Matt Smith and Rocky Ranallo are the founders of Western Sydney Ad School - an idea they dreamed up over lunch to address that advertising isn’t easy or equal for everyone.  In this episode of Advent, we explore how advertising is a tricky place to get a start if you don’t have friends or family in the industry, and why Western Sydney Ad School is part of an important solution. Rocky and Matt also explain how ad school can be a pathway to anything – becoming a Creative Director, opening...

Kirsty Muddle spent over a decade at Cummins&Partners, the indie agency she co-founded, before she was named CEO of Dentsu’s creative arm late last year.  Kirsty chats through why the words “never before” were the catalyst for her jump to Dentsu, and delves into how it’s getting harder to make stuff that lasts (which is why we need a Razzies for advertising - a database of campaigns that just didn’t work). She discusses how sticking around one business for a long time means you build...

In our last episode of Advent for 2021, Carat’s Head of Strategy Bethanie Blanchard delves in to why her vent is about venting - people sneering at the new “as though it means you’re not across the fundamentals of your craft”. In fact, brands should act like sponges for culture, she argues, soaking up even the flash-in-the-pan trends, because they reveal just as much about people and the world as the Next Big Thing. She also talks about agency responsibility for who you work with and for,...

Advertising Council Australia (ACA) has partnered with Kantar to launch Create Space, the industry’s first-ever diversity and inclusion census that will collect anonymous data on gender identity, social and ethnic backgrounds, sexual orientation, mental health, family status, and experiences of inclusion at work. Jasmin Bedir, CEO of Innocean; Simon Wassef, Chief Strategy Officer at whiteGREY; and Renata Yannoulis, Senior Strategist at TBWA Sydney, are each members of the ACA’s D&I...

Corey Kindberg wouldn’t want to do anything else than be in advertising. Other than becoming a rich, stay-at-home husband (which doesn't sound half bad, to be fair). TBWA\Chiat\Day’s Associate Strategy Director, who’s based in Los Angeles, digs into whether advertising is as fun as it used to be, why it doesn’t help to get further away from the work the more senior you get, and why a lack of entry level roles “hits the creative work hard”. When there’s a high bar to entry, the industry...

When MD Davy Rennie took over Tribal Australia, he went straight into a Volkswagen pitch. The client told him “I don’t think you’ll win.” Against all odds, they did. But it required a reset, and proving promises would be kept. Now, Tribal couldn’t be closer to the Volkswagen team. Davy doesn’t just chat about Tribal though. He touches on the power of proper honesty in client relationships, the importance of asking for help when you need it, his own mental health journey and watching out for...

Anna Dancey is a Gamilaroi woman living, working and thriving on the lands of the Eora Nation. She’s also the National Sales Manager at NITV, a part of SBS.  Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people represent 3.3% of the Australian population, but just 0.3% of advertising spend is dedicated to reaching these audiences. Anna talks about SBS and NITV’s initiative Beyond 3 Per Cent, which aims to change that. She also explains why people working in advertising can learn a lot from...

Pia Chaudhuri is BMF’s Executive Creative Director. The path to that role has been windy, and 17 years long. As she puts it, it required working at an agency that was happy to appoint someone that doesn’t look like your typical ECD: A white guy wearing trendy glasses, jeans, and a T-Shirt. Pia explains why we need to not just focus on diversity, but also analyse where diverse people sit in the business. How diverse is the leadership team, or the creative department? She talks about burn out...

Advertising is a fast-paced game. Ben Shepherd has experienced two decades’ worth of that pace, across companies including Yahoo, Mindshare, Junkee, OMD, PwC, and CHE Proximity. Most recently, he was General Manager of Media at Thinkerbell, and wrote a book last year called Everything You Wanted to Know About Advertising and Media… But Were Too Afraid to Ask. Ben explains why it’s hard to increase mental health progress without decreasing the pace, why media companies have tried to get him...

Social media has been through a lot of growing pains, and few people know that better than Mandi Barton. Over many roles, including as the social lead at ZipCo and M&C Saatchi, Mandi has guided clients through how to ride the wave of social innovation while still doing effective work. We also touch on the untapped power of authenticity and the critical need for specialists in a world of hybrids. And we discuss how too many industry leaders think that social is all about being friends...

Chances are, if you’re a creative who’s wanted a job, or an agency that’s filled a job, you know Esther Clerehan. Esther has been a recruiter specialising in creative roles for more than 30 years. In this episode, we cover a lot. Salary transparency. Managers who struggle because they’re too scared to ask for help. The impact of last year’s redundancies and pay cuts on this year’s talent market. The importance of pulling new people into advertising, versus hiring from the same pool of...

 We're back, legends, and it couldn't feel better. Season 2 kicks off with Brent Smart, CMO at IAG, and a marketer who's transformed expectations of insurance advertising - and is generally challenges Aussie advertisers to be better. We talk about the power of control in your creative career, the dangers of being too focused, and how incredibly fragile ideas really are. It's a banger.  Right now, we're recording and producing Advent from at home, on the lands of the Dharawal and Gadigal...

Advertising used to be cool. Like, really cool. But in 2021, is that still the case? This week, we are joined by Global CEO of C14torce, about the danger of resting on your laurels, the importance of a more contemporary office and the need for agencies to take more risks. Advent is produced and recorded in the studios of DDB Sydney, on the land of the Gadigal people of the Eora nation. We pay our respects to Elders, past, present and emerging. Editing and mixing for Advent is done by Andy...

This episode, we're joined by Ricky Chanana, Head of Sales at Twitch. In his 16 years working in advertising and media, Ricky has done his time both agency and publisher side, including heading up investment at Maxus, leading Unruly in AUNZ, and more recently, joining Twitch as Head of Sales.  We talk through the vital role of community in a successful network, gaming becoming pop culture, and how to speak to cord cutters in the inevitable shift away from TV. We also explore the role of live...

This episode, we're joined by Ricky Chanana, Head of Sales at Twitch. In his 16 years working in advertising and media, Ricky has done his time both agency and publisher side, including heading up investment at Maxus, leading Unruly in AUNZ, and more recently, joining Twitch as Head of Sales. We talk through the vital role of community in a successful network, gaming becoming pop culture, and how to speak to cord cutters in the inevitable shift away from TV. We also explore the role of live...

This episode, we're joined by Dan Ferguson, Chief Marketing Officer of Adore Beauty, Australia’s largest online beauty retailer. Dan has more than 15 years’ experience leading online growth for many companies and categories, including Vistaprint, Officeworks, GPG, Dell and DesignCrowd and is well known for his views on the role that data plays in modern marketing. We talk about the true value of disruption in 2021, how you can transform from performance marketing to brand and back again, the...

This episode, we're joined by Dan Ferguson, Chief Marketing Officer of Adore Beauty, Australia’s largest online beauty retailer. Dan has more than 15 years’ experience leading online growth for many companies and categories, including Vistaprint, Officeworks, GPG, Dell and DesignCrowd and is well known for his views on the role that data plays in modern marketing. We talk about the true value of disruption in 2021, how you can transform from performance marketing to brand and back again, the...

Simon is the co-founder and CEO of Who Gives A Crap, a toilet paper company that dedicates half of its profits to build toilets in the developing world. Simon is an entrepreneur and philanthropist who has built three social enterprises focussed on revolutionising the way society thinks about philanthropy. We talk to Simon about how Who Gives A Crap built a distinctive brand using every touch point, the role brands can play in improving the world and if he’d ever consider spending $5m to run...

Simon is the co-founder and CEO of Who Gives A Crap, a toilet paper company that dedicates half of its profits to build toilets in the developing world. Simon is an entrepreneur and philanthropist who has built three social enterprises focussed on revolutionising the way brands thinks about giving back. We talk to Simon about how Who Gives A Crap built a distinctive brand using every touch point, the role brands can play in improving the world and if he’d ever consider spending $5m to run an...

Peter Kirk is an Australian director, screenwriter, producer and an incredible advocate for a more representative advertising industry. Over his career, Peter has worked with brands such as Lynx, Google and Greenpeace and has been recognised around the world for his work in advertising and beyond. In 2015, Peter Kirk founded Pluto Media, a content platform that brings together creative storytelling and artist discovery, helping agencies and brands in crafting strategies that underpin the...

Peter Kirk is an Australian director, screenwriter, producer and an incredible advocate for a more representative advertising industry. Over his career, Peter has worked with brands such as Lynx, Google and Greenpeace and has been recognised around the world for his work in advertising and beyond. In 2015, Peter Kirk founded Pluto Media, a content platform that brings together creative storytelling and artist discovery, helping agencies and brands in crafting strategies that underpin the...

Zoe Scaman is the founder of Bodacious, a business and brand strategy studio and one of the most interesting voices in brand strategy right now. Zoe describes herself as a swiss army knife specialising in planning, entertainment, strategy, innovation and more. Before setting up her own shop, she worked around the world in Sydney, London, New York and Ethiopia at the likes of Droga 5, Adidas and Naked Communications. We talk to Zoe about divorcing strategy from the world of advertising and...

Zoe Scaman is the founder of Bodacious, a business and brand strategy studio and one of the most interesting voices in brand strategy right now. Zoe describes herself as a swiss army knife specialising in planning, entertainment, strategy, innovation and more. Before setting up her own shop, she worked around the world in Sydney, London, New York and Ethiopia at the likes of Drogo 5, Adidas and Naked Communications. We talk to Zoe about divorcing strategy from the world of advertising and...