Watford Legends
Every Watford graduate makes a big contribution to the world of advertising. There are some students,however, who deserve a special mention for their achievements. This list also includes people who make, or have made, contributions outside the field of Advertisng .
1 Caroline Pay.
Caroline graduated in 1998 and secured a placement ,before leaving college, at Kessels Kramer with her partner Ben Tollet. Caroline has only ever worked at great agencies..............Mother, BBH and Wieden Kennedy.
A few years back Caroline along with Kim her partner at Mother were cited in Campaign magazine as the best creative team in the UK. Her creative work includes award winning campaigns for Orange,Shweppes,Dr Pepper and Levis.
A smashingly talented creative with a strong understanding of client needs.
Caroline is currently one of our external assessors. When she visits the college she brings her own packed lunch. Terrific lady.
Currently a CD at Karmarama.
2 Leon Jaume, Executive Creative Director, WCRS.
I was ambling around Notting Hill on a recent Saturday afternoon in a desperate attempt to find the QPR football ground. There was young couple in front of me .(The man had long hair and was pushing a pram so I presumed he was young).
As I passed him I looked round to discover it was Leon Jaume. He was clutching a small brown bag. " I've just been to buy some sausages", he said.
Top bloke. Top writer. I've known him for decades. But I still haven't worked out how he can still look 35 years younger than me.
3 Chas Bayfield/Jim Bolton.
May 1992. Two months of the course to go and the only two students who didn't have a creative partner were taking refuge at opposite corners of the college library. They were by the anthropology section.
They were scared. They were worried. They teamed up. Two months later they had a fantastic book. A further two months later they had a job at Howell Henry under the watchful eyes of Steve Henry and Axel Chaldecott.
HHCL were the agency of the 1990's and Chas and Jim's ideas scorched across the media at regular intervals. To say these guys are talented is an understatement of immense proportions.
Their BLACKCURRANT TANGO, SEBASTIAN, TV ad is still regarded as one of the best television ads of all time.
Jim is currently a Creative Director at Burnetts and Chas is on a mission to become a rock and roll star with his band Christians in Advertising.
4 Howard Willmot/Duncan Marshall.
Two of my earliest students.
Howard and Duncan were known as "The Professionals" at Watford. They teamed up in the first term and every campaign they wrote was sprinkled with unimpeachable logic and a tinge of madness. Duncan had no art school training but he had an unquenchable propensity to learn his craft and he developed in to a super art director. Howard was a wizard with words and his sardonic wit and eloquence warmed us on many a winter's day in the cold rooms of Watford.
Howard is currently in some high powered European Creative Director's role for DDB and Duncan is a Creative Director at Droga 5, supposedly the best agency on the planet.
5 Zane Radcliffe.
When I interviewed this bright eyed boy from Bangor I asked him how he got the name Zane. "My mother gave it to me", he replied" His laconic way with words suggested an interesting writing career would lie ahead for him.
I like Zane alot. He had an intelligence and a burning passion to develop his writing in broader ways than just within the advertising trade. He, with his partner, Mike Oughton burned a trail through Leo Burnetts, winning a clutch of British Television awards and Dand AD's.
Zane took some time out from the Industry to write his first novel, London Irish. He has subsequently written two more books and now resides in Edinburgh. He is Creative Director of Newhaven.
6 Andy Hands.
Very rarely someone comes in to your life and changes your whole way of thinking for the better.
Andy Hands was diagnosed with testicular cancer only two days before enrolling on the Watford programme. Initially he didn't wish his illness to be known fearing it would affect his chances of finding a creative partner.
As a mature student he quickly became a 'daddy' to the group and an unofficial tutor for me. He encouraged every student. He pushed every idea.
He made us laugh. And he made us cry.
He was at the centre of every workshop and every debate. He didn't miss a minute of Watford.He booked his chemotherapy in the holidays.
The course and the students meant so much to Andy that he chose to spend Christmas day being pumped full of cancer drugs rather than miss the start of the new term in January. He never once looked for sympathy.
He chose to work as hard as he could to develop his folio and to help others in their creative challenges.
Andy's humour and wit never diminished.
One evening at dinner we were listening to Neil Young. The track "DON'T LET IT BRING YOU DOWN", was playing in the background.
Andy turned to Mike Comley and me and said that he had chosen this track to be played at his funeral.
We didn't take him seriously as at this time, Andy was reacting well to his treatment and appeared to be getting stronger.
Six months later Andy lost his life in January 2003.
Mike Comley and I walked out of his funeral listening to Neil Young one more time.
I am certain he would be a huge copywriter, possibly a creative director, if he were alive today.
He will remain the biggest inspiration we have ever had at Watford.
7 Yanny(Ian) Elliott/Jim Hoskings.
These guys took a while to warm up at Watford but once the penny dropped you could hear it hit the ground in Malaysia.
They were the freshest, most original thinkers in their year. They had Howell Henry embossed on their medulla oblongata before said agency existed.
I still have their work at Watford. I still use it for teaching.
It's no surprise the boys ended up at HHCL and won more awards than I have eyelashes. Jim went off to New York to write and direct for MTV. Yanny continued on the awards trail at GGT, Mother and WCRS.
Jim is still directing. Yanny is a Creative Director at WCRS.
I owe Yanny a beer as he has helped the course so much over the years.
Golden Oldies
The course has been turning out top creative talent since 1962.Here are some more ex-students who left the course with a book of hand - carved ads in stone blocks and a few bits of copy from the oil driven college typewriters.
These creatives went on to remould and remodel advertising and blew the doors of perception off its hinges.
8 Neil Patterson.
An erudite Scot. This wonderful wordsmith took over the creative director's spot at TBWA when John Hegarty left to form BBH. Now known to be sitting in a boat somewhere in a remote part of Scotland battling with a 50 pounder.
9 Jeremy Sinclair.
Joined a new agency called Saatchi and Saatchi in the mid 1970's. Flew to the helm of what became the most creative creative department in the world.
Masterminded the work for Margaret Thatcher's winning Election campaign in 1979.
His creative stewardship not only changed the face of advertising it changed the direction of the country.
Now an Executive Creative Director at MandC Saatchi.
10 Dave Brown.
Remember CDP? Along with Saatchis, CDP rewrote the rule book on advertising. Dave was a Creative Director of CDP when the agency was in its prime and turning out wonderful campaigns for Hamlet, Benson and Hedges, Heineken and Olympus.
Dave went on to form a TV production company with Mel Smith and Griff Rees- Jones in the 1980's and directed many award winning ads.
Last seen at the Walkers Stadium cheering on Leicester City.
11 Malcolm Gluck.
Retired Creative Director/wine writer for the Guardian and Sainsbury's
12 Paul Fishlock.
One of the leading Creative Directors in Australia
13 Kes Grey.
Ex Creative Director. Autor of children's books.
14 Steve Reeves. Commercials Director.
15 James Cooper.
James was and is still a fabulous writer, a lovely chap and a keen footballer. He was also ahead of his time.
in 1997 he could smell the digital wind blowing off the Gulf stream and he embarked on a career as an interactive copywriter for Ogilvy, London.
He grew into the role and developed his creative expertise until he was poached by the newly formed Digital agency Dare to work with Flo Heiss. Under James and Flo's direction, Dare soon became a major force and picked up many creative awards along the way.
James, and Flo, have paid back Watford over the years by hosting many training sessions and workshops for our creative teams.
16 Micky Tudor and Brian Turner.
Take one erudite, quick witted Englisman with a passion for Arsenal and one barking mad Glaswegian with Rangers running through his veins.
Add a few briefs. Sit them by the window.Sit back and watch the creative display.
A great team is based on loyalty, trust, dedication, friendship, hard graft and humour. Brian and Micky possessed all these attributes and more.
It took them a while to get a toe- hold on the business. A rocky patch at GGT was followed up with a placement at Lowe where their humour was put to good use on brands like Heinken, (they wrote Quiet Binmen) , and Reebok,(Belly's Gonna Get Yer).
When Charles Inge left Lowes to set up CHI he took Brian and Micky as founding creative partners. Micky is still at CHI as a Creative Director and resident golf coach and Brian left to set up his own ideas/marketing company called Moo Cow.
17 Jim Thornton.
If Jim was a Quality Street he would be the one that everyone likes. The coffee cream.
I have never met anyone in the business who has had an average word to say about Jim.
Jim is a creative inspiration and a gentleman.
Working up through the ranks of JWT then on to GGT to be Robert Saville's right hand man he has gathered respect quicker than Usain Bolt eats up the track.
He's a great creative director and was instrumental in the development of Mother before taking on the Creative Director's role at Burnett.
Lately, he has been freelancing back at Mother.
A wonderfully incisive creative mind fronted by a genuine smile .
18. Danny Brooke-Taylor.
It is rare for any of my creatives to go anywhere else other than London.
Danny graduated and pursued a career in the frozen North and quickly established himself in Manchester .
And , in the time it takes Gary Barlow to write a chorus, Danny was appoiinted Creative Director of TBWA Manchester.
A move to the main UK office followed where Danny worked alongside Trevor Beattie as Head of Art.
Currently Danny is Creative Director at MCBD and is writing award winning ads for Hovis and probably making lots of bread.
watch this space...more legends will appear soon..Ben Tollet you could be next.. Rooney Carruthers ?. Antony Goldstein ? Gavin Lester ? Neil Riley? Mark Blanchard? Richard Prentice ? Reg Starkey? Alistair Wood ? Rick Brown ? Jon Fox ? Richard Baynham ? George Prest,? Jonny Leathers?, Brian Cooper? Mike Oughton ? Jason Bolton? Carolina Lander ? Pat Burns? Ian Gabaldoni ? Ewan Patterson ? Dave Waters ? Gavin McGrath ? Jim Hoskings? Tom Geens ? Ed Morris ? Brian Cooper? Darren Wright? Lucy Collier? Eloise Smith ? Simon Welsh ? Rita Dempsey ? Ben Tollett ? Danny Brooke-Taylor? Damon Hutson Flynn? Kev Masters? Matt Lee ? Pete Heyes? Graeme Hall? Andy Blood ? Alistair Campbell? Hugh Todd? Adam Scholes ? Andy Jex? Rob Potts ? Ben Carey? Susie Hodge ? Alan Davis? Jeremy Willy ? Frank Ginger? Stu Harkness? Natalie Ranger ? Richard Beesening ? Milo Campbell? Tony Burke ? Steve Reeves ? Guy Manwaring ? Tim Collins ? Neil Riley ? Jonathan Grainger ? Scamp ? Pat Docherty ? Al Young ? Richard Stoney? Ben Kay ? Jon Elsom ? Kate Stanners ? Rob Brown? Pete Barry ? Neil Riley ? Ged Edmondson? John O' Donnell ? Tim Delaney ? Steve Henry ? Dave Askwith ? Andrew Fisher? Justin Hooper? Christian Cotterill? Claire 'Howies' Howells ? Ira Joseph ? Ben Clapp? Russell Schaller? Barry Manilow ? Leona Lewis ?. The Chuckle Brothers ? John Hegarty ?.......
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