TALBOT STOCKS UP CREATIVE AT DDB

Barely eight weeks into his new job as DDB New Zealand’s Executive Creative Director, Toby Talbot is driving a whirlwind of creative change through the agency.
Four new creatives come onboard next month to add depth to the existing team, and more hirings are likely.
Says Talbot: “This is not change for change sake. I’m just mixing the great talent that’s already here with fresh perspectives and different outlooks. New energy and new approaches are the lifeblood of all agencies. DDB is no different.”
Joining new Art Director Emmanuel Bougneres, formerly with Publicis Mojo Auckland, who’s returning from a brief OE with Jung Von Matt in Stuttgart, is the Perth-based creative team Joe Hawkins (pictured above) and Brett Colliver (below), currently working at Gatecrasher.
Talbot describes the Australian team as ‘hungry and talented - the best combination: “There’s a tradition of young teams from Perth coming here and doing really well. Western Australia, like New Zealand, is geographically remote and seems to foster free-thinkers. Creatively, it’s a parallel universe to ours.”
“Joe and Brett have a clutch of awards and have proved themselves locally, but now they’re ready to step up. We’re delighted to be bringing them over and they’re very excited by the challenge.”
In the interactive space, Greg Forsyth at Tribal DDB has secured Chris Jones as DDB’s new Senior Interactive Art Director. Moving from Saatchi & Saatchi, where he was a rising star in the interactive department, Jones was responsible for the bulk of the agency’s award-winning interactive work over the past two years, such as the Young Guns website.
Says Forsyth: “Chris is a fantastic asset. He’ll have a roving brief across every department. He did really well at Saatchi’s, but now he’s ready for a bigger canvas.”