Best job in the world? Cummins to host Asian ad industry reality TV show called The AdBreak
On Friday, Sean Cummins goes public with details of his new advertising venture – but he’s also gearing up to host an eight-week prime time TV reality series to be broadcast on Asian cable channel, AXN.
Called The AdBreak, it sees 10 young ad industry hopefuls battle it out for an internship with an Omnicom creative agency.
The AdBreak site promotes Cummins as the founder of Cummins & Partners, and – interestingly – the creator of the Queensland Tourism ‘Best Job in the World’, the world’s most awarded campaign ever (which was of course created by CumminsNitro, Brisbane – now SapientNitro). He’s been taking a break from the industry for the past year after selling his agency to SapientNitro.
Pitched as ‘The Apprentice of the Advertising Industry’ it has two teams of creative wannabes battling it out to solve advertising briefs to win the internship as well as colour pieces with industry gurus revealing “the good, the bad, and the downright ugly in the world of advertising”.
Home viewers are invited to script, shoot and upload their own TV commercials for one of the brand partner’s products for the chance to win a grand prize of US$50,000.
The Grand Prize will be announced during episode 8 as voted by the home audience.
“The hardest thing about advertising is actually breaking into it. Because its so hard to know people’s abilities just by judging an art folio, or a TV reel. You don’t know how they are as creative people. Are they moody, quiet, surly? Are they Divas? Are they precious?,” says Cummins in an interview with Ice-TV.
“I think a show that exposes the types of people that make up the creative department is a fascinating opportunity to create compelling television.”
Australia’s The Gruen Transfer, [which Cummins auditioned for], has been a ratings sensation for the ABC and the format has recently been sold to an international distributor.
33 Comments
ace
Creator of Best job in the world!
That’s a slap in the face to the real creators isn’t it?
Goodness, doing someone else’s idea again!!!!
Sorry, but Sean Cummins was not the ‘creator’ of best job in the world. He owned the company that employed the people who came up with the idea. Minor but important detail.
And no, I have no vested interest. Except to say that I hate people taking or receiving undue credit.
This raises an issue I’ve been wrestling with:
Is the Creative Director or creative principal of an agency which handles a piece of business entitled to claim a campaign – particularly a successful one – as their own if their staff conceived and executed the work and the Creative Director or creative principal played no part in its creation?
Is having your name on the door sufficient justification to claim the work of others as your own?
Discuss.
The student who wins will be loud, obnoxious and will claim every fucking idea as his own.
Best Job creator?
Give us a Ad Break.
What do the people that came up with the best job in the world think of the PR?
Can’t see his name on the credits: http://www.bestadsontv.com/ad/18924/Tourism-Queensland-The-best-job-in-the-world
I want to know – does it hurt carrying an ego that big around with you every day???
There’s a very fine line when it comes to ownership.
The rule of thumb is, if you were in the room when it was cracked – you’re on the list.
If you added a line or an ‘improvement’ later, you’re not.
If you were the CD, you can claim ‘Creative Director of XXXX’
If you own the company, you have no creative ownership. Sure, you can be a ‘part of the agency that created XXXX’ but that’s it.
Sean’s ‘Creator of Best Job in The World’ is neither valid or true.
However, the fact that he knows that the entire Australian industry knows the truth and yet still keeps telling the press for personal financial gain says rather a lot.
In London, he would have been run out of town. Here, for some reason, he’s allowed to thrive.
It’s all rather unpleasant really.
What Sean hasn’t mentioned (because he’s so humble) is that he also created the sun, seas and the stars which, of course, without them there would have been no Best Job in the World. Onya Sean, it’s not everyone who can come up with so many great ideas, so often.
I think the press release should have angled their banter in the same way Sean, ie. 9.47 has so eloquently put it. Saying ‘creator’ was always going to be a bitter pill for some to digest.
Sean is clearly a smart and successful individual. And this seems like a good project and good luck to him with his involvement. I find it fascinating that someone so successful, who has nothing to prove to anyone, feels the need to go as far as claiming “creator of the best job in the world”. His agency did sure. But him personally? Why would someone do that?
BATTLE… for an INTERNSHIP? Times must be tough.
10 young hopefuls battling it out for the chance to work for an agency for free
now that IS reality tv, this industry gets away with murder with it’s juniors
Creative Director can and should claim creative credit as on every piece of work that leaves the building for two reasons: firstly, it’s their job to influence and steer the creative product so they should have had input anyway. And secondly, if the work isn’t up to scratch, the CD gets the arse.
Blame and Praise in equal measure, fair enough.
But of course, Sean wasn’t the CD when this campaign was developed, he was the CEO. Which means no personal creative credit should be sought or given.
You’d think creating and steering the agency that created one of the world’s most awarded campaigns would be ego-boost enough. IMO, Sean has good enough credentials from his days as a CD to not have to go outside the envelope like this.
Some may argue that it’s merely the producers using a little creative license, but if Sean was deeply uncomfortable with it, I’m sure the phrasing would be a little different.
It is sad, 9.20.
But whilst Sean had nothing to do with the Best Job campaign, he did create the CGU ads.
Rap on, Sean. Rap on.
Short answer, 9:47? Yes.
They’ve hired the talent, laid the groundwork, most often wrestled with account service to refine the brief, and most often provided post-rationalised creative strategy arguments both inside and outside the agency as to why the solution is right.
And in the case of an agency principal, they’ve hired the creative director that has done that.
It might be more accurate to describe Sean Cummins as “founder of CumminsNitro, creators of The Best Job in the World”, but I can understand the short-hand.
And it’s not like the rest of the team haven’t had their time in the sun at just about every award show on the planet.
Good luck to all of them.
“Creator of the Best Job in the World” campaign.
Yeah, a bit rich…
But that’s the self promo game. He doesn’t need to sell himself to the industry to get a job anymore.
Funny URL: http://www.campaignbrief.com/2010/11/sean-cummins-to-host-an-asian.html
Dunno why anyone would be rushing out to claim that they a did a campaign that failed in the marketplace. For the record, overseas visitation to The Whitsundays increased by one lousy percent during the Best Job campaign year. And they spent 3 million bucks on it. Alas, in adland we never want to let the truth get in the way of a good story.
I’m no fan of Sean’s. He fired me once. However, there are a lot of precious flowers on this blog. The man with his name on the door owns and can claim everything his agency does as his own. He’s the guy that made it all happen from winning the client in the first place to hiring the creative team to supplying them with the necessary infrastructure to conceive of, sell and execute their idea. As far as I’m concerned, Dan Weiden can claim credit for every Nike ad his agency has ever done even if he had nothing to do with them in a literal sense. Just because the guy’s a $$$$ doesn’t change that fact.
Sean didn’t write the article. And we all know these stories never deliver accurate information. They just go on little bits of what they hear and can find out. So chill out people.
Good work Sean. Long live the head tilt.
OMG everyone is confused! When I talk about being ‘Creator of Best Job in The World’, I don’t mean the campaign – I just mean my own job! LOL
That’s Advertising!!
Those who can, do.
Those who can’t, bitch.
Only those who have done reserve the right to bitch.
Any of you done any better?
5.10PM,
I’ve never made a feature film, but I reckon Wog Boy 2: The Kings of Mykonos is shit. Is that ok with you?
That Neil dude that won at AWARD still has better hair.
To say Sean didn’t write Best Job is like saying he didn’t write You’ll Love Every Bit of Victoria.
Calling himself ‘Creator’ is more likely to be snatching the work back from SapientNitro, who bought him out well after the campaign run as a CumminsNitro campaign, rather than a grab for his own financial gain. Everyone’s quick to slam Sean, perhaps try reading between the lines instead.
Onya Sean, you’ve done more for the industry than any of the surly bitches below.
9:45 If only you knew, if only you knew.
This is identical to the New Zealand show that they did a pilot for last year. It was called Pitch.
It’s now 6 months later. What happened to the show? Was it canned or has it been delayed. Anyone know?