YOUR COACH
I WAS PEAK KID IN THE 70’S, YOU KNOW, FOOTY AND CRICKET IN THE STREET AND RIDING MY BIKE UP THE SHOPS TO GET MUM A SOFT PACK OF PETER STYVESANT.
I WAS MOSTLY A CITY KID BUT AT 11 MY PARENTS PACKED US INTO THE BACK OF THE TOYOTA CROWN STATION WAGON AND HEADED BUSH FOR A FEW YEARS TO RUN A COUNTRY PUB - ANOTHER WORLD, LOCAL HIGH SCHOOL, SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST.
FINISHED SCHOOL, FINISHED LAW, DIDN’T PRACTICE. WASN’T ME. BUT WHAT WAS?
STUMBLED INTO AWARD SCHOOL AND SEEMINGLY FOUND MY CALLING. I ACTUALLY WON MY FIRST JOB AS A WRITER FOR BEING NAMED NATIONAL WINNER OF AWARD SCHOOL.
MY FIRST AD WAS ‘SKYSURFER’ FOR COCA-COLA (GUYS JUMP FROM PLANE WITH BOARDS AND SURF AIR RATHER THAN DIE). NAIVELY I BELIEVED THAT PRODUCTION BUDGETS ALLOWING FOR 5 AIRCRAFT AND 100 CREW ON THE GROUND WAS COMMONPLACE - SO, SO NAIVE.
I WORKED MY WAY THROUGH SOME MID LEVEL ROLES WITH SOME SUCCESS BUT ALSO GETTING MY FIRST PROPER TASTE OF THE TOLL OUR JOB CAN TAKE. SOME TIME OFF WAS CALLED FOR AND I DID SOME TRAVEL WRITING ON TREKKING IN NEPAL AND BACKPACKING IN TAIWAN FOR THE BBC.
I RETURNED TO AGENCY LIFE, FREELANCING AND TAKING ON MORE SENIOR ROLES. I WAS MADE CREATIVE DIRECTOR OF AGENCY, LOWE HUNT.
IT WAS A BIG FEW YEARS; I GOT TO LAUNCH A-LEAGUE INTO AUSTRALIA (GOLD EFFECTIVENESS), DEVISE THE CONCEPT AND LEAD THE TEAM ON THE LYNXJET CAMPAIGN (9 CANNES LIONS), PRODUCED TWO ‘CAMPAIGNS OF THE YEAR’, WON ‘CREATIVE AGENCY OF THE YEAR’, GOT TO JUDGE ON A NUMBER OF AWARD JURIES AND WAS NAMED AMONG THE TOP 10 CREATIVE DIRECTORS. BUT THE COST.
THIS TOLL I MENTIONED, IT’S A THING. I PAID ATTENTION TO THE IMPACT IT WAS HAVING TO MY LIFE. I TOOK ACTION. I WASN’T STICKING AROUND TO FIND OUT IF IT WAS THE RIGHT ACTION. I NEEDED TO DO SOMETHING (DRASTIC).
I MOVED TO NEWCASTLE TO SLOW EVERYTHING DOWN. I OPENED MY OWN AGENCY. ESCAPING WORKED FOR A WHILE. BUT IT SEEMS, I COULDN’T OUTRUN INTENSE EXPERIENCES. HOW I DEALT WITH THEM EVENTUALLY SHOWED UP IN MY BODY.
PERFECT, NOW I GET TO LEARN HOW TO DEAL WITH LIFE PROPERLY.
NOW BITE SIZE:
I’VE BEEN A CREATIVE IN 10 AGENCIES, OWNED TWO OF MY OWN, BEEN CD/ECD FOR 15+ YEARS, WON 100+ AWARDS, MADE MOST OF THE KEY MISTAKES, LEARNED LOADS, LAUGHED A LOT, STRUGGLED, THRIVED, GOT OUT THE OTHER SIDE OF STAGE 4 CANCER WITH NOTHING LINGERING BUT GRATITUDE 🙏
