Creative Hall of Fame
Acceptance speech
As some of you know I’ve just sailed my 27 foot boat from New York to Tahiti.
Here’s a picture of her in the Marquesas after our 4000 mile Pacific crossing.
Having done that, 3 weeks ago in the boatyard in Tahiti, I fell off a bike and
woke up in an ambulance.
I still have slight concussion which has affected my ability to read, so I’ve
asked for the teleprompter to be turned off because it hurts my eyes.
I don’t have any notes here, so what I’m about to say is just coming from
a muddled head.
When I was a kid in Australia, the railway line between South Melbourne and
Albert Park divided the professional class from the Laborers and Tradespeople.
On the Albert Park side lived the Dentists and Doctors, the people you
sometimes needed to see, but never dreamt of becoming.
On our side the next suburb was Port Melbourne, dockland, and all the men
in our street worked on the docks, except my Dad, who was a timber
machinist.
Also all the men in our street, including my Dad, were blind drunk by 6.00pm,
because that’s when the pubs shut back then.
All of which is background to say getting through art school was tough for me,
both socially and financially.
The thing that made it possible though was a scholarship I won each year for
four years that helped pay for my tuition.
Many, many years later, when I was being given an Honorary Doctorate by that
University I was talking to the Dean about this and she told me that scholarship
has never existed.
It would have just been my teachers pooling their own money to get me through.
She said a lot of that went on back then.
There’s a line I love in the book ‘Tuesdays with Morrie’, by Mitch Albom which
says “A teacher affects eternity. They can never tell where their influence stops.”
I’m very grateful for those teachers back then, and all the amazing teachers
I’ve had throughout my career whose influence has put me here tonight.
When Kevin Roberts (my former client) joined Saatchi & Saatchi as Global CEO
we went for a walk together in a small park under the Sydney Harbor bridge,
and I remember he asked me what my personal ambition was?
I told him I wanted to leave this industry having made a difference.
So I would like to thank all the people who actively supported this induction in
the belief that I have.
In particular I’d like to thank Jennifer Skidgel, who unbeknown to me put my
name forward, and David Droga who I’m told made an in person pitch to the
selection committee on my behalf.
Thank you Dave, that’s such a Droga thing to do.
Finally I’d also like to thank my employer, The One Club for Creativity,
and Kevin Swanepoel for enabling me to continue to contribute to the industry..
even from a sailboat!
Thank you One Club, thank you everyone, thank you very, very much.
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Special thanks here to the following who actively supported my induction:
Rob Belgiovane
Founding Partner & Chief Creative Officer
BMW Dentsu
Jeremy Craigen
Founder
The Craigen Partnership
Norma Clarke
Former Executive Assistant
Saatchi & Saatchi Worldwide
Michele Daly
Director of Recruitment and Culture
Jonannes Leonardo
Oriel Davis Lyons
Chief Creative Officer. Mother New York.
Co-Founder, One School
Pablo Del Campo
Founder
Del Campo Saatchi & Saatchi
Icaro Doria
President & Chief Creative Officer
DM9
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David Droga
CEO and Creative Chairman
Accenture
Yash Egami
Chief Operating Officer
The One Club for Creativity
Jeff Goodby
Co-Chairman
Goodby, Silverstein & Partners
Tony Granger
Former Global Chief Creative Officer
Y&R
Chris Graves
Chief Creative Officer
Team One
Nancy Gulisano
Cherished Friend
Sally Gulisano
Cherished Friend
Lionel Hunt
Founding Partner
& Executive Creative Director
The Campaign Palace
Monica Hudson
Former Executive Assistant
Saatchi & Saatchi NY
Dani Isherwood
Beloved Daughter
Adam Izen
Director of The One Show
The One Club for Creativity
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Steve Jackson
Co-Founder & CEO
Milk & Honey
Dwight James III
CEO Mav3rick Studios Worldwide
Menno Kluin
Former Chief Creative Officer
Ogilvy
Lindsay Lamb
Content Designer & Lead Copywriter
Freelance
Paul Lavoie
Founder
Taxi
Steve Latham
Head of Learning
Cannes Lions
Ji Lee
EVP, Global Creative & Social Media
Samsung
Derek Lockwood
Founder
misterwolf
Jack Mello
Founder
Jack Mello PR
Cameron Mullen
Former Vanderbilt Student
Co-Founder & CEO
Nevermet
Ellie Neidl
Creatively Excellent 7 Year Old
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Mike Newman
Founder
Brandnewman
David Nobay
Founder
the-csuite.com
Ben Nott
Founder/CCO/Director
Worldwide Mind
Jim O’Mahoney
Founder& Chief Creative Officer
Fixt
Mike O’Sullivan
Founder & Creative
Many Minds
John Pallant
Founder & Creative Director
Brouhaha
Reed Peraner
Video Producer
The One Club for Creativity
Malcolm Poynton
Global Chief Creative Officer
Cheil Worldwide
Leo Premutico
Co-Founder & Co-Creative Chairman
Johannes Leonardo
Sophie Richter
Beloved Daughter,
Writer, Creative Director
Jason Romeyko
Worldwide Creative Director
&Commercial Artist
By Jason Romeyko
​
Terry Savage
Chairman
The Marketing Academy
David Shing
Digital Prophet
Shingy
Jennifer Skidgel
Director, Creative Development
The One Club for Creativity
Ramon Ariel De Los Santos
Group Creative Director
Obsidianworks
New York Tutor, One school
Jim Stengel
CEO
The Jim Stengel Company
Kevin Swanepoel
CEO
The One Club for Creativity
Sandy Thompson
Partner
Fixt
Jack Vaughan
Former CCO
The Campaign Palace
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The One Club for Creativity Board of Directors:
Board Chair
Glenn Cole
Chief Creative Officer
72andSunny
​
Vice Chairperson
Pum Lefebure
Co-Founder & Chief Creative officer
Design Army
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Treasurer
Leslie Sims
Chief Marketing & Creative Officer
Impossible Foods
Secretary
Sherina Florence
Independent
ADC President
Brian Collins
Chief Creative Officer
COLLINS
TDC President
Christopher Sergio
VP, Group Creative Director
Henry Holt & Co.
Katie Allen
VP Global Brand Creative, Digital
Nike
Gail Anderson
School of Visual Arts
Education Director
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Keith Cartwright
Co-Founder, Chief Creative Officer
CARTWRIGHT
Ross Chowles
Michigan State University
Professor
​
Susan Fowler Credle
FCB
Global Chair, IPG Creative Advisor
Sophia Hernandez
Global Head of Business Marketing
Tik Tok
Judy John
Global Chief Creative Officer
Edelman
Margaret Johnson
Partner & Chief Creative Officer
Goodby, Silverstein& Partners
Nick Law
Chief creative Officer
Accenture Song
Fernando Machado
Senior Brand Advisor
Philippe Meunier
Co-Founder & Chief creative officer
Sid Lee
PJ Pereira
Creative Chairman
Pereira O’Dell
John “JP” Petty III
Executive Creative Director
Weiden+Kennedy
Anselmo Ramos
Co-Founder & Creative Chairman
GUT
Rob Reilly
Global Chief Creative Officer
WPP
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Danny Robinson
CEO
The Martin Agency
Jaime Robinson
Co-Founder & Chief Creative Officer
Joan Creative
Tiffany Rolfe
Global Chief Creative Officer
R/GA
Jimmy Smith
Chairman, CEO, Chief Creative Officer
Amusement Park Entertainment
Liz Taylor
Global Chief Creative Officer
Ogilvy
Robert Wong
Vice President
Google Creative Lab

Gotham Hall
Opening Reel
Opening Reel


