There is nothing I excel at more in life than putting myself in a client’s shoes, unravelling a knotty commercial problem they face and delivering an innovative and visionary creative solution that exceeds all expectations and returns on investment.
ABOUT ME(long version)
Over the course of nearly 20 years’ in marketing, working at some of the world’s most creative agencies, such as Saatchi’s, M&C, JWT, TBWA, FCB, O&M and McCanns, I’ve been lucky enough to have helped create innovative campaigns across all disciplines and used those skills to build my own Global Brand and Digital agency.
– Integrated/Convergent Creative Director
Today I create ‘BIG-Long’ campaigns through TV, Film, Outdoor, Print, Digital and funnel them into engaging experiences on Social, Mobile, Content, Viral, Experiential, Apps, Video, Shopper, Ambient, Gamification, Augmented and Virtual Reality. I’ve done this for some of the world’s biggest brands, such as British Airways, Mercedes, Audi, Porsche, Vodafone, Sony PlayStation, Sky, Amex and Fosters.
– Founder of Global Brand and Digital Agency
I also founded a UK-based brand and digital agency building brands for the UK, China and the Middle East. I repositioned the agency for global markets and successfully exported it to Russia and South America winning business for Pfizer, Mercedes and Audi. Today I also lead digital and brand projects. As lead Brand Creative, I direct Brand Audits, Positioning, Strategy, Architecture, Guidelines and Deliverables. As lead Digital Creative, I direct Brand Experience, Wire Frames, AI, UX, Content, low fidelity designs and design execution for digital, ecomms, mobile and apps.
Creativity and Entrepreneurial Spirit
I believe ‘un-policed thought’ is paramount for creativity in bringing lasting value to clients’ businesses and our lives. I practice this daily and teach this to all the creative teams I have built and students I have lectured to.
I also teach creativity is transferable and encourage creatives to explore their ‘creative breadth’ in all they do. I never studied how to write a film or how to bring ‘worlds first’ products to market or launch a play in New York, or how to start an agency and expand it globally during a recession.
Yet, through transferring creativity and exploring my creative breadth, I now have a film script currently with producers, (click for film script) I helped develop 3 ‘worlds first’ products to market that are now selling in 8 countries, (click for product videos) launched a play in New York (click for Promo) and founded a brand communications agency expanding it globally to Russia and Colombia through UKTI. (click for website)
All the above has given me plenty of experience in business maturity, commercial astuteness and global entrepreneurial spirit, all of which I bring to the role of Creative Director. And I never miss an opportunity to ‘up-skill’ myself and add value to others through pushing my creative abilities.
Lecturing, Guest Speaking, Judging and Awards
I’m very proud to be a guest lecturer for the UK’s leading creative communications courses where I have presented on current topical concerns:
– ’The future creative and current skills gap in advertising and HE’
Researched and presented to Lincoln University for department and course leaders on the BA Creative Advertising course. (click for presentation)
– ’The danger of opting for digital content over ‘Old Fashioned Ads’
Researched and presented to department and course leaders at Falmouth School of Art for MA Creative Advertising. (click for presentation)
As well as guest lecturing, I’ve also been a guest speaker for the UK Embassy in Bogota and Moscow where I have spoken to leading CEOs on:
– The importance of international brand marketing in emerging economies’ (click for presentation)
I’ve also sat on UKTI seminars for ‘South America Export’ where I’ve been asked to pass on my insights and experience to the next generation of
export marketers on the subject of exporting services and ‘International brand marketing in developing countries’.
For Pfizer, I’ve enjoyed conducting workshops on behalf of their bi-annual convention in Greece, on the subject of ‘How to write the perfect creative brief’, focusing on single-minded proposition building, emotional sales points, and proposition/benefit strategies.
One of my most humbling honours was to be invited to judge the American Illustrator bi annual awards for the Society of Illustrators in New York.
Regarding honours, I have had my fair share of awards but none of them has yet to top my breakdancing award while at school. (click for image)
And finally, some kind words and references from around the world. (click for references)
