So Steve Henry was fired from TBWA yesterday.
His agency Howell Henry was the Agency Of The '90s. Was that the problem - that his mojo was last seen in the '90s? Or did he still have the goods, and just got unjustly treated? If you work there, tell the rest of us.
And - this question to anyone - who should replace him?
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
Goodbye Lenny
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107 comments:
Someone should post "The Email" that he sent to the agency after cannes. I would but I deleted it. Basically it said that "as an agency we're a 7 out of ten. And that 7 is near as makes no difference to dead." He wanted the agency to up its game in a big way. It was a proper Jerry McGwire email. Could it have been this email that triggered the eject button? Who was the Bob Sugar that gave him the axe?
That email's a bit rich. The man had two years to sort the place out.
Fair enough, year one to stop the ship, but year two should have put out better than Skittles ads that aren't a patch on the US work, and Playstation ads that are all pants and no trousers.
In fact, Playstation was a sackable offence in itself.
Oh, you've finally put this story up.
:-)
Yes. I've had something called work to do...
Funnily enough, I passed Steve Henry in the street this morning. He was on his way into the bank and I'm sure it looked as though he'd been crying.
Are you implying Loosers BBDO are just warming their seats?
Anon 10:50 AM, Crying? Fuck off. Steve is a big boy, he can take this.
I'd say Cabral but don't think he'll ever leave Flintham's protective wings.
What about your very own Nick Gill? Or the recently laid off Malcom Poynton? I'd say Adam Tucker but is he ready for such a position?
Wait, what about Paul & Nigel yet again? How come we don't have more teams ECDing anymore appart from T&K at Wiedens?
Stu: 11.02,
Read my post again. Then have a little think.
If you're still struggling perhaps somebody else could help explain.
I think Tiger Savage is ready to step up....
11:10 AM
Thought read and dismissed.
Tiger Savage can step up into my Willy Wonka.
Who should replace him? Al Young. Not.
Stu
I think anon 10.50 means:
''Cried all the way to the bank''
A famous quote by Liberace, who was slated by critics but made a shit load of money.
Are you a planner?
And before you ask, no, I'm not Steve. I just happen to know him and have enormous respect for him.
He's a top bloke and deserves much better than being slagged off in some blog by anonymous cowards. That's all.
Stu
Nobody has slagged him off.
And this is the wrong place to get all sentimental on someone's ass.
It's for honest, fair debate about ad folk and the like.
and stu, you are being anonymous until you tell us who you are.
Stu could be anyone, you goddamn hypocritical coward.
Does this guy have a mullet?
No?
Couldn't care less then.
I can't believe in 2008 anyone is writing 'are you gay?' as a term of abuse. What's wrong with you?
Where the hell is Kate Moss?
I miss her.
@ 12:03
It still sucks to be gay.
People just like to pretend it's ok.
all i heard is that he wasn't a great guy to work for.
that aside, he's done more in his career than just about any of us can even dream of.
would i swap what i have for what he's done, even with the tbwa firing?
without a doubt.
steve. respect.
maybe your time has passed but when you burnt it was as bright as any of them.
12;16 you bum licking loser.
he appears to be another dried-up old husk that confirms the ageism in this industry.
he was great. He sure ain't now.
What happened?
how's nick bell settling in at ddb????? maybe he's a candidate.
how old is he?
regardless of what the management at tbwa hq thinks, steve henry helped revolutionize UK ads for the better. HHCL's output was easily the most adventurous of the 90s.
i met him once and he came across as a nice thoughtful guy. tbwa london has been in permanent crisis since trevor beattie left.
Who should replace him? Al Young. Yes.
Faergal & Dylan
No, they lack caliber.
I'd say Wal.
Good candidates? Ben and Matt @ W&K- ready to step up? Nick Gill - probably not intersted in all the politics. Potts & Jex @ Mother? Ed Morris? I wonder if Tony McTear or Paul Silburn would go back?
Potts and Jex - what have they done? Ben & Matt from W&K is a good idea. They used to work there a few years ago, I think, so maybe they would be up for it. No way they'd want McTear back. He had his shot and he blew it. What about Jeremy Carr? Mick Mahoney? Al Moseley?
Al Moseley is starting his own shop with other blokes, ain't he?
Ben and Matt are too artsy fartsy for a place like TBWA but I'd love to see them fancing their chances. It'd do them good.
Silburn won't be caught dead going back there.
Yeah right on. Jimmy Carr, Lieutenant Mahoney, and Max Moseley as joint ECD's.
...with Wal on placement. Permanently.
Just refering to the Trevor Beattie reference earlier –TBWA (London) was fucked because of Trevor Beattie and McGuinness, not since. They were on the verge of getting fired before they hot toed it and then spun the PR their way.
Three very major clients left exactly because of those two.
But the timing was such that everyone after them copped for the flack.
previous anon, that's a rampant lie.
I don't know about McWeirdness but Trevor has proven himself again and again and he's a pleasure to work with.
My only complain about him was his tendency to favour atractiveness over talent when hiring birds.
don't get me wrong - I'm not a Trevor hater. I agree the guy has proven himself and yes he was a pleasure to work with (when he was in the mood).
But this is first hand info -from when they departed.
And it's in response to the generally accepted version of history mentioned up the thread - that the place went downhill after Trev left.
Not the whole story I'm afraid.
I would say the guy defending Beattie is Bettie
But Beattie doesn't read books, so I guess he doesn't read blogs either.
With people like Craigen, Flintham, Tony & Kim, Rosie Arnold, O'Keefe, etc glued to their chairs eternally I find really hard for an agency who's out there shopping to get someone of their stature.
Can you imagine any of them being lured our of their posts? Not me.
what about scamp for the job?
with scowling ad as head of art or something?
Of course no one's going to be lured from a really good job to a less good job. Obv.
That's why they need someone up and coming. Or maybe they go for a network guy. Or abroad or something. DDB South Africa very good at campaigns for batteries.
maybe they don't need someone who's a 'big name'. isn't that what they just tried?
people can make their name as a CD too after all.....
saying that.....nick worthington? might be sick of NZ now?
No, I'm not Trevor but you should show more respect for a man of his talent, that's all I'm saying.
How about Andrew Fraser?
'Trevor' –
there's respect......and then there's putting people on a pedestal and believing what you read in Campaign.....
I know who's going to be CD at TBWA in Aug.
It's already done and dusted.
I just can't tell anyone.
of course it's done and dusted, it nearly always is....
3:24 PM, That's exactly my point, who would want to leave their posts? But still TBWA needs someone of their stature for political reasons. This is not Mother or Shop or whatever. This is Omnicom. They need a big name to show it off on Campaign next month so their clients can feel at ease.
Ben & Matt are nice guys but I think they've lost momentum.
Nick Worthington has a very appropriate first name.
@Anon 3:37 PM
Of course it's being planned for months but you know shit, mate.
Two names have been mentioned but that's it. You're in the dark as the rest of us and I should know. I work there.
@3.39
Probably well qualified for the job then!
Maybe they'll just give to Al Yound and Frazer Jellybaby
...all i'll say is you're all way off with your guesses.
I hate to break this to you all, but it's Mark Wnek.
well then why don't you tell us?
If you're right you'll be right.
If you're wrong you'll be joined by loads of other people on here.
And if you don't do anything, you're obviously talking horse shit.
Wnek, that's what I heard too.
Aaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrgggggggghhhhhh
And Garry Lace and Ben Langdon.
Dream team.
Wnek it is. Thank god I'm anon.
Wnek? I'm off.
seems fishy to me.
if you wanted to push on from Steve Henry and get back to where the place was, you'd hardly hire Wnek to do it.
Wenk is just one of the candidates.
I feel more at ease knowing there's a second one.
The second one is Tiger Savage.
Awesome - can't wait to be working under her...... Mmmmmmm
Wnek, god no!!!
Steve Henry is a legend. HHCL was the last UK agency to truly revolutionise the nation's advertising. (Just as Trotty's GGT did before them). For me, Mother came close but didn't truly re-invent in quite the same way. Fallon is kinda like the new BMP DDB (classic, with Juan adding a sort of Walter&Tom-at-AMV effect). W+K London, arguably the best agency in town, holds true to the original W+K template. Where's the next revolutionary UK agency? Or more importantly, when...
Anon 5.11
Fallon, the new BMP? Is that your arse typing?. BMP had many years of brilliance and consistency. John Webster's produced ideas that could stretch for years, not just one offs. Fallon is just a fad and Juan can't even follow Gorilla because there's not an idea behind it.
W+K the best agency in town? You're talking shit mate. W+K was just the previous fad. Most of their work over the last two years has been underwhelming. Milk, milk? Nokia? Honda parachutes? It'd be nice if Ben Walker was so tough with their own shit and not just at Campaign's Private View.
Leave Ben alone I heard he was just up to his neck with Fray Bentos.
re 5.39
did Ben slate your work in his last Private View?
Anon 6:05 PM
Sensible question, mate.
I wish he did but apparently wasn't even good enough to get picked.
@ 5:39
What is the best agency in town then?
Steve Henry is a legend. HHCL was the last UK agency to truly revolutionise the nation's advertising. (Just as Trotty's GGT did before them). For me, Mother came close but didn't truly re-invent in quite the same way. Fallon is kinda like the new BMP DDB (classic, with Juan adding a sort of Walter&Tom-at-AMV effect). W+K London, arguably the best agency in town, holds true to the original W+K template. Where's the next revolutionary UK agency? Or more importantly, when...>>>>>
well said. the truth.
what's the best agency in london? Arguably Mother. but there's no clear arse-kicker in the UK like here in the USA where it's, you guessed it, Crispin Porter.
Mother? I almost fell for it, Mark.
What are you doing with the yanks btw?
Kitt katt Nohr rocks easily the best agency in london FACT
I absolutely agree that comparing Fallon to BMP is about 10 years and 20 great campaigns too short.
From the stuff I've seen, its felt like TBWA has spent its time post-Beattie wandering in a haze trying to replicate its past glories. It needs to find itself again.
Of course it doesnt help that disruption as a theory needs a hell of a lot of post-rationalising in this era of advertising.
Borat... I've been there. It's ok. But it doesn't rock.
P.
Good to see that shower of an Orange ad got the kicking it so rightly deserved in Campaign today.
What utter shite.
"I am changing networks because my provider's spokesperson is a lyrical cunt"
Seriously what is all that about?
re: anon 9.37
Who are you?! If i find out who you are i'm going to punch you in the nose! you, you coward! don't be bad mouthing Kittkatt Nohr
9.37am. Is it racist day on Scamp? Or are you just a bit of a bell end?
O and don't think i've forgotten about you anon 12.55, i'm saving a punch in the nose for you too.
so what's all this about Ed Morris bigging up BMB? is it an in joke? whats the punch line?
Here are my odds:
6/4 Nick Bell
7/2 Mark Wnek
10/1 Tiger Savage
30/1 Wankabral
100/1 Don Draper
Fact is there are no creative directors these days. All the power rests with the client and the planners. All Creative Directors can do is make decisions on the hoof that they hope mitigate the worst excesses of the talentless wankers who hold the strings. The days of scary, well respected heavyweight Creative Directors have gone. All today's "big" names have got there by foul means not talent and all the small names have neither the skills or the gravitas.
If anyone told me the specifically wanted to be a Creative Director I'd worry about their sanity. No huge salary or respect, no writing ads anymore (except when your creative dept fuck up and then you've only got 2 hours) just sheer unrelenting stress and a queue of fuckwits waiting outside your office every fucking minute of the day. The best Creative Directors have Creative Directorships thrust onto them as they kick and scream to be left alone to do good work.
Ha! Wankabral...brilliant. I'm going to pretend I came up with it.
book maker,
if it is 150-1 the bar those I will have a ten pounds on Gooden and Walker.
Ben & Matt. I doubt it.
Agencies don't hire teams as ECD's anymore.
It's twice as expensive.
I assure you, it is definately not Ben and Matt. They are happy as pigs in shit where they are.
12.10
was that accidental comic genius?
100 Yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i reckon tbwa will end up with Lily Savage
Word is that they're talking to someone from the US, and i don't mean Wnek.
Steve Henry is a legend. HHCL was the last UK agency to truly revolutionise the nation's advertising. (Just as Trotty's GGT did before them). For me, Mother came close but didn't truly re-invent in quite the same way. Fallon is kinda like the new BMP DDB (classic, with Juan adding a sort of Walter&Tom-at-AMV effect). W+K London, arguably the best agency in town, holds true to the original W+K template. Where's the next revolutionary UK agency? Or more importantly, when...>>>>>
I wrote the above.
The haters might have missed that I said Fallon is 'KINDA LIKE' the new BMP DDB. I agree that Fallon are a good few years and great campaigns behind (give 'em time), however Richard and Andy created a spirit and vibe there that is reminiscent of old BMP DDB. And unlike that esteemed agency, Fallon (along with Mother and W+K) own up to all the work they produce, they do their utmost to shine on all their creative product (BMP like most other big successful creative agencies had a good few ugly skeletons in the closet - Felix Catfood and Johnsons amongst others). Boy there's a lot of vitriol on this site. Makes me smile. Keep it up.
If you mean the black and white Felix cat, then I dont see why they would be ashamed of it. Cat owners love it, and those ads single handedly turned an also ran into the second biggest cat food brand in the country.
ok. so my comment about the creepy guy at kitcatt nohr (not the racist comment, another one) probably should of been removed... Are you going to remove every anti-juan comment as well from now on.
didn't think so
next TBWA CD?
doesn't matter the place is going down like a f**ked lift.
All their accounts are pan-European adapts. the few jewels they had they've screwed up, playstation & John Smiths are both a mess.
HHCL were truly inspirational. Leave it Lenny. You've done your bit. Go buy a house in the country and paint yourself orange and run around naked all day long.
You're mad to think Ben n Matt would leave a great agency for a shit one.
I was on placement at TBWA a little while ago and it's not just Steve Henry that was the problem.
It's the account men and planners too.
I had some snot nosed account man telling me to change my Ad, even before it went to client. What's that all about.
To be fair though, Henry was really shit, a real disapointment to the creative i thought he was.
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