Regan departs CD/partner role at The Monkeys for creative director gig at BBH Singapore
CB Exclusive – UPDATED – Further to the exclusive CB story on Saturday, Campaign Brief can reveal that Noah Regan, who has been creative director and partner of The Monkeys, Sydney since October 2008, has taken the creative director role at BBH Singapore.
Regan will report to ECD Scott McClelland, who joined BBH Singapore in March this year and regional ECD Steve Elrick.
Regan’s most notable work over the last four years include the Sydney Opera House ‘The Ship Song Project’ , the BBC Knowledge ‘Honk if you’re human’ campaign and ‘Saving is the new spending’ for UBank, which have been widely recognised at award shows both here and internationally.
Says Regan: “I joined The Monkeys four years ago because it was the biggest, most interesting challenge I
could think of. It’s been a wild ride and one I have no regrets taking. I’m proud of what I’ve helped the agency achieve and confident
that its success will continue.”
Says co-founder and ECD of the Monkeys, Justin Drape: “There were 15 people in the agency when Noah joined and today we have 105
so clearly he’s made an invaluable contribution with his creativity and relentless passion for the work. We wish him all the best with the next chapter of his life and look forward to crashing on his lounge next time we’re in Singapore.”
Before The Monkeys Regan worked at DDB in London under one of the world’s great Creative Directors, Jeremy Craigen. While there he created several award winning campaigns for Volkswagen, Harvey Nichols and Marmite, helping DDB London rank 3rd at the 2008 Cannes International Advertising Festival.
Before DDB London Regan worked at Saatchi & Saatchi Sydney for eight years where he won numerous international awards including Cannes, One Show, Clio and featured regularly in local award shows AWARD, The Work and Caxtons. His work for Toyota, Lexus, Emirates, Lion Nathan and the United Nations was an integral part of the agency’s three consecutive Campaign Brief Agency of the Year wins.
31 Comments
Huge loss for the monkeys- big win for Singapore!
Good luck Noah, exciting times ahead, all the best, Gary
I hope for his sake he is not another victim for Ogilvy Singapore.
If you are used to doing real ads for paying clients who treat you with a modicum of respect along the way, then Singapore can be a culture shock.
There are just as many times Ogilvy Singapore has been the victim of dodgy hires.
This is not the case for Noah.
Lets not turn his good news into an agency bashing thread.
Silence negativity.
Play fair
.Spread positivity.
Agreed.
Fuck negativity in the face.
Congrats Noah. Congrats everyone.
Ogilvy Singapore has been a victim…?
You’ve been swallowing too much of the Martin Sorrell Kool-Aid. Hope your apologist role at least comes with a big check.
Creativity and the WPP Group in general is an oxymoron, especially Ogilvy, most definitely Singapore.
It’s where CDs go to get a payout, after they’re played out.
If you thought that The Monkeys were fond of ‘sampling’ the work of others, with a few minor changes of course, and ‘adapting’ it liberally for their clients (Ship Song from the BBC, Star from Richard Cheese), hoping no one would notice here at the edge of civilisation, just imagine how well that will go over in a part of the world that prides itself on plagiarism.
We reckon the newcomer will fit right in, so long as he doesn’t spit on the sidewalk.
In case you think these comments are too negative (did someone actually say ‘fuck negativity in the face’ and expect to be taken seriously?), we’re absolutely positive that you’re wrong.
Nice work Noah – Congratulations and all the best in Singapore!
!
The East was long referred to as ‘The Elephant’s Graveyard’ – a retirement home for Australian creatives whose careers had burnt out – prior to the Droga revival of Singapore quite some time ago. It would be interesting to know why Noah chose this route. He seems a little young to take this career option. Did he jump or was he pushed?
Didn’t we see a “Fuck Negativity in the Face” placard in Hyde Park on Saturday?
I think some five year old in a naqib was brandishing it at the cops and the news media. Future creative director no doubt.
Stay positive :)-
by the recent departures sounds like the monks have lost faith in the talent that got them where they are today…
he’s a talent, but he’s about to feel the full brunt of brutal agency politics for the first time (assuming it’s ogilvy singapore) which is easily the toughest part of the job.
The talent that got the Monkeys ‘where they are today’ is actually in the US and the UK, where the campaigns/ideas/performances they appropriated were created.
With Micah, they’ve hopefully changed direction and brought in a talent who can create original ideas, if they’ll allow that sort of behaviour in a Monkey See Monkey Do kind of shop.
Micah ?
@: @swings both ways
I presume that you are still one of WPP’s winged monkeys, not?
Don’t worry-there’s life outside of WPP.
Give it a try! It aint that scary-just quit.
But leave their accounts alone until your ‘no solicitation’ block out period expires.
If you don’t have a ‘no solicitation’ block out period, you must be either very old or not high up the food chain.
Stay happy.
PS: Post-Droga Singapore is a creative blackhole. But the money’s good and the tax is low.
As low as the chance of getting an award for a legit work for a big brand.
My job at Ogilvy Singapore would have driven me to drugs, but they are really hard to find in Singapore.
Someone smart once said – ‘Once you let showponies, bullies and pretenders take over the organisation the genuinely nice ones leave’.
And the nice ones are usually the talented ones.
WPP.
For a creative with any talent, it might as well stand for the Witness Protection Program, because no one will ever find you again.
For the Singapore branch of any of Uncle Marty’s agencies, er pipe divisions, you can double down on the anonymity and develop a severe love of gin and guinine.
It’s like an episode of Lost, only no one is ever found.
its not ogilvy…
the agency won’t matter . . .
it’s Singapore, Jake
For Aussie creatives who sincerely want to improve their books, it’s like Changi prison with better grub and booze.
Unless you have a decent housing allowance, it’s tiny rooms, with housemates.
For posers who just want to try out the big chair, add their names on the credits on R&D work from the muppets under your thumb and swan about the awards circuit, it’s the bee’s knees.
But save your money, cause the next stop will be hong kong or vietnam.
Congratulations, you’re leaving a local agency that you had a stake in, but one that was and is filled with innumerable problems, conflicts, and a questionable approach to doing business, to take a CD role at arguably one of the most creative and respected agencies in the world.
Commiserations, it’s with their branch in Singapore. Don’t despair, Mr. Hegarty comes to visit once every two years, and the currency is on par with the Kiwi dollar, so it’s safe as houses, just not in the Eastern Suburbs.
There goes another piece of Australia Ad eye candy.
Oh, and a great creative too.
Ahhh! It’s BBH. That makes more sense.
Now I can extend an unreserved and heartfelt ‘congratulations’ to both parties.
Actually I think it was Neil (Kevin 07) Lawrence who made Singapore an acceptable place to work. Unless you count Neil French.
@ sense of history
Sadly the days of company 911s and SLCs went away in the nineties.
Along with the packaged fully furnished multi story townhouse or sprawling bungalow with live-in maids and hot & cold running bimbos.
Back then, you could bank your entire paycheque, put all your lunch & bar tabs (especially those which the production house didnt pick up) to a company expense and charge your weekly supermarket bill along with your kid’s school fees to the agency.
(There was a cheeky MD who listed his sister-in-law as his daughter and claimed moving allowances from a pre-WPP Ogilvy.)
And the best part?
ECDs weren’t expected to do a lick of work or win any awards.
Just turn up by noon. And decide where the next creative department friday lunch will be held.
please dont place neil lawrence in the same breath as breath as neil french. get a real sense of history
…if only for having the good sense to avoid Ogilvy like the bubonic proverbial.
BBH can certainly use you, especially on Chupa Chups (if they still have it), the work on that needs to move up a notch. Or ten.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhHhXukovMU
Congrats Noah… Another exciting chapter awaits. Really very happy for you and the familia!
hey noah, we look forward to having you in sing.