There are going to be some great speakers ‘representing’ just about every creative discipline at this year’s event – which we are sponsoring – including Annie Sperling, Steve Ayson and Toko. So why not get along?
But you just never know where your career might end up as intermediate designer Barry Wylie found out. Barry graduated from the Wanganui School of Design, won a couple of The BEst design awards, jumped on a plane to the UK where he ended up at the fashion house of Ted Baker.
Now we at The Pond are not trying to get all ‘touchy feely’ but the truth is it is hard to stay connected with the industry when you are on the outside as a freelancer...
Prepare to be screwed. Okay that might sound a little melodramatic but if you rely on the good faith of employers when it comes to employment contracts there is a reasonable chance you will get burned.
Paying higher than the average salary to attract and retain the best candidates might seem obvious. But every week we listen to agencies talk about nothing more than how to get employees cheaply...
The Pond receives Silver in the 2012 Best Design Awards with the 'Ready to be your own boss' booklet..
Marc is a senior talent agent who arrived at The Pond after an interesting 18-year career in digital design, development and management roles.
Congratulations. Going freelance is one of the most rewarding - and exciting - things you can do as a creative. To help you get started, we’ve put together answers to the 10 most common freelancing conundrums..
This years client sweepstake was big and better than ever...
Find some matches for your eyelids if you plan on burning the candle at both ends (i.e. do two roles at once).
Love your portfolio like a newborn foal. Your portfolio needs constant care and attention, just like our four-legged friends, because you are only as good as your portfolio.
Many people best know Delaney as the founder, publisher and editor-in-chief of the contemporary culture magazine, NO. Or before that as the junior art director of (the now defunct) Pavement Magazine.
Globetrotting creative director and former CD at Saatchis (Wellington), Lowe (Kuala Lumpur) and TBWA (Kuala Lumpur, Dubai) – Chris is back and represented by The Pond.
After a six month assignment turned into an 8 year adventure, Brand Strategist Stewart is back home, jumping from the deserts of Arabia into The Pond.
If you need a talented digital designer who is creative and technically savvy when it comes to the various software (like ActionScript, HTML/CSS, Flash and Final Cut Express) then Yudisht is a great option.
French graphic designer declares ‘great design non possible without la passion!' Okay, enough of the pigeon French but Nabil, the latest intermediate designer to join The Pond, does have some pretty cool experience.
Need a copywriter who can win awards or get results? With Rebecca you get both! The intermediate copywriter has won Best in Show at the RSVPs, EFFIES and New Zealand Marketing Awards. On top of that...
Sergio was represented by The Pond until 2008, when he went full time at Sugar Advertising working as the lead art director on the Honda account (where he helped take the client on TV for the first time in a decade).
Meet Michael, an intermediate-senior designer who has developed a real passion and flair for corporate design during his time on both agency and client sides of the fence.
Have you ever thought about taking your client's brand in a new direction? How about their own TV show, a slick internal video or branded viral content? If so you might like to meet Nick.
Meet Richard, a senior designer with a penchant for motion graphics. He’s been on the Auckland scene for 12 years now but you're probably thinking how come I’ve never heard of this guy? (We were thinking the same thing!)
Anna does top job of dressing up catalogues and magazines. We’re not talking down and dirty broadsheets for the local appliance store – we mean great use of photography and white space.
We’re not usually this blunt but wait till you see Geoff’s book. It’s simply crammed full of amazing design for everything from stamps and billboards to TV animation and print campaigns.
Andy’s the designer who is big on brand identity systems. For the past year Andy has been fulltime at Ogilvy, working as the Head of design on retail brands like Rebel Sport, Briscoes, Progressive and Holden.
You may remember Stacey who was represented by The Pond back in 2009. Well, we're proud to announce she's back on board after eighteen months fulltime at Rapp working on Yellow, SKY, VW, Telecom and ANZ.
Jason saves the day for orphans, NZ businesses next on list. Fresh from helping Oxfam America write a prospectus designed to persuade private investors to donate $30 million, Jason now has NZ businesses firmly in his sights.
Raising the bar for retail brands all in a day’s work: If you like your retail advertising down and dirty stop reading now! Because Shane’s all about the big idea and edgier art direction.
New recruit a golden girl of direct marketing. We say golden because Claire has a habit of picking awards like John Caples, DMA, Great Envelope Awards and RSVP to name a few.
Got staff taking extended time off this Easter holidays to spend time with the family? It’s easy to take a ‘we’ll get by’ approach and leave their seat empty. But one man out effectively means one team down when the art director or writer left behind has no one to work with. This sounds pretty unproductive, so why not get a Pond freelancer in to cover?
Ready to add method to your digital madness? Then you might be interested to know our heavyweight digital strategist, Keith, is back after a six-month contract with Sapient Nitro in Singapore.
Rachel’s an interesting creative who has played many roles: copywriter, editorial writer, senior publicist and actor. (Do you remember those Kiwibank revolution ads with the woman in the beret and trench coat? ...
George is different from our other designers in the sense that he’s been working in-house, on the client rather than agency side, for the past five years.
She’s Claire Moore, a woman well and truly in sync with the creative process as wife of copywriting husband, Bob. Claire’s already familiar with the Auckland agency scene as a one-time consultant at 3rd Eye Recruitment. She’s also ...
If you think all good packaging just pops out of a factory in China think again. Someone has to design it first – someone like structural packaging designer Mat, who has joined The Pond.
Brent - unique mix of urban flair and rural practicality.
Introducing senior writer Jerry, former Royal Marines officer.
Glenn returns to The Pond after a sweet three year stint at Sugar.
Say hello to direct and digital art director, Jeff.
Meet Scott a master rather than a jack-of-all-trades.
Started the New Year with a bang?
Five creative resourcing tips to help start 2012 on the right foot.
Former Sugar ECD now available from Kaitaia to Bluff.
Former Exceed partner adds method to digital madness.
Introducing Ben, a man who loves CSS as much as CS5.
‘Rest for the Wicked’ first screenplay from Pond senior copywriter Bob Moore!
Hannah Souter back with The Pond after year at Moochi Fashion.
Cara Tipping-Smith fully focused on bottom line of SMEs.
Hallelujah – it’s digital evangelist Andrew Berglund!
Inside the business of RWC, brought to you by Saatchi Design and two writers from The Pond.
A BIG pat on the back to Edward Gunn, Robin Powell, Chris Howden, Amanda Samuel, Nicki Stephens and Melissa Fenwick who all chose winning horses and also came out on top in our sweepstake draw.
Former Saatchi CD formidable ally in battle for market share.
Meet Aditia: Fresh from Asia-Pacific's fastest growing digital hub.
Fujikistan wins again for Republik and Pond head of art Musonda Katongo.
Introducing Guy, Big art director who’s big on brand and direct.
Simplifying and shaping information key to Anthony's success.
Introducing intermediate Scott Simpson: part graphic, part digital designer.
Choice Not Chance: brought to you by GSL Wellington & a creative team from The Pond.
Dr Evil, Darth Vader star in new campaign for good cause - by Pond copywriter Sarah Walter.
If you work anywhere in the creative industry, this is the event for you. We Can Create is an annual celebration of all things art and design - graphics, fashion, animation, illustration, motion graphics, typography and more.
Li is the creative genius behind Exocomics, a webcomic about a couple and their cat that gets 50,000 unique hits every month. In fact it’s so popular fans have given her US$66,000 to publish two volumes.
Here at The Pond we know clients are continually pushing agencies for more service and value. They don’t want jobs done tomorrow, they want them done yesterday. That’s why we’ve launched a new weekend service that makes the best freelance creatives more available to you on Saturdays or Sundays or both days.
Better visibility, better opportunities and better rates are all part of The Pond’s new Mac Operator representation package. Are you a sharp mac op looking to move your career forward?
If you’re not using The Pond, you’re probably paying the wrong rate for the wrong writers. In the last six months you will have hired somebody with the wrong skills for the job – and you’ve probably paid them too much as well.
Pay true market rates. You could have the wrong person on the wrong rate structure - learn how to increase your margin. Connect with the best talent. We represent more than 125 creatives - learn who's out there & available.
With Easter Friday and Monday about to hit, chances are you’ll have staff taking extended leave to make the most of the short weeks. So it’s not just two public holidays – it’s two weeks you have to worry about!
Clinton looks after advertising and design agencies in Wellington and Singapore, although he still also looks after a handful of Auckland clients.
Working alongside Clinton, Courtney's key responsibility is to match agencies with the best freelance creatives available. She also vets new members weekly, gives career advice, books and confirms creatives, sorts confidentiality contracts as required, and structures rates that work for your budgets.
Leighton leads the overall direction of The Pond. He spends much of his time understanding the key issues facing agency owners, as well as helping creatives realise their market value and career goals.
We put a lot of effort into vetting our members so that when you book with The Pond, you’re guaranteed to connect with a creative who will hit the ground running.
(Or) How to start the New Year on the right foot, with the right resource.
Get pre-packaged Pond teams, rebook the creative you like and even dial in help on the weekends.
As a freelancer you live for those briefs that allow you to create hot, sexy new work. This is all good…so long as you don’t spill the beans.
Okay, so you’re out there freelancing and keen to impress. All of a sudden a client calls wanting you to help with a pitch. Time to think like a lawyer.
If you’ve got a writing job on your plate that needs the specialist touch of a writer who can work in the medium required, who has the industry-specific experience required – where do you go to find that writer?
The sponsors of the Best Design Awards (GEON, MINI, The Pond, BJ Ball and ProDesign) are running a design competition because, well, they can. Design awards - design driven sponsors - design competition. It’s a perfect match!
Similar to The Pond (proud sponsors of this year's Best Design Awards), new t-shirt company Parinto is also all about supporting the design community. The website features designs by a range of New Zealand and international artists, painters, photographers and designers. But it's more than just a place to buy t-shirts, it's a destination where you can keep up-to-date with your favourite contributors through news blogs and links to their own sites.
Daniel’s the first of a select group of independent retouchers we hope to add to our books (much in the same way that we’ve added niche specialists including storyboarders and animators).
We thought what better way to support our fellow creatives than to get behind this year’s Best Design Awards. So we’ve collaborated with the team at Best and have already begun working hard to make sure this one will be a stunner.
You may remember him from his 3 years at Saatchi & Saatchi. Or his Four ‘N’ Twenty salad plate. Or his undying allegiance to Arsenal Football Club. In any case, senior designer Musonda Katongo is back and already doing top work for The Pond.
Jetsetting Australian creative Scott McClelland has joined The Pond, which is great news given the shortage of senior art directors contracting right now.
As the world of DM turns more and more toward eDM it’s comforting to know you can now call on the experience of The Pond’s new senior art director, Stacey Roper, for some good old-fashioned ‘DM-in-the-hand’.
John Hancock Observatory, atop the fourth highest building in the world, has won ‘Best in Class Website’ at the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions’ (IAAPA) annual awards – all thanks to a kiwi connection or two.
Up and coming midweight art director Raymond McKay is now available via The Pond. And he couldn’t have arrived at a better time, given the void of talent contracting at this level.
Digital creative director Kola Ogundine is now available for freelance / consultancy bookings via The Pond.
If you’ve got a story that needs telling look no further than the latest consultant creative/specialist writer to join our team, Barney McDonald.
Everyone’s buzzing about social media and Web 2.O. But hang on a minute - you can’t have 5,000 employees starting a conversation with customers without laying down some ground rules. Can you?
The Pond launches new strategic offering. Following huge demand from agencies, we’ve decided to add strategists to our growing list of consultancy services for you to tap into.
Create possibilities, not limitations says new digital designer. Senior digital designer, Alister Coyne, has arrived at The Pond with a refreshing ‘can do’ attitude that we kind of like.
Alliteration and titillation - just two of the weapons in penman's arsenal. Four jovial journalists have joined The Pond in a bid to banish mediocre marcomms from the view of consumers, it was reported today.
They have their own brand reputations. A bunch of international awards. And business brains to boot. Meet 50 creative consultants who have turned their backs on a regular paycheck to contract their services out through The Pond.
Working as a senior writer alongside CD James Blackwood at Blackwood King, Phil Parsonage's work has made the cover of Admedia for the second time in 9 months.
We’ve introduced you to what a digital writer is and how he or she can make mincemeat of your toughest digital content problems. Now digital writer Donald Holder lifts the lid on three recent digital projects to, well, show off, really.
Wondering where your customers have gone? Chances are they aren’t in their living room reading the paper or watching TV; they’re out and about on Twitter, on Facebook, blogging or on their phones texting.
If creating a new website from scratch can be likened to climbing a mountain, then creating a new website for DINZ must feel more like climbing a mountain with 3000 designers on your back, waiting to point out where you’ve gone wrong.
Co-author and specialist writer, Mario McMillan's latest book caught the attention of TVNZ's breakfast show. Click here to find out more.
Now that everything is digital and the world is rushing to hell in a hand basket, every word counts more than ever. To give your clients the full noise, you need someone on your team who can kick the whole content thing up a notch.
We’ve tweaked the website, did you notice? Cleaner design, improved functionality and an entire new copy-deck have helped us better represent our creatives virtually (until our new website arrives in 2012, that is).
Pond Director, Leighton Howl, was asked by the Advertising and Illustrative Photographers Association to help organise a panel style discussion on the current state of the photography industry in New Zealand.
Writer 2.0 is here to take the struggle out of getting usable digital content from your clients, says Pond digital writer Donald Holder.
Last month we talked about solving your content conundrums, following the launch of our specialist writing service. Now here's proof! Read about how a Pond team of five delivered a large website that was layers deep - with a non-negotiable deadline.
The recession is making communication companies re-evaluate their processes, resources and offer. They're now looking to retain clients, and increase loyalty, by widening their service offering. As a consequence, there's been a growth in demand for creatives with specialist skills. Sue Worthington talks more in-depth to Marketing Magazine about the changing marketing and advertising landscape.
Well-known Wellington journalist Keri Welham has joined The Pond as a senior specialist writer with extensive experience in business, science and research, health, education, ethnic affairs and sport.
One of only 40 companies worldwide that has achieved Google Analytics certification, Exceed Online doesn’t just build websites – it specialises in ongoing strategic marketing for websites.
Following the earthquake, corporates scrambled around to support their South Island business partners/suppliers. Many marketing departments put work on hold or re-focused their efforts on the disaster. In a nutshell the ‘spend tap’ got turned off and the market went sluggish for 4-6 weeks, especially in agency land.
At digital design company BKA Interactive, Senior Account Manager Leah Edwards believes in getting a digital writer engaged in most new projects from the get-go.
Hook, line & sinker. Only a few years old and this baby can swim. Kiwi creative collective The Pond has quickly grown in less than three years to represent more than 30 creative directors, art directors, copywriters, specialist writers, designers and digital creatives who work with agencies and design companies.
Meet 15 writers who can transform a jungle of technical jargon into a garden of perfect prose, prune your word count to just the right length, and intuitively plant the correct terms to appeal to your industry.
What do you get when you combine award-winning ideas (4 Cannes Lions), business nouse (co-partner of Agency of the Year) and Amsterdam edge? Arjan van Woensel, CD/Art director and now Pond consultant.
Max Fashion, Trelise Cooper, Bendon, Servilles, Overland, Les Mills, Mi Piaci – some of New Zealand’s top image brands bear the mark of Sergio Guida, creative director, art director and designer.
All good stories are based on a truism. A reliable source has, in fact, told us that all government briefings must now have a two-page executive summary preceding the full report.
Congrats to Daniel Thomas (ex-kiwi Sky Tower GM) and Carey Randall for taking out Best of Show at the Illinois Governor's Tourism awards for their marketing campaign which transformed John Hancock Observatory top to bottom and upped sales significantly last year.
Glenn Jameson created the new TVC campaign for Tauranga based Generation Homes, late last year, which recently aired in regional centres. The ad features a dinner party, a port-a-loo and an angry possum – the rest, as they say, is ‘legend’.
Three international designers join The Pond. In case you haven't met them they are: Vanessa-Gaye Schiff, Glenn Chapman and Stephen Richardson.
Did you know carpenters earn $100k after 3 years in the job? Neither did we until we got the brief for Unitec's latest integrated campaign for Applied Technology courses. It's a great story and one worth telling.
Again, full credit to everyone who worked on this DM piece (you know... the one with the lacquered block and 12 different pens). Leighton actually went over to the event, catching up with Badger in the process. (He's all good and living in Sydney, if you're wondering.) In case you missed the results, Mojo won NZ's only Gold for Speight's Great Beer Delivery. Cool concept that.
The latest Export Gold TVC, created by Pond creatives Phil and Badger, launched earlier this summer and is now a regular on AdMedia's Top 10 commercials list. The guys were on contract at Saatchi & Saatchi Auckland at the time and got a look at the brief in between Telecom doodles...
Lil Cameron, The Pond's youngest writer, shares her opinion on how to engage youth audiences. What better person to give you her top tips than Lil, who has 25 years experience in, well, growing up.
Out of the ashes of fire, Chicago built a city with amazing architecture. The dreams were big and the architects enjoyed unrivalled freedom. Perhaps the most ambitious project was to build the world’s tallest building in 1970, John Hancock Center.
The National Party's election win marked the end of an intense ad campaign led by party campaign manager Steven Joyce and Pond creative consultant Glenn Jameson. Taking a long-term view to re-building the National Party brand…
He's Richard Gourley, a new face to The Pond who has been out there and doing it for himself since 1995. Richard found his own brand of creative independence after quitting life as Creative Group Head of Mattingly at the age of 30…
We're a proactive team here at The Pond. When we're not updating your portfolios & profiles or booking you into jobs, we're coming up with strategies to drive more work your way. Check out the link below to see what we've been doing for you over the last few months.
Chances are you’ve kind of heard of them, or know someone they represent, but who exactly are The Pond? As director Leighton Howl explains, they are, among other things, advocates for top talent, hell bent on helping folk everywhere find creative independence.
When we say we'll hunt high and low to find you the right creatives, we're not kidding! That's why we've sponsored the visa of native New Yorker, Amanda Gould, into New Zealand. Senior digital creatives from strong DM backgrounds...
Guerilla specialist Hadleigh Averill – previously resident at creative hot shops BlueberryFrog and Cunning Stunts in Europe – has joined The Pond. Overseas, 'guerilla' has become much less 'scambient' and more strategically sound ambient media…
Here at The Pond we LOVE design. Which is why Leighton has put Sue's hand up to help DINZ on its re-branding journey. Right now, she's helping Grant Alexander, from Studio Alexander, to flesh out the new DINZ strategy document. Apparently, it's all about creating the right environment for New Zealanders to pursue design excellence (more on this in the months to come).
Former Republik creative director Glenn Jameson has joined The Pond. Most famous for his Budweiser 'Whassup Jersey Guys' campaign, which won 'Best of Show' at One Show, Glen is more excited about the first beer campaign to ever air during the Academy Awards (something to do with Kathy Bates wetting her pants).
Full credit to everyone involved in putting together the Writer's Block, which recently won Bronze at AWARD. This follows on from two medals at the BeST Design Awards: a Gold for Self-promotion and Silver in Visual Communication.
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