2025 – Vogel’s ‘Toastcards’ & Industry Roles

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• Judge, AWARD Awards (APAC) 2025 (Sound): Honoured to assess some of the region’s best work in sound craft.

• Vogel’s Toastcards: We literally mailed postcards made from toast to Kiwis overseas — “a tangible taste of home for Kiwis overseas.”

• Speaker, AUT 2025: Invited to speak with AUT students about creativity in radio.

2024 – Campaign Highlights

 

• Meadow Fresh x Steven Adams: We dropped Steven Adams into an anime world to launch Quick Brekkie: “We wanted to capture Steven’s larger-than-life personality in a playful, anime-inspired way.”

• Olivani ‘Forever Young’: A Mediterranean-themed campaign celebrating life’s simple pleasures.

• Freya’s ‘Variety is Good’: Making bread the hero of everyday variety and family life.

 

2023 – Vogel’s ‘The Bread We Do More For’

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Vogel’s campaign showed the lengths Kiwis go to for their favourite bread — because Vogel’s is more than food, it’s part of our culture.

 

2022 – Decent Packaging Profile & Axis Judge

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• Served as Judge at the Axis Awards 2022, recognising the best creative work in New Zealand.

• In a profile for Decent Packaging I summed up a belief that drives me: “creativity and sustainability don’t have to be separate conversations.”

 

2020 – Axis Awards Judge

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Proud to be invited as a Judge at the Axis Awards 2020, assessing standout creativity across categories.

 

2019 – Graduation Speaker, DDB Creative Director, and of course, #ConsiderThePrune

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• Delivered the Graduation Speech at Media Design School (MDS), reflecting on the industry and encouraging new grads to back themselves.

• Joined DDB Aotearoa as Creative Director, alongside Matt Williams.

• One day I thought it would be funny to suggest Air NZ should swap their iconic in-flight lollies for prunes. So I left a comment on their Facebook page. Things got out of hand...
  - 8,200+ likes and 8,200+ comments on the post.
  - National coverage across NZ Herald, Stuff, and Newshub.
  - A Seven Sharp segment (I politely declined the interview).
  - Nearly every major radio station talking about it.
  - A Stuff poll with 30,000 votes — 9% genuinely supported the switch.
  - What started as a 15-minute throwaway gag turned into full-blown “Prunegate” — proof that sometimes the biggest reach comes from the smallest jokes.

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2018 – Promotion at FCB

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Promoted to Creative Group Head at FCB NZ — a recognition of our creative leadership and award-winning work. Read coverage.

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2016 – Move to Colenso & Kubb Brothers

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• Moved to Colenso after several successful years at FCB. FCB auctioned our awards off.

• Co-founded Kubb Brothers, a carpentry venture that gave me “a fresh perspective outside advertising.”

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2015 – ORCA Award, AS Colour “The World’s Shortest Sale”

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With Matt Williams, I created AS Colour’s “World’s Shortest Sale”, which won an ORCA Radio Award and became a celebrated example of simple, sharp advertising.

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2014 – LIA Creative LIAisons & AWARD School Tutor

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• Represented New Zealand at the LIA Creative LIAisons program in Las Vegas. It was one of my earliest international honours.

• Tutored at AWARD School, helping shape the next wave of creatives.

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2013 – Adfest Young Lotus & ORCA Winner

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• Represented New Zealand at Adfest Young Lotus 2013, a big milestone early in my career.

• Won an ORCA Radio Award for AS Colour with Matt Williams.

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Mentorship (Ongoing)

 

 

• Media Design School mentor – 14 years running, guiding new talent from classroom to agency life.

• Regularly invited to speak, judge and tutor, from AWARD School (2014 & 2015) to AUT (2025).