Poms in Paradise

AUCKLAND, Thursday: Two former Poms, who now proudly call NZ “home”, received the Truth and Soul treatment last week from BC&F Dentsu* founder/ECD Paul Catmur (himself an expat Brit who’s put down deep roots in Godzone).

The Easter edition of Truth and Soul features global creative Rob Sherlock and music wizard Jim Hall.

Catmur (“If you’re out to impress them, you must interest them”) does not do once-over-lightly – these are comprehensive, deeply personal conversations, in which he participates as enthusiastically as his interviewees.

Sherlock’s career includes regional and global leadership roles at FCB, based out of NZ, Asia and Chicago, and CCO/global CCO and chairman of ADK Tokyo.

He was FCB NZ ECD from 1992 to 2000. The self-confessed “average copywriter” (who now calls himself a “creative enabler”) talks about the perilous journey from retail copywriter in Wellington (his two kids were born in Karori) to global creative director based in Chicago.

“In advertising, luck,” he tells Catmur, “has a lot to do with everything.”

“In advertising, luck has a lot to do with everything.”

Jim Hall has been a professional musician, composer and producer since the day he left school.

In NZ he founded music production company Soundtrax (in the days when you needed two-inch magnetic tape and multi-track recorders cost a quarter-million dollars).

He tells Truth and Soul about his shattered dreams of rock’n’roll glory, telling how he went from playing guitar for Cilla Black to providing the music for many of New Zealand’s most popular ads over the last 30 years.

Soundtrax was a huge success and over 25 years Jim Hall’s compositions and productions  have won over 40 Axis awards, 2 Gold Clios and a couple of Cannes Gold Lions. In 2009 Soundtrax merged with music licensing company to form Franklin Road for all his NZ advertising and TV work.

The Stones & Steely Dan
The bands that always got Hall excited were The Rolling Stones (in the Brian Jones era) and Steely Dan (“my best-ever”).

*Now part of rebranded dentsu NZ.

• Play the Rob Sherlock podcast here
• Play the Jim Hall podcast here