JOIN THE ABC OF ADVERTISING

Advertising on the ABC is now a certainty in 2008, after the announcement of The Gruen Transfer, a program which intends to examine the advertising biz from the inside.

Ten episodes of the half hour show have been commissioned. It will be co-produced by the ABC and Zapruder’s Other Films, the company behind the hugely successful Enough Rope With Andrew Denton.

Returning to television, Wil Anderson (left) will host the program, which the ABC describes as “a funny, often biting, show about advertising that will revel in its brilliance while also revealing its secrets.”

The producers are adamant the show won’t be a humourless exercise in industry-bashing.

“The Gruen Transfer is not so black and white,” executive producer Andrew Denton says. “It’s not about whether advertising is good or evil. What we’re interested in is simple: how advertising works and what it says about us. I’ve always thought that advertising is an amazing and complex world. It deserves more attention than it usually gets from television, which is the ‘World’s Wackiest Commercials’ approach.”

The Gruen Transfer team is looking for ad industry folk – smart, funny, opinionated, experienced – to appear on the program. If you think you might be suitable, or can recommend someone else who fits the bill, contact Sarah Douglas on 02 9459 4221, or sdouglas@zapruder.com.au