Meet The Panellists: Why So Serious? The Key to Comedy in Advertising
The LBB & Friends Beach, in partnership with MCA, will host some of the industry's top creative minds who master the art of humour in advertising for the penultimate day of panel sessions.
On Thursday 20th June at 16:00pm at the Plage & Restaurant Croisette Beach, LBB's EMEA strategic editorial lead, Zhenya Tsenzharyk will explore the nuances of balancing comedy and sensitivity in modern marketing in a panel titled Why So Serious? The Key to Comedy in Advertising.
Zhenya will be joined by Neo Mashigo, CCO at M&C Saatchi Group South Africa, Scott Bell, CCO at Droga5, David Kolbusz, CCO at Orchard Creative, Nadja Lossgott, CCO at AMV BBDO and Gary Steele, CCO, DDB New Zealand.
Read on to find out more information about the session and the panellists joining us or you can view the full LBB & MCA ‘Better Together’ content programme for the LBB & Friends Beach at Cannes here.
PANEL SYNOPSIS
Why So Serious? The Key to Comedy in Advertising
Here’s a real appetite for humour and the new Cannes category is yet another symptom. However, comedy is challenging at the best of times, and now with clients jittery about cancellation, it’s tougher than ever. We want to talk to creatives and marketers behind some of the funniest recent campaigns to talk about how they tickle our funny bones.
MODERATOR
Zhenya Tsenzharyk, EMEA Strategic Editorial Lead, Little Black Book
Zhenya began her career while finishing her MA in English literature, though her very first feature was published when she started her undergraduate studies. She honed her skills in roles spanning film & TV development, content strategy, copywriting, and editorial. Realising that LBB’s head office was on the Northern Line, she jumped at the chance to join the team in 2020 and has been the EMEA head of features since 2021.
PANELLISTS
Nadja Lossgott, Joint Chief Creative Officer, AMV BBDO
Together with her partner Nicholas Hulley she has won over 20 Grand Prix at Cannes, D&AD, One Show and Clios (including three Black Pencils, a Titanium Grand Prix, a Glass Grand Prix and a One Show Best in Show.). In 2021 they helped AMV win Agency of the Year at Cannes, D&AD and The One Show.
Throughout their career they have believed in the power of empathy, the power of challenging conventions and dogmas, and the power of creativity to solve the toughest business problems. They have continuously helped drive brands’ effectiveness and created storyworlds that have shifted culture.
It’s seen them redefine the period category, defy broadcasters, make water out of beer, turn uteruses into wombworlds, write documentaries, create countries out of ocean trash, and turn worthless Zimbabwean dollars into billboards.
Scott Bell, Chief Creative Officer, Droga5 New York
Scott Bell is the CCO of Droga5 New York. Throughout his tenure at Droga5, Scott has been responsible for creating some of the agency’s most culturally relevant and talked-about work for brands like Newcastle Brown Ale, Johnsonville, and IHOP, amongst many others. A byproduct of Saturday Night Live parody commercials and Monty Python’s Flying Circus, Scott has never taken advertising too seriously and admits that while he loves what he does, he mostly chose this profession to “mess with people’s heads.”
Neo Mashigo, Chief Creative Officer, M&C Saatchi Group South Africa
Before joining M&C Saatchi Group South Africa in 2017, Neo was Executive Creative Director at two of South Africa’s largest creative advertising agencies – Ogilvy & Mather Johannesburg and FCB Johannesburg.
As the former chairperson of the non-profit Creative Circle South Africa, he is dedicated to promoting African creativity as a business tool. His inherent passion for conceptualising advertising and nurturing talent that is more representative of South Africa, and the continent, has seen him recognised as Industry Leader of the Year at the Financial Mail AdFocus Awards 2019.
Neo is also the co-founder of I See A Different You – a collective of Soweto-born creatives who strive to reimagine narratives about Africa, and change the world’s perceptions about the continent.
He has several local and international awards to his name, including a Grand Prix at the Cannes Festival of Creativity and two Grand Prix’s at The Loerie Awards – of which he is also the former Chairman and board member.
David Kolbusz, Chief Creative Officer, Orchard Creative
“Kolbusz is known for being one of the ad industry’s most sought-after creative leaders—and his next move after Droga5 has long been a subject of speculation.” Adweek, April 12, 2022
“David Droga described him as ‘one of the world’s best creative leaders.’” Campaign, April 12, 2022
Frequently cited as one of the advertising industry’s most esteemed creative leaders, David began his career as a journalist, moving into copywriting because it felt less corrupt as an industry. He has worked on some of the biggest brands in the world including Coca Cola, Amazon, Facebook, Axe, and The Gap.
When it comes to the work he creates on behalf of brands, Kolbusz’s standards are high, but never at the expense of collaboration. He is in service to his clients and aspires to make work they love and feel proud of, offering creative solutions that are never at the expense of the business objectives.
Gary Steele, CCO, DDB New Zealand
Gary has been fortunate enough to work with some of the best minds in the industry, working on the most celebrated brands across Europe, Africa and Asia.
Since joining DDB New Zealand, he has helped shape it into the successful agency it is today, with its work being recognised at all the international advertising festivals, including the coveted D&AD Black Pencil in 2022. Gary has also helped DDB New Zealand achieve Agency Of The Year for New Zealand at the Spikes Festival for four years running, bringing home a total of 5 Grand Prix, a feat everyone is proud of and another personal goal on his extensive to-do list.
But if you ask Gary what drives him, he will tell you He tāngata, he tāngata, he tāngata, the people, the people, the people. Those he has worked with and helped grow into the great creative people they are today, without whom Gary would not have this bio or any of these accolades.
