Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Advertising, Attitude & Aptitude, Augustine, Cannes, Colenso, Creative Development, Creativity, Culture, Management, Perspective, Relationships, Relevance, Reputation, Resonance
So this is another post about Augustine.
I know … I know … haven’t I done enough of those already?
I mean, seriously … wasn’t the over-long, over-sentimental love letter to her when she left Colenso, enough?
Or what about when I used the Cannes stage to promote her to the global ad community?
But apparently that fucker made such an impression on me I’m going to write another post about her.
Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad it it was about her buck-toothed, ‘Bugs Bunny mouth’ when she was a kid … but it’s not. What it is, is about this:
I stole that pic off Augustine’s insta.
It’s a screen grab she took when we caught up a few weeks ago.
And I have to say, I bloody love it.
Because despite the fact it highlights how my home office always looks green – despite there being absolutely no green in there whatsoever – her smile is brighter than the sun.
And this makes me happy.
Because it means she is happy. And doing well.
And she is. Both very happy and very well … which means, maybe – just maybe – she is starting to realise how good she is and, even more importantly, how good she can be.
Which makes me all kinds of happy …
Because I’ve seen far too many talented people never quite realise what they could be, because they didn’t want to run towards it, they wanted it to run right up to them. And as I wrote about the Nottingham Forest striker, Taiwo Awonyi, at some point you have to make the decision you want it and will go for it.
It’s why I was so adamant she had to do it.
It’s why we spent 2 years preparing her to do it.
It’s why we all were so supportive about her doing it.
Because while there’s no guarantee it will come off in the way you hope or dream … you can guarantee you have more of a shot of it happening, than not trying at all.
And Augustine is taking her shot.
Not watching from the sidelines, but on the court.
Playing. Competing. Challenging. And most of all, happy as she’s living, growing and learning.
Which is why – even though I had absolutely nothing to do with all she is achieving – the smile on her face makes me feel like we’ve both won.
I miss you Augustine. And I’m proud as fuck of you.
Filed under: Augustine, Bassot, Birthday, Bonnie, Cannes, Jill, Love, Nottingham, Paul, Paula, Relationships, Tattoo
So today is the last post for about 3 weeks.
No, it’s not because I am still upset about the loss of my ring – I am, but I’ve found a way to move past it which I’ll write about when I’m back – it’s because I’m about to go on a mass of travel, including talking at Cannes with Paula.
But in addition to all that, I feel I’ve reached a point where I have nothing to write about.
If I think about it, that’s stupid … because I NEVER run out of things and right now – with things like Dream Bigger – I’ve got more good things to write about than I have in years.
Which means I really need a bit of a break … and while the next 3 weeks will be the opposite of that, a change is as good as a rest so expect me to come back fizzing with stuff to shout about.
Of which 86.32% will be my usual pants.
The rest may be pretty good.
Talking of pretty good, I should highlight all that’s going to happen while I’m away.
First – of course – is my birthday. My 55th fucking birthday, which is nothing to celebrate whatsoever, hence it’s pretty convenient that’s the day I fly out of NZ.
Secondly, it’s Jill’s birthday on the 15th … which, yet again, I am missing. I could say that is my gift to her, but I’m gutted to be missing her special day. She is a truly special human … and the longer we are together, the more I appreciate all she is and all she does. She deserves so much more, but I hope she knows I love her with all my heart, even if I somehow seem to always be away on her most special of days. And then – as the final birthday fuck-up – I get to miss my mate Paul’s birthday.
What is even more ridiculous is I’ll be in Nottingham 2 days before his big day and yet – in another demonstration of my terrible planning skills – I’ve managed to make sure I’ll be gone just as he celebrates his double 5 day.
Bloody hell, I’m missing so many important dates, I just hope I make it in time to be on stage with Paula.
[Not just because we have a speech to do, but because I’ve not seen her in the flesh since we spoke at Cannes way back in 2023!]
Given the last few weeks have seen people leaving [Martin, Augustine and Lizzie]. lost wedding rings [me], broken toes [Otis], COVID [also Otis] … I’m quite nervous about getting on the plane, so to ensure you don’t miss me too much – you can listen to me blather-on the OnStrategy podcast when Fergus came to New Zealand.
At the very least, it will help you sleep … and maybe, just maybe, you’ll wake up in time to see a brand, spanking new, exciting blog post from me.
But I wouldn’t bet on it.
And if you don’t like that, you can marvel at the latest ridiculous tattoo I’ve had done.
I say ‘ridiculous’, but every one of them is personal to me.
This one is for Bonnie, our pooch.
You see, when I was growing up, my favourite biscuit in the whole-wide-world was the Bourbon biscuit.
It was nothing fancy. In fact, it was probably a bit pauper – I think you could get a pack from Asda or Glens for 10 pence, albeit that 10 pence back then was probably like 10 quid now or something. Anyway, the Bourbon was 2 chocolate rectangular biscuits sandwiching a chocolate creme filling.
And it was fucking yum.
Or so I thought …
You see I had one recently and I have to admit, it tasted more cardboard than chocolate.
But regardless, when we learned our dog was chocolate brown in colour, I rallied the family around the idea of choosing a name inspire by my fave Bourbon biccie … which is my long way of explaining this.
I know. I know.
So with that, I’m off to offend the stylish South of France residents with my speech and tattoo. So until I see you in a few weeks, have fun with the peace and quiet.
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Advertising, Attitude & Aptitude, Augustine, Colenso, Creative Development, Creativity, New Zealand, Planners, Planning, Reputation, Respect, Strategy
The Colenso strat team are kinda like busses.
None leave for years, and then 2 leave within a month.
Add then Lizzie goes off on maternity leave soon … so that makes 3.
Christ almighty … that’s more than the total number of strategists who have left in the 4 years I’ve been here.
But like Martin before her, Augustine is going for all the right reasons. In fact, I had told her in her last review that if she didn’t leave this year – I’d fire her.
And before anyone thinks that’s a toxic thing to say, I need you to know I adore Augustine … utterly, bloody love her … and the threat of firing her was an act of love rather than an act of bastard evil.
You see Augustine is a pretty rare talent …
She joined us during COVID without the faintest fucking idea what advertising was, let alone strategy. And yet despite that, in just 4 years, she has built a portfolio of work that could put much more experienced strategists to shame.
She’s helped Colenso win major new clients across NZ, Australia and America. She’s led our cultural studies, reports and books – from Dream Small and Dream Bigger in NZ to X-Ray in Australia. She’s authored award-winning Effie’s, Spikes and (hopefully, at time of writing) APG papers. She’s presented to the CEO’s and CMO’s of some of the biggest companies in Asia-Pac and – most importantly of all – she’s helped create some of Colenso’s most loved work of the last few years; from the FFI collab with Rick & Morty through to the pioneering Killabyte gaming festival idea.
And if that wasn’t enough to make people hate her with jealousy, she’s done it while being compassionate, collaborative and bloody good human to boot.
What an asshole!
But for all the talent she has, her potential can only stand a chance of being fully realized if it’s fully tested – and that’s why she’s not just leaving Colenso, but New Zealand.
Obviously, I’m sad to see her go – pretty devastated in fact – but I also am thrilled, proud and excited for her.
She’s been talking about this for a long time.
We’ve spent the last few years preparing her for this moment.
And while she still has things to learn – don’t we all?! – her talent and portfolio of work means she has a fantastic foundation to really go and embrace what’s out there.
To test herself.
To prove herself.
To grow herself.
Of course, moving overseas is a big thing. And the market is arguably more challenging than ever before. But even with those challenges, I wouldn’t ever bet against her in terms of achieving something she can feel proud of.
I’m not saying it will be easy, but in addition to her talent and her body of work, she has 4 things that give her an edge.
Her work ethic.
Her hunger to learn.
Her desire to keep getting better.
Her ability to survive working with me – and trust me, I’ve put her through heaps.
Last point aside, those first 3 attributes are things our industry doesn’t talk enough about.
Worse, we often classify them as ‘toxic traits’.
But the reality is, if you want to get better, it’s more than just turning up – you have to want it, work for it and keep practicing it.
That’s true in all aspects of life but what I love about Augustine is that her drive isn’t because she has a blind ambition to move further and faster up the career ladder, it’s because she gains real satisfaction from simply knowing she is continually getting better at what she does.
Not because she wants to ‘optimize’ her approach, but because she wants to develop and express the full force of her own strategic voice.
It’s one of the main reasons why I wanted her to leave us – because the more she is exposed to different challenges, different people and different creative approaches, the more she will discover who she is and who she can become.
That’s really important to me because – as I’ve written many times – I’ve always believed a bosses role is to help their people recognise their talent, nurture it and prove it so when they leave [as we all do at some point] they’re in a position to seize or explore opportunities that they either felt were not available to them or didn’t even know existed.
But this move is far more than just about career growth, but life … as demonstrated by the fact she is moving to Paris rather than one of the ‘usual suspect’ markets.
This is not because she is being ‘un-strategic’ but because she wants to connect more deeply to her French heritage.
Don’t get me wrong, Augustine is most definitely a Kiwi … however she has French family and feels a real affinity for the French culture and wants to embrace, immerse and explore all of it.
That doesn’t mean she will be there forever – could be, but who knows – but it does means this is more than an ‘overseas adventure’ but the beginning of a whole new chapter of life and if that isn’t worth celebrating and championing, I don’t know what is.
However, my loss is Europe’s gain because Augustine is going to be available for freelance, because while she will be based in France, her brain can work for any timezone, category or culture.
I’m not just saying that, I’ve seen it and experienced it – mainly because I forced her to live it – but the bonus is everyone out there now has the opportunity to work with someone they’ll not only adore as a strategist, but as a human.
I love building teams.
I love the debates, the conversations and the creativity.
In many ways they always teach me more than I ever teach them.
Which is why I think the payoff for that is that – at some point – they all break my heart by buggering off.
Except the pain is soothed by the pride of what they do and what they create, which is why I want to sign off this post to Augustine with this.
Augustine:
Thank you for all you did for us and gave to us. [Except Covid]
Thank you for your smarts, patience, bants and reluctance to report me to HR.
Believe in your smarts.
Believe in your words.
Be humble with your talent, but go burn the fucking house down in all you do.
Au revoir.
Rx
You can reach her here.
Filed under: 2025, A Bit Of Inspiration, Advertising, Agency Culture, Ambition, America, Attitude & Aptitude, Auckland, Augustine, Authenticity, Bassot, Blogosphere, Bonnie, Business, Cannes, China, Clients, Colenso, Colleagues, Comment, Community, Context, Creative Development, Creativity, Culture, Death, Doctor, Dolly, Dream Bigger, Education, Emotion, Empathy, End of Year, Experience, Family, Friendship, Happiness, Health, Hope, Human Goodness, Imagination, Jill, London, Love, Loyalty, Luck, Management, Marketing, Marketing Fail, Metallica, Miley, Mischief, Music, New Zealand, Nottingham Forest, OnStrategy, Otis, Paula, Perspective, Planes, Planners, Planning, Presenting, Professionalism, Relationships, Relevance, Reputation, Resonance, Ridiculous, Shanghai, Singapore, Standards, Stories, Strategy, Sydney, Tattoo, Wieden+Kennedy
So I know that I’ve only just got back to writing this blog after being away for my eye-op, but today is going to be the last post of this year. Yes, it’s earlier than it normally is. Yes, I will miss reporting on some stuff like the shitshow that was Fuck Off And Pie ’25 [which happened yesterday and was renamed to ‘Fuck Off And Die’ … because the theme was ‘hot spice’] but there’s 2 main reasons why I’m ending this year’s blog today:
1. My eyesight is still pretty bad so typing takes me a bloody age. [Don’t get excited, this blog will be back when I’m back – which is the 19th Jan – over a month away]
2. It’s Otis’ 11th birthday tomorrow and so the rest of this week is all about him.
That said, this will be a long post … not because it needs to make up the 5 weeks or so this blog will be quiet or because I think people want to read what I’m spouting [let’s be honest, does anyone even read this blog anymore?!], but because it serves as a reminder for me of what I’ve done over the past 300+ days.
The reality is, while this years been dominated by my health, it’s been a generally good year.
Yes, there have been some incredibly hard moments … from the tragic passing of 8 people I knew and cared about – that bizarrely all occurred around the same, short period of time – that still deeply affects me to this day through to the individual I once valued and respected highly, who ended up showing me how fragile trust becomes when someone stops meeting you with the same honesty, then denies it, takes no accountability for it, then runs from it.
But even with all that – and it was pretty shit, made more painful by the fact I was contending with my own health dramatics – I feel very fortunate that I still experienced more high points in 2025 than sad. And given how tough this year has been for so many people, I appreciate how fortunate I am to say that.
And what high points they were …
Getting Bonnie … who has not just added such joy to the family, but has helped Otis in ways we could only dream of.
Watching the family thrive, shine and be happy makes everything worthwhile.
I got some lovely new tattoos.
Finding a brilliant new school for Otis that specialises in kids with his particular contexts and conditions.
Seeing some old friends I’ve not seen for years … topped-off by not just seeing Paula after 2 years away, but speaking with her at Cannes, which was extra-special.
Getting a new car … which I appreciate is as indulgent as hell, but it made me very happy until I had to stop driving it because of my eye. Fucking karma, ha.
My Life Vs Time thing that seemed to touch the nerve of a lot of people all over the place.
Wednesday, September 24th … where I found myself sitting on the steps outside Wieden+Kennedy Shanghai on a very warm night – around midnight – chatting to someone I’d met on that trip that turned into one of the seminal memories and moments of my life, despite the fact all we did was chat for a couple of hours and I’ll never see or talk to that person again. But grateful for that moment.
Talking of Wieden+Kennedy …
I went back to see them after 8 years and not only was it lovely – and surprising – to see some old faces, I got to leave some new stickers all over the place.
Now back to other stuff …
I bought a suit. A good suit. Which surprises me as much as it likely shocks you.
Seeing Ange Postecoglou get fired after 39 days of destruction and arrogance.
Working on some incredible projects for people who are truly wonderful, talented and creative humans.
Being overwhelmed with the kindness and generosity of people and clients in relation to my health and wellbeing … with special thanks and gratitude to Peter, who – on behalf of his clients – organized the surgeon who invented the surgical procedure I was going to have, to be part of the team who took on the drama and trauma of my operation. While we are still waiting to see if it was as successful as we all hope, I know I would not be even in this situation without him, the surgeons, the medical staff, my GP – Stephen Sohn – and the optician at Specsavers in Glenfield Mall … who all contributed to this having a shot of a happy ending.
Hanging out with some of the most famous and talented people in the World. Yep … at various points in the year, I found myself having dinner with a music/fashion superstar, an international model, one of the World’s most famous and iconic humans, a Hollywood screenwriter, the family behind one of the World’s most powerful and desirable Italian luxury brands, some Rock Gods and – on a wild 16 hours in NYC – gatecrashing the birthday party of the wife of one of the music industry’s most famous managers where I spent the evening sat between the wives of 2 different Rockstars who were so welcoming and epic before Taylor Swift entered the restaurant. [Culminating in a gift from one of them which was their way of telling me I was now ‘family’, which still blows my mind]
Having Metallica come to NZ after over a decade away, including a cup of tea at my house for some special guests.
Travelling a lot … including FOUR visits to my beloved China where, on one trip, I got to show some of my Colenso colleagues around for their first time there.
Talking of Colenso ….
We made some properly good work [of which, I’m particularly proud of the Family Roast stuff we did for Medibank for a whole bunch of different reasons and you can see the ad here, and the game here] , launched the brilliant ‘Dream Bigger’ book, won a bunch of international awards [though seeing us not win, we should have, was annoying – ha] and got to host/meet Fergus and his OnStrategy podcast in NZ.
In addition, while it was sad to see Martin and Augustine leave Colenso, I got to see them do great things on their new adventures while also getting to welcome James and Miz – who fitted in like they had been here for years. [Not to mention the wonderfulness of the team at large, who kept me learning, thinking]
As you can see, that’s a lot of good things … more than I probably deserve … but I am grateful for all of them.
Almost as grateful as I am for my son Otis.
Tomorrow, he turns 11. ELEVEN!!!
How the fuck has that happened? And while he has gone through many schools and classes in Shanghai, LA, London, Hundson and Auckland … the fact he is about to end his ‘primary school’ journey seems particularly momentous.
And yet, despite all these changes … and despite his dysgraphia challenges … he has handled it all so brilliantly of which one thing I am very proud of, is his ability to express when it is all getting too much for him.
I appreciate that may sound weird for a parent to be proud of … but I am.
Because if he feels comfortable enough to say when stress and anxiety is beginning to take hold, not only we can help him deal with it – in collaboration with his teachers who have generally been very supportive – it means we have created an environment where he feels safe and seen, and that means the World to us. And hopefully to him too.
He’s such a good kid, surrounded by other good kids.
Cheeky, mischievous, supportive, funny, passionate, compassionate. honorable, curious and independent.
And while they will all be going to different schools in the new year, I am confident they will maintain their friendship. Part of that is because of the way New Zealand works … but part of that is because of the bond they have. One built on more than just proximity, but a real connection based on shared interests, values and energy.
It took me a long time to realise how much energy plays into just how much you connect and relate to people.
Maybe that’s because I’m slow and stupid … but energy matching seems to be the real heart of connection. At least deep connection. And while Otis has met kids who share that with him in every country we’ve lived – most notably, his beloved Elodie in LA – he’s met more in NZ.
Of course, part of that is because he’s older and exposed to more … but for a kid that doesn’t really love the ‘outdoor life’ as is celebrated by all Kiwi’s [which, to be fair, is just like his old man] he’s definitely met his ‘peeps’ here. Maybe that’s why he has said that – while he knows we will leave NZ at some point in the future – he will want to come back and live here. And if that’s not the biggest compliment to the people of NZ, I don’t know what is. Which explains why that as much as my heart belongs to China, my gratitude will forever be with NZ.
So to my dear Otis …
Happy birthday my wonderful son.
I can’t put into words how much I love you but I can say how proud I am to be able to call myself ‘your Dad’.
I hope you have a wonderful day playing Geometry Dash and I can’t wait to celebrate your birthday with you and your friends this weekend.
Big love, hugs and laughs from your Dad, Mum and pooch.
Love you.
Rx
I’ve probably missed stuff to celebrate but this post is already too long so let me end it by saying a big thank you to everyone who has played a part in the good parts of my year as well as those who have popped by to read my rubbish on here.
Without wishing to sound too sentimental, but I am more grateful to you than you may ever know and I hope – whatever you are doing or celebrating – it soothes any pain you are feeling and/or elevates any happiness you’re experiencing.
Just don’t have a better time or better presents than I hopefully will receive over this period – hahaha.
And with that, I’ll see you on the 19th Jan 2026, and here’s to it being a better year than the shitstorm it has been for so many.
Hopefully … with almost 6 weeks of blog freedom, I’m starting it off on a positive.
See you on the other side.
Rx