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simply financially. A good proportion of this issue is devoted to people who have worked very hard to be noticed in their chosen he APAand Collection, selection profession who haveabeen ofgarlanded the best, most creative advertising with success for various, work that endeavours. the UK has produced over creative the preceding a From page12 48months, we haveisthis showcase of all that is great within year’s shots Young Photographer the UK advertising industry, and you Competition winners. An open can watch all of the work that made brief to shoot and enter a series of it connecting onto the 2011 list care of the DVDthe images was met with that accompanies the shots 131 disc. usual verve by a host of students and Inyoung addition, this issue’s magazine snappers, and our first, second sees of the APAphotographers’ Collection’s most and10 third placed prolific directors photographed work can be seen both in this issue, exclusively shots, the APA’s and in the for 2013 shotswith Directory. chief executive, Steve Davies, Ryan Watson talks to them about explaining whattheir makes the Show their passion, pictures and and the Collection such a special their plans for the future. event [from 43]. to moving From stillpage images

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the road to sweet success…

Greg Jardin Tony Kaye on advertising, art and ego

shots 140 contributors Words: Tim Cumming,

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Words: Archer, Knight,Belinda Simon Wakelin Damon Collins,&Tim Cumming, Illustration photography: Steve Davies, Diana Goodman, Chris Cairns, Sinisa Grahovac, Brianna Hugh Todd, Ricky McKichan, Jeffery, Chris Madden, Simon Wakelin KRISZTIANNA, Benedikt Illustration/photography: Renc, Shamil Tanna, Krisztian Piper Ferguson, ChrisWatson Madden, Vollmuth, George Paul McGeiver, Pamela Reed + Matthew Rader, shots 141 / Natalya Romanova, Ondrej Rudavsky, March 2013 Eliska Sarkova, Simon Wakelin In the next issue, we’ll be turning our attention to shots 132 / France and Italy by checking December 2011 out the creative happenings The next issue of shots, issue in both countries.

There 132, sees us reporting fromwill be insight from Jose thealso Loeries, South Africa’s Miguel Sokoloff, president prestigious local awards held the Town.

Lowe We’ll Global in of Cape beCreative looking at Council, the most ainfluential people look at the creative and work from of theMercedes country stewardship over last 12 collective, months. We’ll andthe directing also be getting insight into Everynone, welcome us direct-to-client jobs, how they to their work and world. what the benefits can

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Top Artistic licence: Danny is given a makeover Chris Top Ourby Central Madden, this issue's and Eastern Europe illustrator for thepage special (from Future 54) isThinking illustrated by feature Chris Madden, who is also responsible for this artist'sGuy Below Director impression presents of Shelmerdine Dannydisposition Edwards a sunny on page 16, despite Below Photo by the fact we're not Tianyou Wang interviewing him on from the Young a yacht in Cannes in Photographer the decadent days Competition of the 80s (see page 48)

Student Advertising Film Awards for many years and we’re proud to be able to showcase on the DVD, and highlight in this issue’s This issuethe also sees usentries talk tofrom a magazine, winning director both celebrated for his an extremely strong field. Our staff amazing work and castigated for his writer, Joe Lancaster, joined the firebrand temperament; our cover international panel of judges in star Tony Kaye hasthrough directedthe some of November to sift work the industry's most awarded and from page 83 he talks to the four campaigns but has often trod a thin winners about their impressive films line between visionary and villain. and undoubtedly bright futures.

He talks candidly to Simon Wakelin And of course, we also have our about Hollywood, history and very own shots Awards. November Damien Hirst [page 36].

22 saw the inaugural ceremony at Kaye is not the only artistic London’s May Fair Hotel, where the legend we have in this issue. previous 12 months’ work was Polish-born Janusz Kaminski is (and rightfully garlanded with a shiny Steven Spielberg’s DP of choice, quite heavy) shots Award before the working with himAfter on his feature jolliment of the Party took hold. films since their collaboration on To our band of merry, international Schindler’s List.

He is also a director judges, thank you; to our celebrated inwinners, his owncongratulations right, working on and to those commercials for and brands such asdrank who came, saw seemingly Reebok.

He discusses his their bodyweight in alcohol, we salute background, his career his you. There’s a recap of and the winners on partnership with Hollywood page 13, plus fullacoverage in the legend [page 66]. accompanying Awards brochure, Elsewhere in this issue, we have which is tucked neatly inside this anissue. overview of the creative There is also photographic trailblazers Eastern from evidence ofinthe night’sEurope, escapades newly crowned Grand Prix-winners on shots.net. Some of you might inwant Romania the though. executive director to skiptothat of the region’s premiere It goes without sayingfestival, that we Golden Drum [page 54]. of There’s an have also filled the rest this issue interview with Smuggler’s Guy with rightfully celebrated people and Shelmerdine, the director of the and companies; from promo master most recent, and brilliant, Weetabix this issue’s cover star Greg Jardin commercial [page 16], plus through to DDB supremo Amir highlights fromissome of of the future Kassaei, there a host early risers thinkers at this year’s Cannes Lions and hard workers though, to our festival [pageno 28]. knowledge, oil barons.

Danny Edwards Danny Edwards Editor Editor @shotsmag_dan @shotsmag_dan

12/4/12 9:52 AM

54 Places | central & eASTERN EUROPE

Though in 2011 Central and Eastern Europe got noticed at Cannes with a couple of Grand Prix, this year’s Golden Drum wasn’t banging as much for the region and an overall feeling of ‘could do better’ pervades the industry. Isobel Roberts looks into possible causes – including fiscal squeezes making clients jittery, and ponders a brighter future

Slavic slaves of fortune T

1 Cheer from Your Heart, DDB Budapest (see p58 for more)

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his October Golden Drum celebrated its 19th festival in the Slovenian town of Portorož on the Adriatic coast. Championing the best advertising from what it terms New Europe, industry folk from across Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) gathered, along with colleagues from further afield, to see 16 Grand Prix handed out – and unlike most other years, only three of those went to nations from the CEE area. While Romania, Hungary and Poland took home the top prizes in the Digital, New/Innovative and Multi-Channel Direct categories respectively, the other 13 accolades went to agencies in countries including Russia, Lebanon, Finland, Kazakhstan, Israel and Austria. There’s no doubt that the festival’s widened geographical scope has beefed up competition in recent years, but it does also beg the question, how does this performance reflect on the creative output of the CEE region?

2011 brought global attention to the area and the worldwide industry sat up and took notice after McCann Erickson Bucharest scored the region’s first ever Grand Prix at Cannes, bringing

home two of the most prestigious Lions in the Direct and Promo & Activation categories for its Rom Chocolate campaign, American Rom. For the creative spearheading that campaign, Adrian Botan, vice president of creative excellence for McCann Erickson CEE and managing partner for McCann Bucharest, that success has at least helped bring confidence to Romania’s industry even if the rest of the region is less chipper.

“Romania had a good 2012 in Cannes,” says Botan, “with a record number of finalists from a record number of agencies. I think the market got more ambitious after the 2011 Grand Prix win by Rom Chocolate, while the clients got a taste for more integrated work. We also saw a good Golden Drum performance this year, with Russia and Romania leading in number of finalists and awards. Russia was not a surprising presence as it’s the region’s biggest market and on an ascending trend. But Romania had a fourth consecutive year of decrease in spending, in a medium-sized market, and was definitely an outlier. I guess we compensate with a lot of enthusiasm.”

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Central & Eastern Europe

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56 Places | central & eASTERN EUROPE

“Definitely we have the capability to create world-class work – especially in new categories and new media. But we have to step up a bit when it comes to, let’s say, day-by-day work, and try to leverage that standard both idea and production-wise.”

and try to leverage that standard both idea- and production-wise. I think we have to challenge our clients but what is most important is ourselves.

There is huge space for improvement.”

Veljko Golubovic, creative director for Saatchi & Saatchi in Belgrade, echoes the same sentiment – it’s not a lack of talent but a lack of consistency.

“Performance is not continual, it happens from time to time,” he comments. “That’s why we have one, two, maybe three creatively excellent works per year as a country. On the other hand, these works can compete with world-class projects. So, we have ideas, we just have to make them happen more often.”

Hamburger time spells success

illustration: CHRIS MADDEN

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Elsewhere in the CEE region however, levels of optimism and success are not flying quite so high. All are in agreement that both talent and ambition are alive and well, and a fresh-faced generation of web-passionate creatives are helping push things forward, but there still needs to be a finessing of creative ideas says Pawel Heinze, executive creative director at Leo Burnett Warsaw: “Definitely we have the capability to create world-class work – especially in new categories and new media. But we have to step up a bit when it comes to, let’s say, day-by-day work,

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Several campaigns from across the region stood out and made their mark at this year’s Golden Drum, the first being McCann Bucharest’s follow-up to American Rom, Romanians are Smart, which scored the Digital Grand Prix and pulled the nation together by kick-starting a campaign to refresh Romania’s overseas image. The second Grand Prix for CEE was awarded to DDB Budapest for its Cheer from Your Heart campaign for T-Mobile, while DDB Warsaw’s Direct Grand Prix in the Multi-Channel category was thanks to its Timetable campaign for McDonald’s. Tackling the notorious problem of train delays in the capital with a light-hearted approach, the agency created a departure board that counted the minutes of delay by the number of hamburgers, fries and shakes that could be consumed in that time.

But ultimately these successes are too few and far between, and throughout the Central and Eastern European countries there is a sense that the level of creativity is not where it should be.

Myriad reasons are cited for this, but among one of the most common is an absence of trust between clients and their creative partners, a

problem that is leaving brave ideas out in the cold. “I think there’s a general feeling that our clients are taking too much control over the output and it’s getting harder and harder to release great work,” says Will Rust, former executive creative director of Ogilvy Hungary and Ukraine, who now holds the same role at Ogilvy Prague. “The stress of the financial crisis has weakened agencies’ knees and that’s had a very negative effect on our creative product.

There’s a level of comfort here, which is counterproductive for breakthrough work. The general opinion is ‘If it aint broke, don’t fix it.’ Not many agencies are willing to challenge clients and stand up for great work. On the plus side, there’s a lot of very talented young creatives entering the fold, which should improve the future.”

The trust issue is mentioned across the board by the agency and production community, especially when it comes to bigger clients.

Looking at the most inventive work from Golden Drum and it’s the smaller, local brands pushing the envelope when it comes to creativity, while the big name players often stick to a more tried-andtested attitude. The global recession seems an obvious culprit to blame as marketing managers play it safe in the face of tough fiscal pressures, and the topic of the crisis still dominates much of the conversation – some brands have also seen production budgets shifted to their western counterparts. But although the outlook for 2013 doesn’t appear to be any more optimistic in terms of budgets, this lack of resources could be the best time to convince clients of the need for creativity.

“Next year we will probably face the most stringent budgets ever,” states Jaime Mandelbaum, chief creative office at Y&R Prague, “so agencies and clients will have to be more creative and much more innovative than they have been in order to get the consumers’ attention.”

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Central & Eastern Europe 1

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1 Friend Request, a PSA for the Polish Red Cross, Saatchi & Saatchi Warsaw 2 Romanians Are Smart, McCann Erickson Bucharest 3/4/5 McDonald’s, Timetable, DDB Warsaw

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Those award-winning pieces from the region took advantage of clever media mixed to achieve their objectives, but CEE is still a very TV-heavy market, and too often the translation into digital becomes a cut-and-paste job from traditional media. “The change in media seems to be happening much more slowly in Eastern Europe than in the West, especially in the US where we’re also based,” believes Pavla Burgetova, founder of production house Savage, which has offices in New York and Prague. “We rarely produce content that is purely for online use in Eastern Europe. Online is most of the time a secondary media, which is very different to what we are used to in the US.”

Fighting the urge to emulate Digital progress is happening though, and there’s also something else that unites those successful campaigns – their connection to specifically local cultural issues. The urge to emulate ideas from bigger advertising nations can be difficult to dispel but the consensus is that the region flourishes when it plays on local issues. This year’s Grand Prix winners are all examples of

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5

campaigns that tapped into national or local sensibilities in a unique way, and the key is finding the right tone for the audience. In reference to the Czech Republic, Y&R Prague’s Mandelbaum explains “the humour is quite particular, very cynical and a bit dark, but in general the advertising in Czech Republic is still trying to find its voice and a particular style.

There are smaller markets outside of the AngloSaxon and German circuit that do global work, are a hotbed for creative talent and have agencies constantly performing on a global scale.

Argentina, Belgium and Amsterdam for example do brilliant work. There is no reason why Czech Republic can’t reach that level.”

There’s no denying that some factors are working against their favour; as well as problems with client trust and budgets, home-grown talent is being lured away by the promise of bigger fish.

“Romania has great talent and ambitious people,” says Botan of McCann Bucharest, “and advertising is a sexy industry and attracts some of the best graduates. Our biggest weakness is the economy and the fact that, as a consequence of the

shrinking market, we are losing talent to richer countries like Russia, Germany or the US.” But the ambition is there, it’s just going to take some hard graft and brave attitudes from the area’s industry to make the most of what it has to offer. “This region will have many creative issues to overcome in the near future,” believes Barbara Krajnc, executive director of the Slovenian Advertising Chamber and Golden Drum Festival, “one of the most important being understanding how new consumers use media, understanding social media and other emerging media channels and technologies, such as augmented reality and consumer-based advertising, while successfully implementing new business models. Agencies will have to adapt if they want to survive. Eastern Europe’s companies in my opinion will have to find a way to remove the shackles of the former restricting regimes, become more flexible and look the current economic reality straight in the eye if they are to succeed.”

By any account it’ll be an uphill battle, but if the region’s fighting talk is anything to go by they won’t be giving up. S

12/3/12 5:44 PM

58 Places | CENTRAL & eASTERN EUROPE agency DDB Budapest

Enemy of the ordinary It’s all very well having great ideas, but they must be useful ideas, so thinks Péter Tordai, CCO of DDB Budapest, displaying his natural flare for blending creativity with a good business head. He shares with Isobel Roberts some of his genius concepts, such as reusable ideas and creating products or systems that can be rented out to clients

W

hen Péter Tordai first stepped through the doors of an ad agency back in the early 90s, he felt the atmosphere spark off a curiosity within him. Those early experiences set in motion Tordai’s journey to becoming one of Hungary’s most accomplished creative directors, and now, more than two decades later, he’s at the creative helm of the very same agency that first ignited his interest in advertising.

Born in Budapest, Tordai was always inspired by the passion of his parents and grandparents. One grandfather was a perfumer, the other a banker, but to the young Tordai the passion and creativity each felt for their distinct vocations shone through and encouraged him to bring the same conviction to his own profession. An avid storyteller during his school days, Tordai followed a career into journalism before discovering advertising and, as a journalist, picked up skills that paved the way for his transition to a copywriter.

PHOTOGRAPH: Krisztian Vollmuth

The art of reasoning “What I learned from my talented colleagues was the art of reasoning and asking the right questions,” he remembers, “because when you spoke with people you would always think about the readers and what could you ask that would be interesting for them. It involved thinking about audiences, coming up with stories that would be of interest to them and finding the dialogue that would make them feel comfortable and share. It was almost like consumer insight in advertising.”

Tordai’s first encounter with the ad industry came through his girlfriend, who was working for DDB at the time and, after a few visits, he began

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investigating the Budapest scene for himself.

It was still in its infancy, following the fall of the Iron Curtain, and for Tordai the energy was palpable. After scoring his first role at McCann he soon realised he’d found the job for him.

“That combination of passion from my family, storytelling as a kid and listening to others as a journalist – it was almost all like unforeseen preparation for entering advertising,” he muses. “It’s interesting, like life is preparing you for something and you don’t realise it. I was really lucky that I realised my talent and what I was made for.”

Tordai spent several years at McCann learning the basics – he laughs as he recalls how his first script for a 60-second spot was three minutes long – and was creative group head by the time he moved on to lead his next shop, Lintas. In his five years there he learnt the importance of strategic thinking and took this education to his next two agencies, BBDO and Leo Burnett. Then he decided to experiment on the independent side and joined Budapest hot shop Laboratory Ideas, before teaming up with DDB in 2010.

“It was definitely how big the canvas is you can paint on,” says Tordai on his decision to return to a network. “If you are in a network agency then obviously you can be involved in bigger stories and go out into your network. The clients are not only at local level but also regional or global. Amir [Kassaei], our global CCO [see page 78 for more], is cultivating this and quite frequently sends big global briefs to agencies all over, which is very inspiring. I also always found the people, the work and the culture at DDB Budapest extremely attractive. For many years the agency has had the slogan, ‘Enemy of the Ordinary’, and I

think they really live up to that philosophy, so I was really pleased when the MD offered me this possibility to join as I found it a very natural fit.”

Feeling the pulse of the nation A team of 50 make up the core of the office and since his arrival at the shop two years ago Tordai has developed the skillset of the agency to compliment its new approach to working, one that DDB has coined as ‘social creativity’: “It’s very much in line with our new global view on the rules of creativity,” he explains, “and social creativity is our new mantra, as it goes far beyond advertising. It’s really not just about a smart idea or a smart ad but about finding a creative business solution or growing our clients’ businesses and coming up with useful, interesting ideas that people can play with. People will be part of the idea simply because they will use the idea and talk about it naturally. It’s about creating useful ideas instead of ones that are just communicating something.”

That idea of social creativity was at the heart of DDB Budapest’s Olympics campaign, Cheer From Your Heart, for T-Mobile, which picked up the Grand Prix at Golden Drum in the New or Innovative category. The agency created small gadgets that could transform the country’s online support into a physical sensation for the Hungarian athletes in the form of a pulse or ‘heartbeat’, and during the Games they translated

“It’s very much in line with our new global view on the rules of creativity, and social creativity is our new mantra, as it goes far beyond advertising.”

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Péter Tordai

“You can change the creative skin of the idea but keep the technology and it can become something very different.”

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“Agencies need to think like this, about new playful ideas where people can become connected with a brand and talk about it and share – but also where it can lead to the next project.”

over 28,000 messages from the web into little cheers for the national team, garnering extended media coverage along the way.

But social creativity doesn’t necessarily imply digital, says Tordai, it also applies to the offline world, as a recent campaign for McDonald’s showed. Briefed with the task of highlighting the fast food restaurant’s value menu, the agency started with the insight that everyone is saving for something and brought the idea to life by wrapping objects in the brand’s distinctive burger wrapping and placing them in shop windows.

“People still experience things physically as well so the idea of this campaign was that everyone is saving for a dream and this offer is so low that it will help you save for something that you want to buy,” he elaborates. “We realised one of the iconic things about the burger is the wrapper, it’s almost a product itself so we wrapped different items in shop windows such as a bike or a Gucci handbag and then attached a little sticker saying ‘everyone saves for something’.

We did it first in Budapest but it was so successful that the client asked us to repeat it nationwide, and it was completely offline.”

Gloom-beating light bugs It’s not just briefs for clients that the agency is busy tackling – Tordai also believes in utilising the team’s creative talents for home-grown initiatives too. To help combat the gloom of the recession, last year the agency launched an interactive installation where tweets with the hashtag #tweetpositive were transformed into light bugs on a screen in the window of a

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1/2 McDonald’s, Everyone Saves For Something 3/4 T-Mobile, Cheer From Your Heart

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gallery, and passers-by could ‘catch’ the light bugs to reveal the positive message underneath.

“You can never foresee what will happen with a project like that,” Tordai says, “but it became an amazing global project and positive tweets arrived from 170 different countries. It’s an idea plus a technological invention so what’s really interesting is that you can change the creative skin of the idea but keep the technology and it can become something very different.”

Ideas for rent As well as spreading beyond national boundaries, the agency was able to reimagine the project for one of its clients, GE, by reusing the technology platform and simply redesigning the visual elements for the brand’s display at the Frankfurt Lighting Show. For Tordai, these are exactly the types of opportunities he is eager to explore.

“Agencies need to think like this, about new playful ideas where people can become connected with a brand and talk about it and share – but also where it can lead to the next project,” he states.

“We throw so much love into our ideas that we think once they are done that is it, which is not true. This re-use exists in many other industries but not in advertising and we should have a paradigm shift. I think for us this is a little light at the end of the tunnel because agencies are really thinking hard about how to reinvent the remuneration system, how we can make more money from our creativity, and this is one way. It’s something we are thinking about in the agency, not only about ideas but also products and systems, and inventing new technologies that we can own and rent out to clients, or working with brands to create ideas and products

together. This is definitely the next level that we want to see ourselves on.”

In respect to the local region, Tordai is proud of the creative talent in Budapest and has huge faith in its potential but believes the key to success is long-lasting relationships with clients.

Citing strong partnerships, such as Jung von Matt with Mercedes and DDB London with Harvey Nichols, he believes it’ll still take time for the relatively young local market to mature to those levels of trust.

Budgets are also smaller compared to their Western European counterparts – the population of Hungary is not much larger than that of London – but tighter budgets don’t have to mean less in the way of creativity: “I see it as an advantage,” says Tordai, “as this will force agencies to come up with even smarter ideas and ones that don’t need so much media support in the traditional media.

Earned media has big value for our clients and it fits in with social creativity again as it is about people sharing their experiences about an idea with other people. We should really force ourselves to think further out of the box and if you look at the [double Cannes 2011 Grand Prix-winning] Rom Chocolate campaign from McCann Erickson Bucharest, that is a great example. It’s really fantastic, ground-breaking work.”

And with that latest Golden Drum Grand Prix to add to its awards cabinet, the same can be said for DDB Budapest’s recent output too. S

“We throw so much love into our ideas that we think once they are done that is it, which is not true. Re-use exists in many other industries but not in ads.”

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62 Places | central & eASTERN EUROPE agency leo burnett belgrade

A bit of local attitude Leo Burnett Belgrade’s creative director Anja Radulovic has helped the agency scoop a series of awards in recent years.

She tells Isobel Roberts about her return to Serbia after a theatre training scholarship in the US and why local insights are the key to successful campaigns in the region

I

t’s been just eight years since Anja Radulovic stumbled upon the world of advertising, and in that short time she’s risen from a fresh-faced intern to the creative lead at Leo Burnett Belgrade.

Named Best Adriatic Agency of the Year at Golden Drum in 2010, the shop also helped Leo Burnett score the Best Network accolade at this year’s awards.

Radulovic’s advertising talent is making its mark but, in fact, she started out in a completely different creative discipline – the theatre. Encouraged by her parents as a child to explore everything from ballet to theatre to art, as a 17-year-old teenager Radulovic wrote, directed and starred in a play that not only went on to win national awards but also secured her a scholarship to study at Jacksonville University in Florida.

PHOTOGRAPH: Sinisa Grahovac

US cultural eye-opener “I really enjoyed all the different aspects of theatre,” the creative director recalls, “not just on stage but also being backstage and writing.

It was also exciting to go somewhere else and be exposed to a different culture, and it wasn’t just one culture as there were students from all over the world. It was a very exciting experience. I had classes in acting, dancing, singing, scriptwriting, diction, even philosophy. Plus, coming from Serbia everything seemed huge. You were forced to open your senses and be alive and present in every moment and learn.”

After graduating, Radulovic packed her life into her car and drove cross-country to the West Coast, settling down in Los Angeles. She spent a year taking acting classes, working as an extra in commercials and TV, and soaking up some

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American culture as a bartender. But with changes afoot in her home nation, Radulovic eventually headed back to Belgrade.

“It was an exciting time in Serbia then because the old regime was brought down and there was something of a revolution happening. I felt that there was a renaissance and that so much could be done, so I came back and then kind of ran into advertising. I met some people and got introduced to the whole idea, and when I started my internship at Leo Burnett I discovered this whole new creative world. It was like another theatre role or ballet recital, and it took on a life of its own.”

Using unique knowledge Since those early days, Radulovic has worked hard and the dedication has paid off. She’s risen from copywriter to the role of creative director, which she’s been since 2010. Drawn to the creative discipline of problem solving through ideas, for Radulovic, the chance to trigger conversations and affect behaviour is part of the challenge, and one that she feels the agency is best able to achieve by embracing a local attitude.

“We used to have great tomatoes here in Serbia – they didn’t look great but they had a fantastic taste. Now they all look perfect but they’ve lost a specific flavour and I think that’s also happened to advertising. We have a specific humour that’s helped us get through things. During the bombings people protected bridges by playing volleyball, dancing the national dance or putting on concerts on them. That spirit and passion has always been our biggest weapon and you can sense it in some Serbian advertising, but we should have more and remember what makes us unique.”

In her role as a jury member at Golden Drum this past October, Radulovic noted that the work that impressed her and her fellow judges the most played on social and cultural connections in the country or region, and this rings true in Leo Burnett Belgrade’s own piece of award-winning work from the festival.

With leaked driving theory tests an extensive problem within Serbia, and a new testing system still not in place three years after a government proposal, the agency launched an app that purported to be a new ‘leaked’ examination.

Instead, the app highlighted the risks of dangerous driving and garnered widespread media attention, stimulating debate and causing the government to announce the launch of its new system in just 48 hours.

Helping clients to be brave Despite this success, Radulovic believes the fallout of the economic crisis has been more fearful clients. But with no lack of talent for this creative director to call on, the focus is on adjusting attitudes: “I think we have to educate clients that you can do so much more if you have an innovative approach. Sometimes, in this region, you’re almost like the stepsister or the other child – someone who doesn’t have everything by default – so you have to work harder and push more to get noticed, and I think this is what we have to do. We shouldn’t let excuses drag us behind. We have to come to the front and show what we can do.” S

“Sometimes, in this region, you’re almost like the stepsister, so you have to work harder and push more to get noticed.”

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Leo burnett belgrade

We shouldn’t let excuses drag us behind. We have to come to the front and show what we can do.”

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64 Places | central & eASTERN EUROPE director uros trefalt

The Puppet Master Uros Trefalt came to advertising steeped in the craft and lore of Czech puppetry and theatre. And it makes a difference, because no one does magic as imaginatively as this puppet master. Tim Cumming talks to the man pulling the strings in Prague ’s advertising industry.

PHOTOGRAPH: benedickt renc

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orking with the magical arts of animation and stop-motion through Prague-based production company Eallin Motion Art, one of the Czech Republic ’s most original directors, Uros Trefalt, is also one of its most successful, having won the Czech equivalent of a Cannes Lion, the Promax Award, a record four times. And he’s a master of branding not only products but entire concepts – such as the nature of freedom in the visually remarkable Steps of Freedom, or his magical Mittel-European Yuletide campaigns for Czech TV. “I studied drama and puppet theatre in Prague, and combined these styles in film and television,” he says. “It has made my way of thinking different, because I like to shoot things that are already prepared, I don’t like much post production or 3D stuff.”

He was born in Slovenia, while the Iron Curtain was still firmly drawn, but the curtain on his own dramas were just as firmly raised. “I had a toy theatre when I was a boy,” he says – it is part of a long cultural tradition - “and when I was still a child I started making films.” He worked at the local theatre for ten years then moved to Prague.

It was an arduous journey at a time when formidable gulfs separated the countries of the Communist Bloc. “It was really a closed country, but for me it was important to be in the best school. It gave me the opportunity to understand what puppetry means, what the way of thinking is. If you understand how to work with objects, how to animate them, then you can work in film animation, video art, and you can always bring something new.”

It was via television that he came to work with Eallin Motion Art. “Eallin do productions that are

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very specific, a lot of animation, they are very open minded. You can choose from many techniques and ways of realising your ideas. But,” he adds, “it’s not easy being open minded because most clients want something that is quite conservative.”

Take his work for the Czech Republic’s state broadcaster, a monolith employing 3,000 people with no concept of marketing or branding. “Almost 20 years after the revolution they still worked and thought in the same way,” he says. “They weren’t interested in design or what was happening around the world. I had the opportunity to stage a revolution in state TV, with new logos for all four channels and up to 300 different spots and jingles.”

Sending Santa back up the chimney That work led him to the malleable world of advertising. “I wanted to do it in a quality way, and I could do that with Eallin, I could use my knowledge of theatre, puppetry and TV to make something more sophisticated. Animation is very popular now – clients like it, and it’s very typical of Czech culture and history.”

For his 2009 Christmas spot for Czech TV, he drew on Czech folklore rather than generic, imported tropes. “After ‘89 everyone copied the USstyle Santa Claus, but it’s not part of our culture.

This film changed that by doing something from the real Czech tradition” – which was home puppet theatre – “We wanted an interesting visual image and design, something a little nostalgic.” He directed a retro-style shoot, too, using 35mm film and an antique, hand-cranked camera. “There is a small puppet theatre and a big theatre, with children dressed up and moving like puppets, and the scenes in the big theatre were shot on a 30s hand-wound camera. Which gives you a nice atmosphere.”

The film conjures the age-old warmth of midwinter folk traditions, but also the tenderness, vulnerabilities and pain of childhood. “They wanted us to show that it is not only for normal children, but for children with disabilities as well.

They wanted to show people that Christmas is for everyone.” It’s a message realised with subtlety and beauty, suffused with the stuff of make-believe In Steps to Freedom, Trefalt explored the notion of freedom by looking at the country’s most pressing problems. “It was 20 years after the revolution and there were celebrations all year. But what does freedom mean in the 21st century? The generation born in 1989 are now 20 year olds. How do we show them what freedom is? So we looked at what the problems are. There is the gypsy problem here – people don’t like to live in the same building or area as gypsies. And the Czech Republic leads the European table for abandoned children. So we had a marriage between a skinhead and gypsy girl; we have two guys adopt a child.” It’s all played out against beautifully choreographed stop-motion footage of plants, creepers, graffiti and streamers rising and falling over the walls, windows and balconies of Prague apartment blocks.

Trefalt is a master at using local culture to tell stories big enough to cross any border. “If you want to be successful,” he says, “or to do stuff that people find interesting at home and abroad, you have to be very original and understand your country and where you come from, but then you have to make something universal.” S

“What does freedom mean?

The generation born in 1989 are now 20 year olds. How do we show them what freedom is?”

12/3/12 4:57 PM

| Places 65

uros trefalt

“If you understand how to work with objects, how to animate them, then you can work in film animation, video art, and you can always bring something new.”

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12/3/12 4:57 PM

66 Places | CENTRAL & EASTERN EUROPE PRODUCTION COMPANY ATSWIM.TV PRAGUE

Going native: Prague What is the best Czech ad you have seen in the last year?

Leagas Delaney Prague did an excellent ad last year for Škoda, where a young man’s CV comes to life in 3D paper form.

Prague attracts visitors to its magical winter views and excellent beer and food, but the city can also handle any production brief you care to throw at it, says atSwim.tv executive producer Rebecca Wray What is the best thing about working in advertising in Prague?

Prague as a production hub has so much to offer. Crew rates are significantly lower than in Western Europe and North America, yet you lose nothing in experience or efficiency. Locations can reflect almost any region and buyouts are relatively low for talent. Your standard shoot day is 12 hours, when most other hubs do ten.

There’s definitely more bang for your buck in Prague.

What is the worst thing about working in advertising in Prague?

There’s nothing that we can’t overcome. Often the challenges just reflect the nature of the spot.

Wardrobe and props vary from country to country, so if the client is looking for something extremely specific we recommend they bring it with them.

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What advice would you give to a visitor?

Don’t be afraid of the language barrier and walk everywhere. You can’t get lost in Prague; it’s a small big city and has so much to explore. As long as you know where the Vltava river is you will always find your way. You cannot miss Prague Castle, which has the most amazing view of Prague, especially at sunset.

When the weather is nice there are many beautiful parks to explore. During the music season I would recommend catching the Czech Philharmonic playing at the famous Rudolfinum.

Also, even though the Czech Republic is in the EU, it remains on the Koruna not on the Euro, so it manages to keep things inexpensive. One truly great thing, especially for business travellers, is that Prague has Wi-Fi almost everywhere – just ask for a password.

If you were booking a hotel in Prague, where would you stay?

For business, stay at The Augustine Hotel in Malá Strana near the Charles Bridge (coincidentally, it’s across the street from our office). It contains an old monastery where friars still live, but it defines luxury in Prague. Many like the Four Seasons or Mandarin Oriental. If you’re looking for cheaper but still wonderful there is Hotel Three Storks, which is smaller but extremely nice and has a Michelin-starred restaurant.

What is your favourite memory of Prague?

The first time is always the most memorable. Walking in the snow with my friend and colleague Daniela, drinking hot wine and eating Trdelník (rolled pastry) down Pařížská Street towards the big Christmas tree in Old Town Square.

Who do you/would you love to work with in the industry?

Bartle Bogle Hegarty London. It’s been doing some really clever ads this past year.

Where is the best place to eat in Prague?

It depends on what type of cuisine you like... Prague has great restaurants for all palates: Olympia, Malostranská Beseda or Lokál for authentic Czech food; La Finestra or Osteria Ai Galli for Italian; Noi for Thai; Cantina for Mexican; and, of course, Bellavista by Prague Castle for the view.

For a great view of Charles Bridge, Kampa Park is stunning. For something sweet head to Myšák near Old Town Square.

Where is the best place to drink in Prague?

For the view; Hilton Skybar and TV Tower in Prague 3.

A couple of the most famous locations include the Blue Light and Zanzibar, both popular with travellers and locals. Hotel U Prince in Old Town Square in the summer on the terrace offers a great location. If you want sports or football, Dubliners is a great choice.

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If Prague were a product, what would it be?

Prague would be Pilsner Urquell beer, of course.

Rich with tradition, superior craft and great taste.

What do you miss when you are out of the city?

Being from California, I can’t say the weather in the winter in Prague is to be missed, but I do miss the atmosphere at Christmas when I return to Los Angeles. The city is magical, with Christmas markets and lights everywhere. Being from a big city, I appreciate the small-town feel that Prague offers, even though it’s not small. Also, the beer.

It tastes better here.

What is Prague’s favourite pastime?

Drinking beer and socialising.

One table, four places.

You and who?

Charles Darwin, Elizabeth I and Bill Clinton.

If you could ask God one question, what would it be?

Why are we here? S 1 Trdelník, Czech pastry 2 Škoda CV 3 Cloud 9 4 Myšák sweet shop 5 Žižkov TV Tower

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What is your one-line life philosophy?

Everything will be ok in the end. If it’s not ok, it’s not the end.

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“There’s definitely more bang for your buck in Prague.”

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