MADC’s ‘Mullets Melbourne and Me’ speaker session with Sean Cummins in St Kilda a success

Sean Cummins is a big name in advertising circles. And while we often hear of Cummins, we seldom hear from the man himself. Wednesday night was the exception as Cummins took to the stage at the Local Taphouse in St Kilda for another in the MADC Presents series.

Despite his self-deprecating claims to the contrary, Cummins was at his engaging and entertaining best – and quite happy to poke fun at himself in the process. There’s something about the way Cummins delivers a message that just has you wanting to do a bit better. A career in the self development industry would not have been out of place if advertising hadn’t called him.

But call it did and Cummins spent most of the night talking of his first few years in Melbourne and the delightful mullet he wore in those early days. He brought along a little treasure trove of memories including a cassette tape of his first ad and a besmirched table napkin with a handwritten job offer to join the Campaign Palace.

Cummins has always been his own man and it’s often been that firm self belief and a desire to swim against the stream that has made him such a polarising person. But there is no doubting his success, and there’s doubting how he built it – enthusiastic devotion and loads of hard work.

Cummins shared some of his thoughts on what makes advertising successful, styles “in” and “of” advertising and what it takes to win business. Throughout his 45 minutes it was very clear that he is as passionate today about the industry he joined back in the mid 80’s.

For Cummins, the thrill of a start-up and those early wins are the things that fuel his fire most of all. Combine that with a hefty dose of ambition and it’s no surprise that New York is on the agenda. His Tribeca office opens up next month, with no clients and no staff, but it won’t surprise anyone in the room, to see it become as successful as the CumminsRoss Melbourne he leaves behind.