Ad Age: “So you didn’t use the word “crap,” then, in reference to women?”
Neil French: “Oh, of course, I did, yes. But I didn’t say all female creative directors are crap. If you can’t commit yourself to any job then, by definition, you’re crap at it. If you can’t commit 100% to your job, don’t pretend you can. Nobody deserves a job unless they can commit to it.”
Who can forget Neil French, the one timeworldwide creative director of WPP?. He was a legendary creative and his flame out at a public event in Toronto is even more infamous.
So what is Neil up to now? In case you forgot, last year he found the ‘World Press Awards’, which has made it’s way to year two. Two thousand and eight winners included Saatchi and Saatchi New York for their Tide Ultra newspaper ad and for some reason, no gold was given for magazines, but silver winners included Grey Barcelona and DDB London.
The judges for 2008 (pictured above) included: Graham Warsop (who sits next to Neil French) -The Jupiter Drawing Room; Thirasak Tanapatanakul – Executive Creative Director, Creative Juice, Bangkok; Mark Tutssel – Worldwide Creative Director, Leo Burnett; Jeremy Craigen – Executive Creative Director, DDB London; Tham Khai Meng – Regional Creative Director, Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide Board; Marcello Serpa – Executive Creative Director, Almap BBDO (Brazil).