Behind The Billboard

Visuals: https://getbehindthebillboard.com/episode-98-peter-heyesEpisode #98 feature Pete Heyes, award-winning creative, creative director, top northern lad and United fan.Pete has worked in the business for over 30 years at some of the very best agencies, including DDB and Leo Burnett. He’s won awards on huge brands such as McDonald’s, VW, Marmite and Harvey Nichols. People often talk about Pete as ‘one of the nicest guys in the business’. Which we can vouch for. Fun Pete fact: he was once a Media Planner on P&G.We started as usual with the billboard at the end of Pete’s street, which is from the recent British Airways campaign. So yes, you guessed it, we had yet more ‘logo v no logo’ chat. Then we jumped into another topical debate, the potential demise of the DDB name.And all this before the work, of which Pete has loads. We distilled it down to four clients in the end:VW, Marmite, Magners, and McDonald’s.For VW we got behind the story of the classy and minimalist Touareg campaign shot by Giles Revell.Magners was an exercise in collaboration with Illustrator/Artist: Noma Bar, who seems to be everywhere atm, but Pete was the first to use him in advertising.Marmite was the Christmas lights, a bit of love ‘n hate for the festive season. Most apt!While for McDonald’s there were many campaigns which Pete worked on both as a creative and a creative director. We managed to cover McNuggets, Lights on McDelivery / Iconic Stacks (Creatives: Andrew Long & James Millers), See One, Want One / Search (Creatives: Phillip Meyler & Darren Keff)Thanks so much for coming on Pete. It was a real pleasure talking about your work and the current state of the industry. Apologies for not having a pint. But hopefully we can fit one in before Christmas.Thanks to our sponsorsBauer Media OutdoorView2FillSuper OptimalGAS Music

Visuals: https://getbehindthebillboard.com/episode-97-andy-clough-richard-mcgrannGood things come to those who wait … and we’ve been waiting a while for Andy Clough & Richard McGrann, but it was thoroughly worth it. Andy & Rich are one of adland’s most brilliant and prolific teams, creating iconic award-winning work wherever they’ve worked. RKCR / Y&R, BBH, AMVBBDO, adam&eveDDB and Neverland have all benefited from their passion for big ideas, superbly executed. They’ve won awards wherever they’ve been, including 5 Grand Prix for their emotive ‘The Last Photo’ campaign for CALM, placing them amongst the world’s most awarded creatives at D&AD and Cannes.In a packed episode, we talked about The Times ‘Biggest For Sport’ campaign and got a sneak peek into Andy’s notebook and his sketches which were incredibly close to the finished work.For The Last Photo we discovered the inspiration for the big idea came in part from a Google search for ‘depression / suicide’. Every result had people sad, head in hands, in a dark place. The question was asked, what if people looked happy? Like a weight had been lifted, because they had decided to take the next step. This lead to the line ‘Suicide doesn’t always look suicidal’ and the concept of the last photo featuring real people. It’s an incredibly moving story and a worthy follow up to the previous year’s Project84 from Ant & Mike.We went into the wild with Whiskas, Feeding Your Cat’s Instinct, which naturally won an outdoor Lion ;-)While for The Economist, for once we didn’t discuss white headlines out of red, instead a thought provoking piece of DOOH on the subject of assisted suicide.Another important project was for Melanoma, more great crafting a simple graphic idea. And of course we found out how pot holes help create a great poster campaign for Pot Noodle.Gents, it was a total pleasure. So much amazing work for such a range of brands and projects, a tour de force in the great outdoors. Thank you so much.Thanks to our sponsorsBauer Media OutdoorView2FillSuper OptimalGAS Music

Visuals: https://getbehindthebillboard.com/episode-96-ajab-samraiEpisode #96 features Ajab Samrai, Ex-CCO of Ogilvy Japan, who not only brought incredible stories of nearly four decades in the business, but two enormous bags of apples from his orchard in the Malvern Hills.We discussed how Ajab started his career at Saatchi & Saatchi in 1987 as one of the first British born Asians to break into the industry, creating the iconic Commission for Racial Equality poster campaign. He became one of the youngest Creative Group Heads in the history of Saatchi’s going on to work on some of the world’s biggest brands.We discovered why he decided to ‘frighten himself’ after his long tenure at Saatchi’s to take up the challenge of Ogilvy Japan, an agency in a different country, with a different culture and different language. Plus the agency was stuck at the very bottom of the Ogilvy league. No pressure then!His story of success is a lesson in perseverance and belief with some incredible OOH projects for Tokyo FM and Uber Eats, helping Ogilvy Japan become agency of the year and Ajab was named Japanese creative of the year. This success helped push his awards tally to over 300, winning major honours at every show in the world.Listen to the craft that went into the Sagawa soy sauce campaign, where all the imagery was created by an artist using soy sauce. And hear how the Condomania campaign flirted with suffocating the cast on what must be one of the most insane shoots ever. We even had time to cover the Mount Fuji Rubbish Billboards which were anything but rubbish, cleaning up the mountain and at awards shows alike.Ajab thank you so much for being so generous with your stories (and your apples!). It was a real pleasure.Thanks to our sponsorsBauer Media OutdoorView2FillSuper OptimalGAS Music

Visuals: https://getbehindthebillboard.com/episode-95-simkatEpisode #95 features Sim Sidhu and Katy David aka ‘SimKat’, one of BBH’s most brilliant and prolific young teams.We talked about their rise to fame at BBH after their time spent along the corridor at The BBH Barn Adschool, where they learnt the ways of the business from legendary and much missed tutor Tony Cullingham. One of Tony’s classic questions he asked anyone at any level: “Are you having fun?”It’s a really important question.Fun seems to run through much of SimKat’s work. TC would be proud. Their proactive approach is a lesson in making shit happen.In an effort to secure their job they showed the then ECD Helen Rhodes an ad a day for BBH clients for an entire year. It paid off and they were soon winning awards for debut work on Barnardos and The Fire Safe Sari.Since then there’s been great work on Audi, esp the recent Proms inspired campaign, creating musical scores to mimic the throaty sound of the more powerful Audi models.Arch Nemesis for BK was a triumph in cheekiness and speed of turnaround. Along the way they met Gordon Ramsey before their latest work, creating a bookshop to tell the world about the Monzo book of money. This audacious idea is a fully fledged bookstore called ‘Booknook’ home to 3000 books each with a different front cover, all to help people better understand how to use their money.SimKat thank you so much for coming on. You’re a breath of fresh air in the great outdoors. Long may it continue. Stay in touch!Thanks to our sponsorsBauer Media OutdoorView2FillSuper OptimalGAS Music

Visuals: https://getbehindthebillboard.com/episode-94-paul-patemanEpisode #94 features Paul Pateman aka Pâté on Toast. Paul is a graphic artist, art director, writer, speaker and general good egg who we loved having on the show.Paul has enjoyed an incredibly successful career as a creative / creative director at AMV and TBWA. His work has won over 130 awards. Since focussing on being an illustrator, Pâté has been shortlisted numerous times in the AOI World Illustration Awards, sat on the D&AD jury and regularly lectures around the country on the power of visual imagery.He is now firmly established with nearly 10 years’ experience in the commercial art landscape and regularly creates images that are not only beautiful but satirical and funny.We talked broadly about the difference between being a creative and a graphic artist.We covered Paul’s huge success on Museum of Childhood, a real lesson in going out and making shit happen. Paul and Mike Nicholson his partner at the time, were having a quiet period at AMV and decided to go get some business of their own. They approached the Museum of Childhood on the quiet, selling in the campaign which was art directed and drawn by Paul. They then had to approach the powers that be at AMV to approve the work. It paid off incredibly well, the campaign won every award going and sowed the illustrative seed in Paul’s mind.We discussed Right Guard, Heinz Meatballs and the D&AD pencil winning John Smith’s topical ad for the royal wedding. Then we covered Paul’s more recent illustrative creations, which are stunningly simple and beautiful. Whether adorning the cover of a magazine, a poster for a school event or a billboard for Boots opticians, the level of craft is wonderful to see.There’s also spec work which Paul does in downtime to keep the juices flowing, as shown in the billboard mock-up he did for this episode.Paul, thanks so much for coming on, it was a real pleasure.

Visuals: https://getbehindthebillboard.com/episode-93-buildhollywoodEpisode #93 features Jayne Andrew & Isobel Deevy from OOH specialists BuildHollywood, who very kindly came down from Manchester to chat about some of their amazing projects.We’ve been saying for ages who are BuildHollywood? Their name is always on the coolest stuff.So this was our moment to find out. It’s no exaggeration to say if you’ve seen something iconic and spectacular in the great outdoors, chances are BuildHollywood would have been behind it.We started with a brilliant idea for a brilliant book, Max Porter: Grief Is The Thing with Feathers. BuildHollywood created a ‘feather billboard’ in Shoreditch … nearly 100 episodes in and we’ve never discussed a feather billboard. Great story.Then there was their ongoing commitment to Manchester International Festival, the Marmite special build, Travel Supermarket inflatables with Meanwhile, the super cool F37: Mancunio which recently dominated the streets of Manchester and more.The great work kept coming: Prost8 and Specsavers were next before we ended on a very special, special build for Dreamies ‘purr-fest poster’.We also got an exclusive (at the time!) of Listen to Your Heart, an immense collaboration with Creative Review and 3D artist Joseph Melhuish featuring Melhuish’s signature quirky style. Designed to showcase the creative potential of 3D billboard art, the project highlights how physical installations can still make a strong emotional and visual impact in an increasingly digital world. Amen to that.Thank you both so much for coming on the show and enlightening us on all things BuildHollywood. Not to mention the yummy buns. A real treat all round.

Visuals: https://getbehindthebillboard.com/episode-92-rick-brimEpisode #92 features Rick Brim, Co-Founder and CCO of adland’s newest agency, Ace of Hearts. Rick joined us with the agency just a few days old, so we discussed the big stuff such as if he knew how to work the photocopier, who locks up at night and how they came up with the name.During 25 years in the industry, Rick’s won every award going, including 4 Cannes Grand Prix in the same year for Harvey Nichols Christmas campaign: “I spent it on myself.” During his tenure at adam&eveDDB the agency was named Agency of the Decade by both Cannes and Campaign magazine. He’s been President of both D&AD and the Cannes Films Lions jury.We started with Shelter ‘House of Cards’ and discovered if there was a connection with the name of the new agency. Next several graphic posters for Think! where Rick & Dan involved Paul Belford in the design of the campaign. Then it was Sunday Times Rich List - one of the most fun and awarded of all the STRL campaigns.And then “I spent it on myself’ which started life as real products sold in real Harvey Nichols stores at Christmas.We also discussed CALM and the campaigns created under Rick’s tenure. We focussed on Project 84, an iconic piece of OOH from Ant & Mike who are now Rick’s successors at adam&eveDDB. We finished in pets corner with cats going crazy for a pack of Dreamies on a billboard, followed by a huge inflatable dog stuck between two buildings in New York for IAMS dog food.Rick, thank you so much for sharing the stories behind your brilliant billboards. It was a blast. Hopefully you’ll return soon with more ace work from the new gaff.

Visuals: https://getbehindthebillboard.com/episode-91-gary-fawcett-amp-lisa-nicholsPodcast episode #91 features Gary Fawcett & Lisa Nichols, ECDs at TBWA\MCR, in the second part in our Manchester special.Gary & Lisa have worked in the business for over 25 years, for a huge array of clients including Pizza Hut, British Airways, EA Games and Harvey Nichols. Their work has been recognised at Cannes, D&AD, The One Show, New York Festivals, Epica and London International Awards.We spent a lovely hour chatting all things Manchester, advertising and a tiny bit of football (Gary, like Hugh, is a long suffering United fan).We discussed how to crop a man’s elbow perfectly to resemble a man’s bottom for prostate charity Prost8. A brilliant and incredibly important campaign which has been one of our favourites for ages now.We covered the Stop Homelessness Spiking work highlighting the worrying trend of harmful architecture. The work is graphic and disturbing and we really hope it helps. To learn more go to hostiledesign.orgWe also discussed classic OOH campaigns for Harvey Nichols Manchester, British Airways, MBNA, Anti-Knife Crime and appropriately enough ending on the Lowry Centre which we could see from GAS studios.Thank you Gary & Lisa so much for coming in and sharing your work in such friendly and humble fashion. Manchester is lucky to have you.Sponsored by:View2FillSuper OptimalGAS Music

Visuals: https://getbehindthebillboard.com/episode-90-tim-jonesPodcast episode #90 is the first of our Manchester special and features the charming and uber-talented Tim Jones. Tim has an incredible track record when it comes to OOH, both from his time at BBC Creative and more recently at Meanwhile, the agency he set up with long term creative partner James Cross and Al Marchant.Meanwhile have enjoyed great success since launch in 2022, thanks not just to their creative work, but savvy association with Bez of the Happy Mondays, himself an icon of the North West. It’s no surprise Meanwhile were Campaign’s Start Up Agency of 2023.We discussed Tim’s extensive OOH portfolio, including the 7m tapestry for the BBC World Cup in Russia which formed the centre pice of the History Will Be Made campaign and was meant to have an additional segment, allowing for the next bit of history. Tim told us how he was prepping the new piece to incorporate Harry Kane lifting the trophy. Oh Lord. How many years of hurt?! Too much. Anyway, it wasn’t meant to be, but a brilliant story about what goes on behind the tapestry.Then there was the Netflix Diamond Heist and how Meanwhile placed a 9-carat diamond onto the side of a billboard.Next Travel Supermarket with a vertical stack of inflatables in a shopping trolley on the side of a building. How will they stay up? What happens if a member of the public throws darts at them? And a million and one other daft questions that have to be answered in order to get creative work to run.On and on the stories went, the Manchester tram that toots the theme tune of Coronation Street, the BAFTA winning work for BBC Tokyo Olympics, the award-winning launch work for Chester Zoo, the iconic Park Run work for Mental health Day.Thank you Tim. It was a total pleasure. We can’t wait to see what you and Meanwhile do next.

Visuals: https://getbehindthebillboard.com/episode-89-liam-and-alisonEpisode #89 features Liam Bushby & Alison Steven, Global Creative Directors at Ogilvy London and two of the finest, most humble creatives you could ever meet.We talked at length about what it’s like to work on Dove and in particular their multi award-winning campaigns Reverse Selfie and #TurnYourBack which won more metal than you can shake a stick at, including a Cannes Grand Prix.We also discussed their first ever poster for McDonald’s, a wonderful idea that has a great story about timing, opportunity and being open to nailing a brief, even if it’s over lunch on a Friday when you’ve got shitloads of other work on.We also heard about Liam & Alison’s outdoor work which is not confined to billboards, in particular two audacious campaigns for Hellman’s Mayonnaise, the Charli XCX inspired “Club Classic" sandwich and the The Margaret bag that debuted at London Fashion Week. Both sound be appearing at an awards show soon.Thank you so much Liam & Alison for coming on and sharing your stories. 

Visuals: https://getbehindthebillboard.com/episode-88-hermeti-balarinEpisode #88 features the charming, uber-talented Hermeti Balarin, joint CCO at W+K London.Hermeti works with his wife Ana, who was Behind the Billboard guest no. 9, which means the Balarin’s are our first ever married couple on the show 🎉Hermeti & Ana started out at as interns at Mother before rising to Partners a decade or so later. Under their leadership, Mother was named International Agency of The Year twice by Ad Age thanks to iconic award-winning work on Stella Artois, IKEA, KFC, Boots and more.We talked about recent minimalist OOH campaigns from brands such as BA, Kellogg’s, McDonald’s and Tesco, before focussing on Hermeti & Ana’s similar approach on Heinz and KFC and how ‘less is more’ is not really new at all, citing campaigns such as Silk Cut, which was the Daddy of them all.We did a deep dive into KFC and the stories behind the Covid and AFC to ZFC work. Covid was a great example of every cloud having a silver lining. KFC and Mother decided to embrace the madness with ‘The World's Least Appropriate Slogan’ campaign, which resulted in the brand emerging from the pandemic stronger than ever. Never let a good crisis go to waste.We discussed #FreeTheFeed, an incredible campaign featuring huge 50ft breasts dotted around the London skyline to raise awareness of the stigma surrounding public breastfeeding.And we discovered how Hermeti is an Exec TV Producer, a decent basketball player, a Star Wars geek and the owner of the coolest hair in advertising.Thank you so much Hermeti for coming on and sharing your stories and creativity. Hi to Ana and please both come back soon?!  NB: In this episode Hugh repeatedly mispronounces the words Wieden & Kennedy. We have no idea why this happened. We apologise if this affects your listening pleasure and Hugh promises it will not happen again. Arse.

Visuals: https://getbehindthebillboard.com/episode-87-jeremy-craigen-part-2He’s back! Jeremy Craigen returns for episode #87, talking all things VW.Jeremy worked on the brand as a creative / CD / ECD and Global CCO for over 20 years, winning endless awards with iconic campaigns for every model in the range, even getting a free appearance on Top Gear (estimated viewing audience 90million).How did it feel to be the creative lead on such a prestigious account? Who were his inspirations? What is the essence of VW? And did he play as hard as he worked?Jeremy tells all and more.We found out how two creative teams independently came up with same Polo Cops idea. And how, for the same brief, King Kong was also in the mix and the client was persuaded to run it a year later.The Polo Ice Car was another fascinating story … a press ad that became national news, involving a life sized car carved from 9.5 tonnes of ice. We also discussed the Surprisingly Ordinary Prices Wedding execution, which is still the most awarded print ad ever (facts by Neil Dawson).Then there was Swear Box, Ele-pump, Cabriolet, Dr Who x3, Nightdrive and more. A phenomenal body of work. Thank you again Jeremy. It was an education. Apologies we didn’t have any booze, schoolboy error. Next time promise 🍷We’ll close with a quote from Jonathan Hill, Former U.K. and European Business Director Volkswagen:"Jeremy is the best ECD I have worked with for spotting a good idea. It might just be the one line in a pile of 100 scripts but he will spot it every time. And there is no one better at turning a good idea into a great idea."Amen to that.

Visuals: https://getbehindthebillboard.com/episode-86-jeremy-craigen-part-1Episode #86 features legendary creative, CD, ECD, CCO, bonvivier and lover of life, Jeremy Craigen.It’s hard to know where to start with Jeremy’s incredible body of work, which has won every gong going for just about every client going.So we took a corporate decision and split him in two. Ooeerr.Part one is all about Optrex, Marmite, Budweiser, The Labour Party, The Financial Times and Harvey Nichols.Iconic work with brilliant stories told by the man himself. Hear how Jeremy’s chest hair inspired a marmite billboard. How the Optrex brief was cracked in the blink of an eye 🤓 And how the original Love / Hate Marmite line came to be. And much more.Jeremy is a complete one-off. Charming, talented, passionate, honest, generous and ultimately someone who always strives for great work … all with a cheeky glint in his eye. We like that.His only drawback is an apparent hatred of flapjacks. No one’s perfect right?!We hope you enjoy this episode as much as we did. And there’ll be more Craigen very soon. He’ll be back in a couple of weeks for part two, the VW special, which promises to be another cracker. 

Visuals: https://getbehindthebillboard.com/episode-85-felipe-serradourada-guimaraesEpisode #85 features Felipe Serradourada Guimaraes, the recently appointed ECD at BBH. It was a real pleasure talking with Felipe, who we think is the only creative ever to go from being on placement at BBH, to being the ECD at BBH. That is some achievement, but no surprise considering his portfolio of work. During his 14 years with the Black Sheep, Felipe has been behind some incredible campaigns and yet feels like he’s only getting started.We discussed Tesco’s and discovered the stories behind the recent ‘Bags’ campaign. We also had another chat on ‘Icons’, which was fascinating. Hearing about the craft that went into both campaigns a real lesson and reminder in how to get to great work. And making it happen.We also covered Burger King and three fantastic campaigns - Grill Lines, National Burger Day and Bundles of Joy. Some great insights into how the work came about, especially the perseverance and passion to get Bundles of Joy made.Then there were the Paddy Power ‘A shirt is not just for Christmas’ billboards, posted next to the grounds of various Premier League teams in suitably un-PC PaddyPower fashion. And we even had time to find out how an Alexander McQueen dress inspired the campaign for F+F Homeware.Felipe thank you so much for being such a charming and gracious guest. We loved it and v much look forward to you coming back with more stories.This was also the first episode in our new streamlined approach, where we get in and out within the hour. It feels more focussed that way, but apologies if any listeners miss Hugh droning on ;-)

To (belatedly) welcome in the new year, we decided to go forth into The Great Outdoors and discuss plans for 2025.We covered all sorts of stuff: the need for a new sponsor, upcoming guests, a book of the show, masterclasses, talks, merchandise and more. Let us know if you have any feelings about any of this as we always want to hear what our listeners think.The hoody tops are amazing - high quality stitch and super warm - if there’s a desire we can deffo put in an order. More details on this to follow.We also covered the crucially important football issues - a very short conversation - and what Dan is going to do with his new found freedom. The walk itself was amazing, taking in a beautiful golf course, a slightly creepy wood and a view across a valley where we saw where James Bond was blown up. It’ll make more sense when you listen.Cheers all and here’s to a great 2025.

Visuals: https://getbehindthebillboard.com/episode-83-aidan-mcclureEpisode #83 features the super-charming, super-talented Aidan McClure, CCO and co-founder of Wonderhood Studios.We caught up with Aidan just before Christmas and had a great natter.We heard the story of how he got onto the Watford Copywriting course by pretending to be the Queen.We discovered how Aidan (and partner Laurent Simon) got their first job after winning the Diageo Best Student Team in the UK doing placements at Mother, BBH and JWT before settling at AMV. Not a bad start.We even talked about Aidan’s musical side hustle, playing the violin nearly as well as Stefan Grappelli.And of course there were many brilliant billboards, starting with some classics for The Economist and VW before the incredible BBC Russia World Cup tapestry … still hanging in the Football Museum in Manchester today.We found out how Aidan worked with our Dan on the ground-breaking Google Front Row campaign that featured the world’s first live stream to pitch side hoardings.Then there was Nike ‘The 93’, The Migration Museum and the changing of the signage of Coral’s betting shops during the last Euro’s.Every piece of work has a story, a vibe that makes it feel more than advertising. It’s a theme throughout Aidan’s award-winning career which includes ‘The Bear and Hare’ campaign for John Lewis, which won a Cannes Gold and BBC1’s Christmas campaign ‘The Supporting Act’ that was one of the Beeb’s most successful commercials ever.Aidan thank you so much for coming on and bringing your warmth and creativity to us in abundance! It was a total pleasure.

Visuals: https://getbehindthebillboard.com/episode-82-best-of-2024BtB best of 2024 / Christmas specialYes folks it’s the biggie. The one you’ve been waiting for. Behind the Billboard’s ‘Best of 2024’ with some mince pies and festive cheer thrown in for good measure. Plus some big news from our Dan.In our humble opinion it’s been another great year for outdoor. Some brilliant work from the usual suspects, plus nice surprises from new agencies. Hopefully you’ll agree with our choices but if not feel free to comment or drop us a note.We decided to include a few new categories this year. So alongside the traditional Poster of the year, Agency of the year and BtB Instagram of the year, we’ve included the following:- Best baked goods- Jon Jones award for outstanding contribution to the podcast- Incredibly high levels of patience in producing a podcast award- Lifetime achievement best billboard bloke of past 20 yearsAnd much much more!A huge thank you to all of our guests for coming in and sharing the stories behind their billboards. It’s been a total pleasure chatting in the booth with you. And an even bigger thanks to you our listeners and followers - without you guys we honestly wouldn’t be doing it. Please keep liking and subscribing and spreading the good vibes.Thanks to our sponsors for the last time ;-)Talon OutdoorGrand VisualAnd thank you, Soho Radio - we’ll be back!

Visuals: https://getbehindthebillboard.com/episode-81-helen-rhodesEpisode #81 features Helen Rhodes, ECD at BBH.We’ve been asking Helen to come on the show for ages, so we’re super chuffed she came on, not just for the stories behind her incredible portfolio of work, but also because we devoured her gift of cinnamon buns which were sensational.The campaign for Stranger Things was enough for a whole episode - how the project came to be, the craft that went into making the fake 80’s posters and the secret pop-up experiences. Listen out for our chat on the smell of the slime in an underground corridor and whether it was authentic enough. Not a conversation we ever thought we’d have!Then there’s this year’s most talked about campaign, Burger King’s ‘Bundles of joy’. We discussed how the work came to be part of the ‘foodfillment’ platform and the furore it created online and in the national press. And how it’s true ;-)Then there’s the iconic BBC work - setting billboards on fire for Perfect Planet, and eerie shadows for the award-winning monster Dracula.To top it off, a few weeks ago the Tesco ‘Icons’ campaign was launched, which has just been voted Campaign’s OOH campaign of the year. And rightly so. It’s a belter.We covered Helen’s formative years working with Matt Lever (episode #67) and their rise to fame which eventually took them to W+K in the States.At end of the show we chatted about tips to make great work, which Helen dedicated to ex-Watford College tutor Tony Cullingham. Helen talked with incredible fondness for TC, about his time at the BARN in BBH (still going strong) and she offered up some pearls of wisdom Tony would give students as they went off out into the creative world.Thanks Helen for the buns and the billboards and remembering Tony.

Visuals: https://getbehindthebillboard.com/episode-80-mary-wearEpisode #80 features copywriter extraordinaire Mary Wear.Mary wrote possibly the most important endline in the history of advertising: ‘Make Poverty History’ for Comic Relief in 2004 … a line and movement that involved Richard Curtis, World Leaders and saving lives. The line was everywhere - posters, bus sides, advans, on underpants, on Bono’s arm, on the side of St Paul’s Cathedral and the coup de grâce, on a lectern in front of Nelson Mandela, who was chanting the words ‘Make Poverty History’ to thousands gathered in Trafalgar Square.That is more than most people’s entire careers and would easily have been enough to fill the episode. The way Mary tells the story of how the line came about is wonderfully humble, involving a planner and a rather talented chap called Peter Souter.But Mary is no one-trick pony. Her locker is full of great work.Starving a parking meter for TfL was a lesson in never giving up, even when the model maker had ruined the idea. What could have been a catastrophe turned into a seminal award-winning piece of work.Then there was seemingly endless more award winning work for The Economist, the Famous Grouse (a double, a small one, a quick one, a large one - they all went down well) plus an Anti-Smoking like never before. Her partnership with Damon Collins at GGT, Saatchi’s and AMV was brilliant and prolific.We even had time for some Russian Vodka and flapjacks ;-)Thank you Mary for coming on and sharing some of the industry’s greatest OOH work. It was a real privilege. 

Visuals: https://getbehindthebillboard.com/episode-79-dan-wattsEpisode #79 features the charming and super-talented Dan Watts, ECD at Pablo, London.Hugh & Dan spent a fascinating hour hearing about Dan’s eclectic career that has seen him work at some of the industry’s finest agencies - Fallon / 4Creative / Crispin Porter / Pablo - on some amazing projects.We discussed how to fit an entire book onto a poster. How to write great ooh … in Ghana. How to ‘Skip the cow’ for Flora in one of the best new product launches of the past few years. How to launch a record label for a chocolate brand. And the toughest of the lot, how to re-launch a Great British institution - GBBO - on ‘edgy’ C4 instead of ‘cozy’ BBC.Thanks so much Dan for coming in and sharing your stories. And good luck with everything at Pablo.