Behind The Billboard

Visuals: https://getbehindthebillboard.com/episode-62-peter-souter Rarely have we had such a talented, humble and unanimously respected guest as Peter Souter. Our teaser earlier this week had an amazing response with many waxing lyrical about his creative talent and what a great person he is. So we’re hoping this episode lives up to the hype. We talked about any and everything. And managed to fit...

Visuals: https://getbehindthebillboard.com/episode-61-shish-patel Podcast episode #61 features one of the industry’s good guys, Shish Patel. Talented, funny, charming, thoughtful and extremely humble, it was a great hour with Shish, who regaled us with brilliant stories behind brilliant billboards. The baby in the marmite poster is a cracker. A story that involved another DDB creative Pete Hayes a...

Visuals: https://getbehindthebillboard.com/episode-60-specsavers-part-1 Podcast #60 is part 1 of our Specsavers Special, featuring the brilliant outdoor campaign from creative team Jon Morgan & Bertie Rapkin. We explore the background to the work, how the craft played a huge part in making these such a success (kudos to GSA and Lee Bofkin from episode #59) and we hear about the (equally brilliant)...

Visuals: https://getbehindthebillboard.com/episode-59-lee-bofkin/ Murals special with Lee Bofkin If you’ve seen an amazing mural lately, there’s a pretty good chance Lee Bofkin was involved. Lee is Co Founder and CEO at Global Street Art who are the go-to agency for creating big messages on big walls. Peaky Blinders, Valentino, Oatly, Invesco, Beats, FIFA, VW, Baileys, Glenfiddich and many others...

Visuals: https://getbehindthebillboard.com/episode-58-nils-leonard AI / Elderflower cordial  / B&Q / Inflatable cushions / Cannes / Air conditioning / Awards It went pretty much in that order on a warm day earlier this week, where the air con and Hugh’s home brew kept us cool. Episode #58 features a fascinating chat with Nils Leonard, co-founder of Uncommon, who became our first ever returning gue...

Visuals: https://getbehindthebillboard.com/episode-57-alex-abrantes/ Ever seen a billboard used as a music stage? Or a vodka ad invade a beer ad? Or John McEnroe of today play John McEnroe of 1979? Podcast #57 features Alex Abrantes, who epitomises the belief that if you can think it, you can do it. And if you surround yourself with the right people even the most audacious ideas are possible. We c...

Visuals: https://getbehindthebillboard.com/episode-56-james-day/ Podcast episode #56 features one of the sharpest snappers in the business. And one of the nicest and most charming guests we’ve had on the show. It’s James Day on Good Friday folks. Settle down with a cuppa and a hot cross bun. This is a belter. James has had his name attached to some of the most iconic billboards of the past 30 year...

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...

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 outdo...

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...

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...

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...

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 ap...

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...

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...

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...

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 remai...

Visuals: https://getbehindthebillboard.com/episode-45-guy-moore/ We’re back. And most appropriately we’re back with a Cannes man. None other than Guy Moore, who amidst many career highlights, won the Cannes OOH Grand Prix in 2018 with McDonalds ‘Signs’ campaign, which has a brilliant back story. And coming in a close second is Guy’s British Heart Foundation campaign which involved calling Saul Bas...

See pictures and watch a video of the panel here: https://getbehindthebillboard.com/episode-44-behind-the-billboard-cannes/ C’est ici! Yes, podcast #44 is here and it’s unlike anything we’ve ever done before. It was live in the South of France and despite a few technical glitches, it was tres bon. A lovely hour at LBB beach chatting with our esteemed panel of Daniel Fisher, Keka Morelle and Sanjiv...

Beady eyed followers will know we’ve already posted about our #CopySafari with Vikki Ross. But today we’re pleased to say the podcast episode is available. During the trek through the wilds of Shoreditch, there were a few technical problems which slowed down the editing process - we think the issue was extreme humidity in Dan’s trouser pocket. But thankfully the recording has been rescued by intre...

Visuals: https://getbehindthebillboard.com/episode-42-ewan-paterson/ ‘How about Carl Lewis in his running gear, but instead of wearing spikes that normally propel him to 100m in 9.86 seconds, we put him in a pair of size 12 red stilettos with the headline ’Power is nothing without control’. Oh and let’s insist on getting legendary photographer Annie Liebvitz to shoot it. What do you reckon?’ This...

Visuals: https://getbehindthebillboard.com/episode-41-ed-morris/ Podcast 41 features one of the industry’s greatest talents - Ed Morris. Ed has flexed his creative muscles across just about every discipline you can think of. Art direction, writing, typography, creative direction, photography, commercials direction and most recently turning his hand to film, directing his brilliant debut movie ‘How...

Visuals: https://getbehindthebillboard.com/episode-40-graham-fink-pt2/ Is the sequel ever as good as the original? For Graham Fink Part 2, think Godfather Part 2 (but without all the killing). More brilliant cigarette billboards. This time for Silk Cut and the iconic Shower Curtain and Birds executions. Then Dixons….’the last place you want to go’ which started life on the radio but thankfully end...

Visuals: https://getbehindthebillboard.com/2022/03/04/episode-39-graham-fink-pt1/ Episode 39 features an icon of the industry, Graham Fink. It feels a bit strange to think we got this far without talking to Graham who was D&AD’s youngest ever president and winner of China’s first ever Cannes Grand Prix. But as you can imagine for someone who is now a multi-media artist, agent to Sophia the world’s...

Ep38 features Jo Arscott - a true creative pioneer, who mastered the art of the ’Integrated’ campaign long before everyone else jumped on the bandwagon and called it ‘360’. Her billboard for the National Asthma Campaign in 1996 was a great example of this, being more like an event than a piece of OOH. Painted in clear glue, the poster was pure white when it went up at Vauxhall Roundabout for the p...