This project began with a simple request from an old friend and colleague, Natali Tofiloski, to write a script. She was helping her client, Ryerson University, in their ongoing efforts to combat hate and discrimination. They wanted a video of a victim of anti-Asian hate to tell their story But of the thousands of people of Asian descent who had reported incidents, virtually none were willing to go public. So, Natali was stumped. But that gave me all I needed to know to create this campaign. The other barrier was an extremely tight budget. Friends in the ad industry came to our rescue, generously pitching in with tremendous skill and passion. These are 2 of 12 videos we made together.

Client lead: Natali Tofiloski
Art director: KP Anderson
Producer: Sharon Nelson-Bailey
Production Company: David Tennant Films
Director: David Tennant
Director of Photography: Alex Bros
Casting: Jigsaw Casting, Shasta Lutz
Sound Design: Thomas Neuspiel & Andrew McCready
Mix: Andrew McCready
Sound + Picture post facility: Toast + Jam
Editor (Scream): Sai Shanmugarajah
Editor (Microphone): Matthew Dell
Colourist: Gary Chuntz
Executive Producer: Grant Pye
Production Manager: Matt De Luca

Staples has reinvented itself as the working and learning company and wanted a fresh campaign to announce it to Canadians. Late in the game, it was decided that they also wanted to engage a celebrity and Howie Mandel was signed on. This campaign was conceived, refined, shot, cut and launched in 10 weeks.

Agency: Jackman Reinvents
Creative Director: Rachel Abrams
Art Director: Deborah Prenger
Director: The Perlorian Brothers
Editor: Griff Henderson
Music: Pirate

staples back-to-school

Staples has long been the back-to-school destination for parents and their kids. However, COVID lockdowns and Amazon had endangered their position. This campaign reinforced Staples as the back-to-school authority by showing that they understand and celebrate the small joys of going back to school in 2021.

Agency: Jackman Reinvents
Creative Director: Marissa Mastenbroek/Tony Lee/Rachel Abrams
Art Director: Marissa Mastenbroek
Producer: Jennifer Selsky
Director: Dominique Van Olm
Editor: Matt Dell
Music: Pirate

It’s rare that a client has a strong point-of-view and wants to cause a ruckus. I was fortunate to have found one in the Service Employees International Union Healthcare (SEIU). They represent more than 60,000 front line workers in hospitals, home care, nursing and retirement homes. And they were fighting mad at the Ford (Ontario) government’s cuts to the healthcare sector. This was all before COVID exposed the horrendous lack of funding and regulatory oversight that has been endemic in long-term care. A feisty client willing to call out bad behaviour on behalf of healthcare workers? Bring it on.

Client leads: Jill Engleman, David Herle
Art Director: Brian MacDonald
Producer: Sharon Nelson-Bailey
Production co.: Suneeva
Director: John McDougall
Editor: Mark Hajek

Black Friday is the epitome of rampant consumerism. Giving Tuesday is society’s attempt to relieve the hangover guilt of all that spending. Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation, with the help of strategist, Jay Chaney, wanted to pre-empt the spending season with a campaign that asked shoppers to give before they emptied their wallets. So, we created these digital posters that appeared in malls and at Yonge-Dundas Square the week leading up to the biggest sales day of the year.

Strategy: Jay Chaney
Art Director: KP Anderson
Production: Jason Rooney

These days, it’s rare to luck into a project where you have a good product with an interesting story, a provocative brief, very challenging market conditions and a strong creative legacy. Re-launching Sapporo beer to North America was that project. As an added bonus, I got to work on my own and directly with the Executive Creative Director. Creative from 2010 had beautifully positioned Sapporo as “Legendary Biru”. The challenge was to move Japan’s oldest beer from sushi restaurant special toward everyday consumption.  I can’t claim any credit for the lovely execution, showing the stories of real Japanese people who have embraced Western culture, but I’m proud to say that I was instrumental in the conception of this campaign celebrating the benefits of cultural exchange.

Agency: The &Partnership
ECD: Ron Smrczek

Proof that Canadian ideas are as powerful as any in the world. Pepsi Canada asked us to pitch for a summer promotion. So we came up with the idea to put emoji on their cans and bottles - pepsiMoji - and created a whole new real world way for people to express themselves. Six months, 60 designs, 17 billboards and six videos later, pepsiMoji came to market on more than 186 million cans and bottles across Canada. We vaulted Pepsi back to number one cola in Canada. And in 2016, pepsiMoji was launched in more than 100 markets worldwide.

Art Director.:  Mark Hesse
Creative Directors:  Peter Ignazi / Carlos Moreno / Denise Rossetto / Todd Mackie / John Terry / Arthur Shah

A very successful campaign for the Ontario Ministry of Health targeting social smoking. The insight: everyone knows about the hazards of being a smoker, but social smokers don't consider themselves smokers. My role in the creation of this work was writing the initial scripts.

Associate Creative Director: Nancy Crimi-Lamanna
Associate Creative Director: Deborah Prenger
Executive Creative Directors:  Peter Ignazi / Carlos Moreno

I've had the pleasure of working with many exceptional creative directors, account people, planners and clients. And they have nice things to say about me.

This work launched  a new campaign in the U.S. for Gain laundry detergent. Proctor & Gamble have a reputation for stifling creative, but they are one of the best clients that I have worked for and I am very proud of Barbara Lippert's comments in Adweek: “It’s a breakthrough for the category, as not only are there no blood or grass stains in sight, but neither are there washer and dryer.” “It’s pretty kinky for P&G, and also pretty funny.”“It’s a fresh idea, nicely executed.” The campaign also won a silver Effie and has since been used in Canada.

Art Director: Frank Lepre
Creative Director: Heather Chambers

I love radio. It can be very powerful, is relatively easy and inexpensive to produce and often, is overlooked and underestimated.

Getting an extremely successful client that has built their success in part on not advertising to approve creative was quite the challenge. It took perseverance, smart thinking and a lot of meetings. Is the work award-winning? No. Did getting it approved and produced feel like a winning a Lion? You know it.

CCO: Graham Lang
ECD: Jenny Glover
CD: Tony Lee
ACD (copy): Erik DelaCruz
ACD (art): Allen Kwong

Older work that I think still holds up. This was one of the campaigns that helped put Vancouver creative on the national/international stage in the late 90’s. It won tons of awards, was included in the world’s funniest commercials, an article was written about it in Vancouver magazine. “Vegetarians” made it into D&AD. Cab drivers and your aunt Dorothy talked about these ads. Heady days, indeed.

Art Director: Greg Rowan
Creative Director: Jim Noble

smart sponsored the ecomentors program, part of Earth Day Canada. We created these posters to celebrate that.

Art Director: Mark Hesse
Creative Directors: Carlos Moreno/Peter Ignazi

As a sponsor of the Toronto International Film Festival, RBC gets to run trailers before screenings. However, TIFF doesn't want these trailers to be ads, their audience doesn't appreciate commercial messages before their films. Despite this, RBC wanted to make sure their new "Someday" campaign was part of the message. I think we managed to tread that fine line well with this simple, inexpensive approach.

Art Directors:  Les Soos / Mark Hesse
Executive Creative Directors:  Denise Rossetto /Todd Mackie

Posters for a chain of health clubs. It was a quick, casual project - my partner used to instruct there - and so we pulled some favours and got these produced. The campaign appeared in Archive. as well, this appeared on the Cannes website when Nancy Vonk selected it as one of six pieces that she thought represented the best Canadian work the year she was on the jury.

Art Director: Kelly Zettel
Creative Director: Judy John

This work was done for a pitch. The strategy aimed for high school athletes. I like the simple boldness of the art direction, which was based on their bottle design.

Art Directors: Mark Hesse / Brian MacDonald
Creative Director: Janet Kestin

These spots were part of a campaign targeted at Investment Advisors, who control the vast majority of retail investment assets. The strategy was to challenge common industry practices and encourage thoughtful advisors to better serve the interests of their clients. This campaign helped iShares achieve phenomenal growth and won 2 silver Cassies for financial products and business-to-business success.

Art Director: Clive Matthews
Creative Director: David Rosenberg

To promote new store openings using existing assets and no budget, we came up with this simple, fun idea.

A.D.:  Mark Hesse
C.D.s: Peter Ignazi / Carlos Moreno

I was parachuted in last minute to creative direct this campaign for Minute Maid’s sponsorship of the Winter Games. The client was not happy with the work that had been previously presented. So with a looming deadline, I met with him and helped set the team on a new course. We ended up shooting these two spots, one of which was a finalist at Cannes.

Art Director: Sean Davison
Copywriter: Wade Hesson
Chief Creative Officer:  Judy John

A selection of other print work. Lots of different clients and art directors over the years.

A collection of other commercials done over the years.

Very occasionally, I get to act, usually as someone in a white lab coat. Some might call it typecasting. I call it a lot of fun and great learning. This was a global commercial for Chupa Chups from BBH Singapore.

Director:  Perlorian Brothers