I’m not dreaming. But I certainly know I’m alive.

* Hippos, far from being the goofy, grinning ballet dancers that Walt Disney might have you believe, are bad tempered and aggressive - the biggest killers of humans in Africa.

Kenya – a factual snapshot
Population: 34 million
Official languages: Swahili and English.
Number of tribes: 42 +
Average life expectancy: 44 years