The Prodcast

This week on The MCA Prodcast Pat Murphy talks to Nick Johnson, Global Head of Tech, Media & Comms at international law firm Osborne Clarke. Nick is a leading advertising law and digital regulation specialist and advises the most successful brands, platforms, media owners and agencies as well as fast-growth businesses. 

Nick talks through the transformative change that AI is bringing to our everyday workflows, including at his law firm. He also outlines the current regulatory landscape, and the EU's pioneering efforts towards responsible AI usage. Nick suggests the strict regulation from the EU could hamper growth in the field and potentially prevent new technologies coming to market. We will watch with keen interest the developments in AI regulation over coming months. 

Can creative works created by machine be protected by copyright? What about if copyrighted works are used to train an AI model that then goes on to produce new artistic works - could the original copyright holder have a claim?   With deep-fakes able to replicate someone’s face or voice, could artists or performers copyright their likeness and how would they go about doing that? AI is certainly a tangled web when it comes to copyright, but Nick explains where we are now and the laws that will likely have to change to catch up with the technology. 

At MCA we’re working with Nick to develop a brand initiation program for clients around AI regulation. Please contact us for more information. 

Watch Nick’s favourite ad: R Whites – Secret Lemonade Drinker

Hosted by Pat Murphy

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This week on The MCA Prodcast Pat Murphy talks to Efrain Ayala, Global Creativity and D&I Director at Reckitt. With more than 15 years of experience under their belt, Ayala is known for their strategic approach to DE&I, which not only elevates the conversation but also produces measurable progress. Their unwavering commitment to creating a more inclusive world has earned them numerous accolades, including the esteemed role of WFA Global D&I Ambassador and juror for the prestigious Glass Lion: The Lion for Change award at this year’s Cannes Lions festival.

Efrain examines the complexities surrounding social media and its governance; as social shifted from organic to paid reach how should governments and policymakers respond to regulate the online social space.  From social to AI, Efrain expresses his concerns around using artificial intelligence to generate representation for minority communities. Can AI really represent and benefit marginalised communities, or is creating an avatar with a minority appearance, for example, merely a tokenistic representation of supposed diversity.  

Efrain also explains his role in supporting brands with DE&I in their marketing. He describes how many brands tend to include diverse groups in their campaigns as ‘window dressing’, which can perpetuate stereotypes. Brands should instead embed diversity and equity throughout their processes in order to meaningfully represent marginalised communities.  

Efrain also talks about his role as an ambassador for the World Federation of Advertisers, bringing brands and agencies together to collaborate and share experiences to enhance DE&I within the marketing space.  

Watch Efrain’s favourite ad: AXE – Find your Magic

Hosted by Pat Murphy

Connect with Murphy Cobb and The Prodcast:

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This week on The MCA Prodcast Pat Murphy talks to Matt Cooper, Founder and CEO of Little Black Book which has grown from a humble guide about worldwide advertising hubs, to an editorially-led global news platform and creative industry fame factory. Hailed ‘THE communications business for the communications world’, LBB aims to celebrate creativity and grow fame for its members through bespoke tools and offerings. Now backed by some of the industry’s biggest names.

Matt discusses his entry into the industry, from the post room at Saatchi & Saatchi to founding BEAM TV where he was amongst the first to use the internet as a means for delivery of video, sending Ridley Scott MPEGs of the special effects applied to Gladiator!

Now, LBB offers a directory of companies in the production world but where the market was initially agencies, End users now want to know who they’re working with at every stage of their productions, so LBB allows them to handpick suppliers and creatives.

Matt also explains the thinking behind LBB’s Immortal awards – an award show done differently, where it’s hard to win but showcases the very best work in the world. Also, ahead of the LBB & Friends Beach in Cannes later this month Matt talks about what is different this year. ‘We’ve pulled production companies, agencies, post houses and, and big, big client names together to discuss how we work together.’  The panel week has been sponsored and supported by MCA and gets underway from 19th June – hopefully we’ll see you there?!
 

Watch Matt Cooper’s favourite ad: VW – Snow Plow

Hosted by Pat Murphy 

Connect with Murphy Cobb and The Prodcast:

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This week on The MCA Prodcast Pat Murphy talks with Tanya Bogin, Managing Director of Craft Worldwide in London. Tanya oversees end-to-end creative production operations, as well as global campaign localisation for IPG Partners and direct clients. She has over 14 years of experience in advertising and has been responsible for developing integrated production solutions for clients like Microsoft, Cisco, Nestle, Unilever and more.

Tanya defines her role in transcreation and localization as so much more than just translation. She says it’s ‘not just adapting words, it's adapting nuance’ which she describes as a science and an art. Localization relies on a very strong creative writing team who can adapt a global campaign for a local market whilst keeping the essence of the meaning consistent.  

Tanya touches on the developments with technology and how they impact the production process, She even reveals that Craft have an internal AI council that monitor for technological innovation and explore how Craft could utilize them. Tanya’s focus is on maintaining brand authenticity, and explains how she does this whilst also adopting new tech. 

There’s been considerable talk in the news of AI replacing voiceovers. Whilst Tanya considers the negative implications of such tech when it comes to security and data protection, Tanya also sees huge potential for this technology when it comes to localization, allowing actors to speak in their own voice but in a language they don’t speak!

Tanya and Pat also discuss sustainability and the shift in production to try and become more sustainable. Tanya argues that there’s a process of education that’s required, for both creative and production teams, in what is achievable, and that moving sustainability considerations upstream in the creative process will ultimately lead to more sustainable productions. 

Watch Tanya’s favourite ad: Nike – Dream Crazier 

Hosted by Pat Murphy

Connect with Murphy Cobb and The Prodcast:

Murphy Cobb & Associates |  The MCA Prodcast  |  LinkedIn  |  Instagram | Email

This week on The MCA Prodcast Pat Murphy talks with Jeroen van de Waal, a Dutch entrepreneur and conservationist passionate about the Oceans, who dediactes his life to Ocean Literacy and Ocean Health. Jeroen is founder of The Reef Company which is on a mission to build a smart network of engineered reefs around the world, which will restore habitats, regenerate biodiversity, absorb carbon, and collect big ocean data.

Jeroen reveals the scale of his mission to install reefs on the ocean floor and the importance of the maintaining these reefs in combatting climate change and the role they play in our planet’s equilibrium. It is a huge undertaking but Jeroen is determined and optimistic that by enlisting the right global partners, and securing the right support, we can make it happen.

Jeroen also discusses the small changes that we can all make to help in the fight against climate change. If you ever feel that you alone are too small to make a difference, just imagine if any change that you make to your lifestyle to reduce your carbon footprint was multiplied by the 8 billion people on the planet. The difference then would be enormous.

Jeroen also advocates for a switch to ‘smarter consumption’. Do we all need a personal car that is only used a fraction of the time?  How could we share more, to reduce our consumption and lessen our burden on the earth’s resources?

Watch Jeroen’s favourite ad: Yellow Pages (Holland) – Shark Tank Crack

Hosted by Pat Murphy

 Connect with Murphy Cobb and The Prodcast:

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This week on The MCA Prodcast Pat Murphy talks to Richard Glasson, Global CEO of Hogarth Worldwide, the world’s leading creative content production company. Hogarth combines craft and innovation to bring work to life for clients such as Ford, Rolex and Dyson. In his 12 years at Hogarth, the company has grown organically from 150 people largely based in the UK to nearly 6,000 employees in 35 cities around the world. 

Pat and Richard look to the future and consider four key areas of technology - VR, AR, blockchain and Web3, and how these might influence media production and consumption as they become more prolific. Richard also discusses the use of AI in creativity and how it should be seen as a ‘tool of efficiency’ to augment the production process rather than as a replacement for human endeavour.

Virtual production is another key innovation area. Richard considers the benefits such as sustainability and flexibility, and argues that there are many factors to consider for clients beyond simply lower cost.

The values of a business start at the very top, with the CEO. As CEO of Hogarth, Richard shares his values with Pat, what he obsesses over and how he brings those values to life at Hogarth.

Watch Richard’s favourite ad: Tango – Vote Tango

Hosted by Pat Murphy

Connect with Murphy Cobb and The Prodcast:

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This week on The MCA Prodcast Pat Murphy talks to Úrsula Mejía Melgar, Marketing Director Southern Europe at the world’s leading premium drinks company Diageo. Úrsula is responsible for the strategy, marketing and innovation for the company’s portfolio across categories and markets in the region. A food engineer by training but a marketer by trade and heart, Úrsula has built a career at Fortune 250 companies including Procter&Gamble, General Mills and Mondelēz International. She is a passionate, purpose driven executive with 25 years’ experience across geographies and industries, a diversity and inclusion advocate and a voice for ESG as a business accelerator. 

In 2022 Úrsula developed a highly acclaimed ad for J&B whisky which saw a grandad exploring his gender through make up, only to then later use his understanding to support his transgender granddaughter. Úrsula explains the challenges she faced in creating such a brave ad, how she got it approved at Diageo, how it was received by audiences and the impact it ultimately had on the brand. 

Pat and Úrsula explore some of the considerations for advertising and production more broadly when it comes to Diversity and Inclusion. Úrsula also explores sustainability from a brand perspective; how can you lead a business’ values with regard to sustainability and how do those values inform marketing and advertising production decisions. 

Úrsula reflects on her heritage as a Mexican immigrant into the United States, how this has shaped her career and who inspired her in life. She recalls the incredible story of how her grandmother opened a school so her aunt could attend school, later attending a prestigious university and founding a society at that university to support disabled students. 

Watch Úrsula’s favourite ad:  Spanish Christmas Lottery 2014

Hosted by Pat Murphy

Connect with Murphy Cobb and The Prodcast:

Murphy Cobb & Associates |  The MCA Prodcast  |  LinkedIn  |  Instagram | Email

This week on The MCA Prodcast Pat Murphy talks to Josh Tsui who is DePaul University’s Director of Innovation for the Jarvis College of Computing and Digital Media. Joshua Tsui spent over two decades working in video game development at EA and Midway Games on iconic franchises such as Mortal Kombat, WWE, and Fight Night. He also co-founded two AAA game development studios, partnering with Microsoft and Activision to create original IP and to refresh the historic Tony Hawk franchise.

As well as gaming, Josh has also worked on leading immersive experiences and events such as hologram exhibits and stadium tours and is also a respected filmmaker. He directed the hit documentary Insert Coin which was selected for SXSW as well as numerous film festivals around the world.

In this episode Josh looks back on his ‘giant non-linear mess’ of a career spanning video games, movies, and live experiences. He and Pat consider if there is a traditional career path or entry route for anyone wanting to work in these fields.

Josh reflects on the advancement of graphics computing power and the effect that’s had on production. He looks forward to a future where production assets are freely available for users to adopt, alter and have fun with; lowering the cost of production and increasing producers ability to be creative.

Despite a consistent shift to virtual worlds, Josh explores the importance of real life experiences and how producers of virtual content are thinking ever-more about how they can expand their digital experiences in to the real world. Similarly digital assets and virtual content can enhance real-life experiences, adding an extra layer of sensory enjoyment to museums and live events, for example.
 

Watch Josh’s favourite ad: Apple - Lemmings

Hosted by Pat Murphy

Connect with Murphy Cobb and The Prodcast:

Murphy Cobb & Associates |  The MCA Prodcast  |  LinkedIn  |  Instagram | Email

This week on The MCA Prodcast Pat Murphy talks to Global Marketing Procurement Consultant Tina Fegent. Tina was one of the first to work in Marketing Procurement over 25 years ago, and has worked with many brands and organisations at a strategic level to help identify what is required to make marketing procurement a success. Tina is also Chair of the CIPS Marketing Group and Co-Chair of the Get Sh*t Done Board for the Conscious Advertising Network

Tina considers why there can be a lack of trust between clients and procurement teams, and how organisations can work to develop greater levels of trust between stakeholders. 

Tina also reveals the skills you need to master and qualities that you need to possess in order to be successful in procurement. Tina thinks it’s imperative to fully understanding the craft that you’re buying; which may seem simple but is often overlooked. Also, what sectors and routes of entry might lead to a successful career in procurement? 

Pat and Tina discuss the role of data in creativity. How can data measure success and inform decisions?  Tina also explains the idea behind CAN – the Concious Advertising Network which offers support to businesses in being ethical with their marketing.

Watch Tina’s favourite ad: Unigate – Watch out, there’s a Humprey about!

Hosted by Pat Murphy

Connect with Murphy Cobb and The Prodcast:

Murphy Cobb & Associates |  The MCA Prodcast  |  LinkedIn  |  Instagram | Email

This week on The MCA Prodcast Pat Murphy talks to Steve Keller, Sonic Strategy Director at Studio Resonate, an in-house audio-first creative consultancy, offering support to brands that advertise on SXM Media's platforms: Pandora, SiriusXM, Stitcher, and Soundcloud. 

Steve is recognised as one of the leading experts in the field of sonic strategy and identity. With a head for data and a heart for sonic expression, he actively engages in collaborative research projects, exploring the power of sound to shape our perceptions and influence our behaviour. 

Steve discusses the role that audio plays in everyday life, and how it can shape our relationship with brands – not just through advertising, but also physically in-store, on social media, through voice assistants or even on-hold! Steve considers why audio is so often left as the last consideration when creating an ad campaign, and reminds us that it should be a priority from the very start. 

Steve also talks about a fascinating psychoacoustic experiment he was involved in; hear how playing Hip Hop music to cheese as it aged actually affected the flavour!

Diversity and Inclusion is a focus for many organisations and Steve reveals that it should also be a consideration in audio, as race, gender and age are not only cues that audiences pick up on visually. Steve discusses some research he’s being working on that shows the impact of the voices we hear, and the importance of diversifying those. 

Watch Steve’s favourite ad: Coca-Cola - Hilltop

Hosted by Pat Murphy

Connect with Murphy Cobb and The Prodcast:

Murphy Cobb & Associates |  The MCA Prodcast  |  LinkedIn  |  Instagram | Email