Visuals: https://getbehindthebillboard.com/episode-55-jo-moore

Episode #55 has a bit of everything.

Mostly it has the charming, humble and uber talented Jo Moore, ECD at House 337, discussing her OOH work.

In particular we chatted about the domestic violence campaign for Women’s Aid that ran during last year’s World Cup.

“He’s coming home” was a chilling reminder of the domestic abuse suffered by women during major tournaments. The poster (and film which is equally brilliant) gained huge publicity and awareness on virtually no budget.

It led us to a wider debate on how small but important clients like Women’s Aid can get their message across with great creative work.

This in turn led us to discuss the spoof fashion campaign ‘Not model’s own’ for the same client, highlighting the issue of Coercive Control, executed with tact and skill - gaining column inches galore and huge awareness.

Next was something completely different: Ant & Dec. And Kraftwerk.

Surreal, hilarious, with a lot of red.

And then we heard how Jo met Anthony Burrell and got him designing the wonderfully graphic campaign for The Corinthia Hotel.

Amidst all this, after about 10 minutes, Dan had to leave the room for a phone call. Jo and Hugh carried on chatting…and chatting…and chatting…Dan never returned until the final credits.

We thought he was on an important business call, but it was more important than that - it was a family emergency, which thankfully was resolved.

Quite a morning. Quite the episode!

Thank you Jo for coming in and taking us behind your billboards. As well as inside your VW van and outdoor swimming. A woman of many parts who barely batted an eyelid as half the Behind the Billboard team left the building ;-)

And well done Dan for keeping a cool head in a difficult moment. All in a day’s work for my mate Dan. 

Visuals: https://getbehindthebillboard.com/episode-54-emma-brooke

For episode #54 we spoke to Emma Brooke, Writer and Creative Director at Leo Burnett and originator of some of the very best OOH work in recent years for the BBC.

We started with her campaign for Peaky Blinders which featured fan art from devotees of the show. This big bucket of UGC resulted in over a dozen brilliant pieces of outdoor that stood out from your everyday air brushed advertising image thanks to their gritty hand crafted style. Whether it was Tommy, Polly or Arthur - the image always appeared fresh and unique.

The final selects ran on poster sites local to where the artist lived. So not only did they have their moment of fame, but they could go down - with their Mum if need be - and see their art writ large in the great outdoors. What’s more all the work was then exhibited in an online fan art gallery.

This was followed by a brilliant set of billboards for Killing Eve, which didn’t mention the show, or the BBC or any details other than a series of personal messages and a hashtag #CRAZY4EVE

Super brave work that caught the tone of the show exactly right. A private squabble played out across the most public platform.

We also discussed Emma’s life before BBC, her other agencies, life in NYC and most fascinating of all, how she met the love of her life on a plane.

Thanks Emma for coming on and being so open and charming with your stories. Esp that grinding billboard ;-)

Visuals: https://getbehindthebillboard.com/episode-53-david-masterman/

Episode #53 of the podcast features the super talented ever ebullient Dave Masterman.  

It was a great session that encompassed Dave’s incredible collection of OOH work both as creative and CD.

Many highlights: VW, Marmite, Kit Kat, Mr Kipling and esp Ben & Jerry’s - the homemade look ‘n feel still fresh today.

More up to date work included the audio mnemonic led Domin-oh-hoo-hoo campaign which works surprisingly well on murals and special builds.

We finished on ‘I Spy Maynard’s’ (Wine Gums) which is possibly the ultimate in outdoor campaigns and why we do the podcast. So good hearing the story behind this campaign that ended up subverting the Euros and Number 10 Downing Street among other events of last year.

Thanks Dave for not only being a fun and charming guest, but for your incredibly thorough preparation for this episode. We have never had a more organised session!

See you (and James McAvoy) in Waitrose in December 🤓

Visuals: https://getbehindthebillboard.com/episode-52-mark-tutssel-part-2/

Part 2 of our conversation with Tuts took us to the very heart the world’s most famous fast food brand. We spoke at length about McDonald’s and Tuts incredible time at the helm of the account, first in London, then Chicago, then around the world.

There was so much work it would’ve been impossible to cover it all. But we’re pretty sure we got the best bits:

Golf, Mouse-holes, Hot dog, 20p, Fresh Salads, Milkshake and our absolute favourite, Sundial (featured on Episode 5 with creative team Vince Cook & Gary Fox-Robinson).

And as if that wasn’t enough, we squeezed in the audacious Allstate Insurance stunt that featured a car dangling off the 17th floor of the landmark Marina Towers apartment building in Chicago, seemingly about to plummet to the ground below, accompanied by the tagline ‘Are you in good hands?’

This was followed by Samsung Safety Truck, Coke’s Small World Machines that epitomised Tuts ‘creativity without borders’ ethos before finishing on two monster award winning campaigns - ‘My blood is red and black’ and Airbnb Van Gough ‘The Bedroom’.

Thanks again Mark for giving your time and stories - judging by the response we’ve had for part 1, you have once again smashed it.

Shoutout again to Soho Radio, our new home for the podcast and to our brilliant sponsors Talon

Visuals: https://getbehindthebillboard.com/episode-51-mark-tutssel-part-1/

Mark Tutssel aka ’Tuts’

Part 1

To say we’re excited about our latest guest on the podcast is somewhat of an understatement.

Mark Tutssel aka ’Tuts’, is one of the biggest names in the business.

And when it comes to billboards and OOH, he has few rivals.

His overall award record is staggering - 600 Cannes Lions, inc 10 Grand Prix, two D&AD Black Pencils, the first ever White Pencil, 25 D&AD Yellow Pencils, Grand Clios and many more - you name, he’s won it.

And he’s won just about all these gongs at one agency, Leo Burnett. So in a way these two episodes (so much to cover we decided to make it a 2 parter) are as much about Leo Burnett as they are Mark Tutssel.

In part one, Mark talks about his time in London, an incredible tenure alongside partner Nick Bell, creating iconic billboards for Mercedes-Benz, United Airlines, John West, Heinz and more. This body of work alone would be enough to fill several careers, but not for Tutssel.

This is just part one of an amazing career spanning nearly 4 decades across all 4 corners of the globe, rewarded during many successful summers in the South of a France with all those Lions 🦁

Part two features the amazing portfolio of McDonald’s work, both here in London, Chicago and around the globe and more iconic work for Samsung and Coke that epitomised ‘creativity without borders’.

We discussed the internal awards system Tuts instigated to locate and support the great work within the LB network. And most inspiring of all,we talked about his ‘theatre of the streets’ ethos.

“Think of the streets as your stage and your goal is to earn a standing ovation.” 

Amen to that.

Thanks Tuts for your time, your stories and your work.

Visuals: https://getbehindthebillboard.com/episode-50-david-kolbusz/

BtB in 2023.

And who better to kick off the year and podcast #50 than David Kolbusz, CCO of Orchard New York. A man of many talents and looks. And a blast of fresh air to blow away the January blues.

We actually spoke before Christmas on a crisp winters day in New York. In fact it was Thanksgiving as we recall, so we’re hugely appreciative of DK’s time on such a big day Stateside.

The sun was out and through his bedroom window we could hear birdsong from Central Park and sirens from downtown Manhattan (it’s a very big window).

And most importantly of all, we heard the dulcet tones of DK talking us through his billboards and OOH work from both sides of The Pond.

Axe, The Guardian, Equinox Gyms, Coal Drops Yard. Every one of them iconic pieces of work with fantastic stories. Including a bit of background Wiggle Jiggle from the brilliant Ocean Spray campaign.

DK thanks so much. It was a total pleasure.

Thanks for waking up with us and talking billboards in your pyjamas.

A first for the show 🤣

Visuals: https://getbehindthebillboard.com/2022/12/31/episode-49-best-of-2022/

Of all the end of year lists, this is obv the one you’ve been waiting for.

Yes, it’s Behind the Billboard’s Best of 2022.

And what a year it’s been.

So much great work to choose from.

Digital posters, traditional posters, fly posters, posters made from fruit juice, posters towed by horse drawn carriages, posters of cute cats and dogs, posters with 500 different executions in the campaign. Posters that had been put up wrong. Posters that came alive at night. And then there’s posters for yoghurt. Yes amazing ooh work for yoghurt! Surely that is this years headline!

But what was number one? Which billboard was most talked about? Which agency had the most entries? And how many mince pies did Hugh and Dan eat live on air?

As it’s the end of the year we also wanted to say a huge thanks to you our listeners for supporting us this year, liking us, saying nice things about us as well as spreading the word. We’ve been downloaded now over 30,000 times so we’re obv doing something right. But if you have any suggestions for the show or guests you’d like to hear from, please do let us know. 

And obv a huge hank to our sponsor Talon, without whom none of this would happen.

See you in January when we’ll be hearing from some amazing guests including David Kolbusz, Mark Tutssel and Dave Masterman.

Until then “We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year” - surely one of the best headlines of all time ;-)

Visuals: https://getbehindthebillboard.com/episode-48-scott-silvey/

You wait for a D&AD black pencil winner for nearly 50 episodes…then two come along at once.

Shelley Smoler for The Zimbabwean last time and now Scott Silvey for Hopeline 19.

We talked about the work in depth and discovered how the campaign actually put Scott and the creative team Darren Beresford & Richard Gayton at the forefront of the pandemic, talking and listening to nurses and doctors trying to cope with Covid. A brilliant campaign that shone the spotlight on these amazing people who keep this country on its feet.

We also chatted about another recent award-winning project from Adam&EveDDB for CALM ‘The last photo’. An equally emotively charged subject from creative team Andy Clough and Richard McGrann, highlighting how ‘Suicide doesn’t always look suicidal’. The work comprised posters, press ads and most heart-breaking of all, an exhibition on the South Bank.

This campaign, like Hopeline 19, looks destined for gongs galore also. On the day we spoke it won big at Campaign BIG awards and we wouldn’t be surprised if it too got a black pencil. Obv it’s nice to get awards, but we agreed really the point of the work is to raise awareness and hopefully save lives.

And then along came Colman’s Mustard! We talked about how Scott designed a few billboards and ended up with his work appearing on the actual jars of mustard. Next time you’re in the cupboard looking at a jar of Colemans, chances are it’s got Scott's work on it.

Towards the end we discussed 1830 and NSPCC. Huge pieces of work which Scott paid a massive part. Credit also to Ant & Mike (BtB episode #12) who work with Scott on many projects and all the incredibly talented peeps at Adam&EveDDB.

Thank you again Scott for being so kind and generous with the stories behind the work. It felt quite an emotional session but a very important one.

A multi-talented humble craftsman. It was a real pleasure.

Visuals: https://getbehindthebillboard.com/episode-47-shelley-smoler/

Our first South African.

Our first D&AD black pencil winner.

Our first guest with a sparkly (possibility pitch winning) top.

Shelly Smoler, thank you so much for taking the Behind the Billboard podcast to new heights.

The Zimbabwean campaign is one of the most famous in history and one we’ve been longing to discuss. Such was the parlous state of the Zimbabwean economy back in 2009, money was literally not worth the paper it was printed on, with people paying for goods with barrow loads of notes. From this crisis came the idea of billboards made entirely from bank notes. The campaign was lauded and awarded around the globe and is now part of the permanent collection at the British Museum and the Design Museum. Listen to how one of the most famous campaigns of all time came to be. And how it lead to Shelley nearly being banned from the country for her efforts. It’s an amazing story.

And an approach that has permeated Shelley’s work ever since. Be it for Vestiaire Collective or Amazon Prime Video or Diet Coke, her work has a cool, effortless, subversive nature, always going beyond the conventional.

Thanks so much for coming on Shelley. Fingers crossed for the pitch.

(Thanks also to the ex-BBH crew Bill Scott, and in particular, the legend that is Peter Wardle, who helped make this episode happen)

Visuals: https://getbehindthebillboard.com/episode-46-russell-ramsey

We’re back!

Series 4 is here and first up is Russell Ramsey, ECD of Pulse Creative and the brains behind some of the most famous OOH from the past 30 years.

Audi, Paddy Power, Toohey’s, Levi’s, Polo, Kit Kat, Kleenex, The Times - the list of clients that have benefited from Russell’s craft is long and impressive.

And yet he remains incredibly humble and hungry for more. The Times Queen’s Platinum Jubilee billboard was shortlisted at last night’s prestigious Campaign BIG awards.

Russ is man of many parts - consummate art director, CD, ECD, semi-professional gardener, professional Geordie, fashion guru “No one ever got anywhere wearing trainers Hughey” and owner of a lot of blue jumpers.

For a man who says ‘No’ a lot (but only in the pursuit of creative excellence) we were chuffed he said ‘Yes’ to coming into our billboard world for an hour or so and we revelled in his joy and passion for the great outdoors.

Thanks again Russ. You were immense.

Watch that bookshelf on the way out. 

NB: The final slide is when Russell defaced Hugh’s Man Utd book, replacing the word ‘Champions’ with the word ‘Wankers’, but in such a beautifully crafted manner Hugh didn’t notice for 2 years.