This week on The MCA Prodcast Pat Murphy talks to Lisa Lavender, MD of British Arrows which is the UK’s longest running and most prestigious moving image advertising awards. Prior to this Lisa was founder of The Traffic Bureau and CEO of Adstream UK.

Lisa originally dreamt of being a choreographer but found her way into advertising, starting out as a production assistant. She talks us through how her career began, her temporary move to Canada, and how she launched The Traffic Bureau which was the first outsourced TV admin company in the UK. Hear how what began with a casual conversation later evolved into the sale of The Traffic Bureau to Adstream, with Lisa becoming CEO of Adstream's UK operations. From there, Lisa’s skill in nurturing exceptional talent and creating a happy, dynamic company culture left a lasting impact on her career.

Lisa talks us through the complexities of broadcast and business affairs. With so many channels and outlets, how can organisations stay on top of the various requirements in terms of clearance and rights management? Lisa explains that tech is helping hugely in this field and she suspects AI will also have a role to play.

Throughout her journey, Lisa emphasises the importance of mentorship and fostering diverse environments in advertising. She’s a powerful advocate for supporting new talent and has always strived to create opportunities and welcome new people into the industry, something that she is now especially proud to do in her role organising the Young Arrows awards. She considers how attitudes to work have changed through the generations and how ‘Gen-Z’ now demand a more healthy work-life balance – something we can all probably learn from!

Lisa and Pat discuss why creative awards like the British Arrows remain so vital in today’s advertising landscape and how the Young Arrows can celebrate the next generation of great storytellers and creatives. The awards are celebrating their 50th Anniversary next year and would love to hear from any organisation interested in sponsoring the events.

Watch Lisa’s favourite ad: Hamlet Cigars – Photo Booth

Hosted by Pat Murphy

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This week on The MCA Prodcast Pat Murphy talks to Global Managing Director at RSA (Ridley Scott Associates) Films Kai-Lu Hsiung. From reception to Production Assistant, Producer, and then Managing Director, Kai is a shining example of production meritocracy so is the perfect person to talk to about nurturing talent and developing creative careers. Now as Global Managing Director, Kai ensures that RSA maintains its place as one of the world’s leading production houses, and continues to create some of the most culturally transformative and influential creative across every medium.

In a world now dominated by AI and modern technology, what role do storytelling and human creativity still play? Kai shares her thoughts on this evolving landscape, using iconic advertisements like the Hovis Boy on the Bike campaign and the Samsung S23 film ‘Behold’ to illustrate how traditional storytelling meets cutting-edge technology. She recalls how the Samsung ad was shot entirely on a phone, but the production still required skilled craftspeople to ensure the lighting, sets, costumes etc were exactly optimal in order to get the perfect shot. She also recalls a wonderful story of how the Boy on a Bike ad came to be; a story that starts with Ridley Scott simply wanting to borrow a camera!

Kai explains how the Ridley Scott Creative Group distinguishes between it’s brands, with Black Dog Films being the younger, culturally relevant offering, RSA has a more over-reaching remit and Scott Free focuses on feature film work and commercials. Whilst distinct brands Kai emphasises the importance of being ‘stronger together’ and how sharing resources leads to better results of all the brands’ clients. “You'll get a better production if you can all work together to solve problems”, Kai says.

Kai and Pat discuss branded entertainment and content; how these ideas are forged and how they are developed. Kai describes branded content as being a ‘really interesting, fluid journey’ that you go on with your client, but it always starts with a need to fully understand the client’s needs and desired platforms.

As Chairwoman of the Young Director Award, Kai shares her views on how we can nurture young talent in the industry, spotlighting initiatives like the Aesthetica Film Festival and Nowness. Whether you're an aspiring filmmaker or an industry veteran, Kai's experiences and advice provide valuable lessons on balancing financial constraints with creative passions.

Watch Kai’s favourite ad: BMW – Beat the Devil

Hosted by Pat Murphy

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This week on The MCA Prodcast you’ll hear one of the brilliant panel sessions from this year’s LBB and Friends Beach at Cannes. We are all story tellers, and this panel is about the power of storytelling and how creativity can be crucial to the success of any business.

Pat Murphy chairs the session and is joined by:
· Doerte Spengler-Ahrens - Chairwoman of Jung von Matt and President of the Art Director’s Club (ADC)
· Upasana Roy - Global Creative Strategy Director at Reckitt
· Philipp Schuster - Agency Management and Marketing Partnerships Director from Bayer Consumer Health
· Sir John Hegarty – Co-founder and Creative Director at The Garage Soho & The Business of Creativity

Storytelling is fundamental to brand success, but sometimes creativity and bravery in marketing can be usurped by fear, budget constraints or other factors. The panel discuss how brands can remain creative and how this is essential to not only sell a product, but to create memorable experiences that resonate with consumers on a deeper level.

Agencies often direct brands to be brands, without being brands themselves – something John argues is a mistake! By positioning themselves as brands with distinct beliefs and values, agencies can differentiate themselves from mere service providers and attract the right clients. This approach is exemplified by revolutionary ideas like Renault's e-mobility solution, which transformed the market by offering a unique value proposition.

Our panel debate who is best suited to sell an idea to a client – is it the creator of that idea or an account manager. Presenting ideas to clients requires an understanding of their language and problems, and constructive criticism is essential for a healthy client-agency relationship. Philipp explains that he enjoys tension with agencies he’s buying from. “We try to build an environment where we, with our partners, have a relationship where we can have healthy tension”, he says. “This is the relationship, the culture of a partnership we want to build together with our agencies, because we feel that this produces the best work”.

As well as tension, the panel discuss the role of ‘fear’ in good creative work. The panellists each recall stories of projects they worked on which, at the time, they were nervous about. John recalls one in-particular where a single different decision could have ruined the outcome. Upasana says “we fear that it's going to fail, and one of the best things that we can do is give ourselves the permission to fail once in a while”. Fear is almost imperative in the constant pursuit of good work!

Click here to find out more about John’s course ‘The Business of Creativity’ and discover how creativity can take your business to the next level.

Hosted by Pat Murphy

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This week on The MCA Prodcast Pat Murphy talks to Carl Addy, Executive Creative Director at The Mayda Creative Co. Carl delivers ground-breaking visual work in design, digital media and immersive VR technology. He works in both live action and animation, combining his obsession with music with his knowledge of digital trends and film making.

Carl explains the name ‘Mayda’, where it came from and how it embodies their company philosophy. ‘It's a bumpy ride, it has unknown outcomes and actually it's the treasures that you find along the way and the adventures that bond people together’, Carl says. He describes the workforce as creative collaborators who understand how to take something from zero script to final pixel.

Carl reveals why he thinks it’s important for directors to write their own treatments. He admits it can be harder for directors who are not A-list to get the attention of the right people, but a great idea should always cut through and a director should be able to communicate a feeling better when writing the treatment themselves. ‘If you like how I dance, we’ll dance well together’. Carl also admits that it’s very hard to come up with a unique idea because everyone is competing for the same work, and utilising the same reference points.

Carl talks about the jobs that he will gladly take on, and considers the rare occasion he might politely decline. Carl always prioritises ‘film school’, as he calls it; any project which gives him an opportunity to learn or try something new will very likely get the green light from him!

Carl tells the story of a fascinating project where an advertising brief led to the creation of a real, hardware product; a next generation helmet that could help NFL coaches communicate in real-time with hard-of-hearing players. Find out more about it here.

Carl also tells us about his band, Heavy Menthol which he describes as his opportunity to be daft and irresponsible; ‘exactly what you would imagine when middle-aged men get together and write metal songs and make a lot of noise’, he says.

Watch Carl’s favourite ad: Flour Sacks during Depression-Era America

Hosted by Pat Murphy

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This week on The MCA Prodcast Pat Murphy talks to author and copywriter Paul Burke, the most successful radio writer and producer in the world. Paul’s written many of the nation’s most-loved commercials and won many awards for his work through the years. As well as being a published author, Paul has recently adapted two of his books for the big screen; films which are currently in development.

Paul shares the reason for his passionate love of radio, and reveals how he was drawn to copywriting. Despite not loving literature at school, it was Paul’s sense of humour that got him noticed and he soon found his love for writing, specifically for audio. Paul looks back on his career, from the early copywriters he worked with that shaped his love of the medium, and considers how writing for radio has changed over the years.

Paul explains what makes for good, effective copy and how copy can vary by platform. He also outlines the skill involved in copywriting and why powerful copy can be the difference between a successful campaign and an unsuccessful one. Paul also argues that talent is an issue in advertising; where our industry used to exclusively attract top creative talent, now talent can explore other avenues like social media, film, podcasting etc. This leads to a greater competition for talent.

Paul and Pat revel in some showbiz name-drops, as they reflect on the best (and worst) celebrities they’ve worked with over the years. Paul shares a story of working with one person in particular who he considers to be the biggest perfectionist in the business and tells the story of why he one time had to stand up to a very demanding agent!

Paul shares some of his favourite audio ads of all time, explains why he loves them and tries to dispel the myth that you can’t have an ad that is good, quick and cheap!

Watch Paul’s favourite ad: Chevy’s – Mother’s Day

Hosted by Pat Murphy

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This week on The MCA Prodcast Pat Murphy talks to Matt Miller, President and CEO of the Association of Independent Commercial Producers (AICP). AICP represents the interests of independent companies that specialise in the production and post production of commercials in various media—film, video, digital—for advertisers and agencies.

Matt looks back on his 30 years with AICP and considers how the industry has changed (or not) in that time. “I think probably more has stayed the same than changed”, he says. He also reveals how he ended up on The Today Show many times as a correspondent for all things advertising, often explaining the cultural phenomena of Super Bowl advertising to the US audience.

Pat and Matt discuss the changing nature of production and procurement – how production costs vary around the world and why the US is amongst the most expensive. Matt explains the balancing act for any brand is between the value of US talent and expertise versus potential cost-savings elsewhere. They also discuss the shift we’re seeing where more and more creative agencies are bringing their production in-house. What does this mean for creative output and what are the broader implications for our industry? Is there a potential conflict where agencies may not provide the best outcome for their client? Also, what do these shifts mean for talent, talent development and people thinking about their career trajectory?

Matt explores the dangers of AI and why he thinks strong regulation is required to safeguard our industry and protect the work of creatives. “We got so much wrong with the creation of social media and this is so much more powerful than social media. We need to get this right for the good of the world” Matt says.

Outside of work, Matt is a keen golfer and his family foster cats. Matt says about the cats in his home ‘I never know when one is going to show up!’. He estimates they’ve rescued over a hundred cats since COVID... Incredible!

Watch Matt’s favourite ad: Nike – Tiger Woods’ Perfect Golf Swing

Hosted by Pat Murphy

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This week on The MCA Prodcast Pat Murphy talks with Wesley ter Haar. Wesley is the co-founder of Media.Monks, a digital-first marketing and advertising services company that connects content, data, digital media and technology services across one global team built from the bottom up. He sits on the boards of SoDA (The Digital Society) The One Club and S4Capital.

Wesley shares with us how he went from being an intern at Vodafone, to founding Media.Monks, and then merging with S4Capital. Wesley explains how they set about establishing a company culture, whilst bringing two organisations together. How do you ensure company values remain consistent across separate geographical locations

Wesley considers the revolutionary technologies in advertising production, such as Virtual Production and AI, and considers where we might go next. He considers the possibility that we may look back on VP as simply an bridge-gap between traditional production methods and AI. He also considers how the craft will improve as the ‘baseline’ for quality increases. As AI can produce a better product for less cost, agencies and advertisers will have to up their game to stand out!

For creators, Wesley argues that understanding and utilising AI is similar to the advent of computers. ‘We used to say if you're a creative, try at least to get an understanding for coding. We're not expecting you to be a great developer, but it's really meaningful to understand the machines that have to translate your craft and creativity. I think it's the next version of that.’

Despite the threats posed by AI, Wesley describes himself as an optimist. He shares his view on the societal impact that technology could have on jobs and the economy and describes Elon Musk as a ‘doomer’ for suggesting that nobody will ever need a job!

See Wesley’s favourite ad: Guinness – Surfer

Hosted by Pat Murphy

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This week on The MCA Prodcast Pat Murphy talks to John Hegarty, Co-founder and Creative Director at The Garage Soho & The Business of Creativity. He was a founding partner of Saatchi and Saatchi in 1970 and founded Bartle Bogle Hegarty in 1982.

John looks back on his career, including launching Saatchi and Saatchi and reveals why his name isn’t above the door! He also tells the story of receiving his knighthood from The Queen and describes the event as ‘all the pomp without the pomposity’!

When it comes to modern marketing, John argues that brands have a tendency to forget two crucial ingredients - persuasion and promotion. John suggests that many brands’ approaches to advertising can verge on stalking their audience rather than trying to engage them, and suggests ways this can be avoided. Have brands and advertisers become too obsessed and reliant upon measurement? Successful ads create empathy with the brand but ‘trying to measure that becomes an impossibility’ says John.

John also suggests that brands can be persuaded too by market research and tend to avoid using gut instinct. He uses the example of Abba having recently celebrated the 50th anniversary of winning the Eurovision Song Contest with Waterloo. At the time, the British public gave the song nul points. That is arguably consumer research that didn’t suggest the song would do very well, however it went on to become a huge hit!

John shares the creative process behind some of his most iconic ads, including the 15-year campaign for Levis. John explains the process that would involve creating as many as 50 ideas on paper, whittling them down, scripting and turning the best ideas into ads. What skills and specialisms are required to successfully turn an idea into reality? John also highlights the importance of music in advertising and explains why it should feature highly on any production budget.

John and Pat also discuss what creativity is, fundamentally. How are we creative? How does our creative ability separate us from the rest of the animal kingdom, and to what extent can AI begin to replicate human creativity? John explains how you can take part in his course ‘The Business of Creativity’ and how it is for everyone in all organisations to help them understand the role of creativity and how it leads to success. It’s not just for creatives!

For more from John, read his books:

Hegarty on Creativity: There are No Rules

Hegarty on Advertising: Turning Intelligence into Magic

Watch John’s favourite ad: Volkswagen - Funeral

Hosted by Pat Murphy

Connect with Murphy Cobb and The Prodcast:

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