Experience counts.
No guts, no glory.
For well over two decades, I’ve pioneered creative strategies, shaped brand identities, created cut-through campaigns and delivered impactful design solutions. My journey has spanned the industry, from art directing at JWT, steering creative teams at top-tier agencies like Clemenger BBDO and DNA Design, collaborating with prestigious Blue-Chip companies, fostering innovation as Creative Lead at Ghost Partners and leading my own consultancy - Provenance Creative.
If I have learned anything along the way, it is to understand you can’t do it alone, and that creativity isn’t an exclusive domain, but one everyone contributes to.
Understanding where creativity comes from, how to strike ideas and how to craft work are part of it, but having courage and tenacity are the other key ingredients in the mix in my view.
Taking others with you along the way makes the journey less lonely, but also more fulfilling.
Experience
I lead my own creative consultancy, specialising in strategy, design, and art direction.
This has allowed me to collaborate with a prestigious roster of Blue-Chip companies, Government clients and top-tier design and branding agencies.
I work across small bespoke projects for individuals, contained larger scale pieces of work, and regular ongoing engagements with regular clients.
I can work based on a set fee, use a phased approach using success milestones, on a monthly retainer, or a more traditional estimated hourly rate basis.
At Ghost Partners, I lead the Promise team – the storytellers, brand architects, and communication strategists.
We collaborate with the business to unlock their strategic vision, craft innovative solutions, and deliver impactful creative work.
Our team’s hallmark is meticulous execution, ensuring every project fuels our clients’ ambitions.
My longest stint in one place (eighteen years). I was headhunted from Clemenger BBDO to become the Creative Director.
DNA was one of New Zealand’s most successful Brand and Digital Consultancies and produced some of New Zealand’s most innovative design work.
I ran a team of half a dozen graphic designers across print and digital. DNA moved quickly with the times and became one of the pre-eminent integrated print through digital agencies in the country, which at the time gave us a distinct market advantage.
I was a DINZ Best Awards judge in 2008.
I helped oversee the establishment of the successful Design Studio at Clemenger BBDO Wellington. This included cementing some of Clemenger’s above-the-line clients as long term design clients.
It was a tight, focussed and highly profitable team. We went from being an almost complete unknown in the design industry, to being an industry player; garnered with industry awards and being talked about as ‘serious competition’.
As a result of the merger of the two Clemenger agencies; HKM and Colenso, a new design studio was established to serve the client base.
I helped set up the new studio, secure staff and develop new business through pitching to existing clients. We also went on the hunt, securing work outside the current client roster. We worked to complement what the creative department was doing, often collaborating on art direction and design projects across the teams.
We also happened to win a fair share of design awards.
I was headhunted by the Creative Director of HKM (Hutcheson Knowles and Marinkovich) in early 1993, and ended up joining my writer – Jim Robinson there.
I started as a Junior Art Director in the creative department and ended up helping run the Design Group. Towards the end of my time there I was also Creative Director for all Direct Marketing creative (shit-that-folds as it was affectionately known).
These were the days of long lunches at Il Casino; Remiro Bresolin breezing around with $60 cigars and $120 Cognacs.
