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February 2007 - Strategy Magazine
Creative report card

Top Copywriter: James Lee, DDB Canada

by Natalia Williams with figures compiled by David Sp
page 52

Name: James Lee

Years in the business: 11

Dream client you would most like to add to the roster: I don't know. I used to think that I wanted to work on Playstation and VW and Nike and all that, but now I realize that none of that matters if you aren't working with fun people.

Which award were you most happy to receive?

A Cannes Lion is always kinda nice.

Which of your campaigns are you the most proud of? Why?

I try not to get too proud ¬- ads are so transitory - but I happened to come across some old work I did with Mark Mizgala for the Vancouver Sun. A series of print ads. They still make me laugh.

What's your favourite campaign (here or abroad) over 2006? Why does it work?

There's a Skittles ad featuring a man whose beard feeds him the candies during a job interview. The thing is - and I don't know why - but it's the job interview that's kinda the funniest part for me.

Is there a creative trend you'd like to see disappear?

Short-film/murder-mystery/soap opera websites that turn out to be sponsored by Audi or Pampers or whatever. Yuck.

Is there any new marketing trend that seems daft to you? Why?

I was sitting at the beach on a crowded summer day. In the distance, a massive ad was floating by for our collective enjoyment. Didn't quite turn out that way. Everyone at the beach was outraged. We're trying to put ads everywhere and make ads out of everything. Escalators. Toilets. YouTube. iTunes. MySpace. The beach. Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.

Who is/has been your creative mentor?

Guys I know: My dad. Geoff Roche. Dave Crichton. Ron Woodall. Mike O'Reilly. Chris and Ian and Dean and Paul and Al and Cosmo and Joseph.

Guys I don't know: Stanley Kubrick. Terrence Malick. Francis Coppola. Walter Murch. The Mercury 7 astronauts.

Fat guys: Marlon Brando. Orson Welles. Frank Black.

What's the best advice anyone ever gave you?

"You should buy a bike."

You're at the top of your game. Any sage advice to pass on to those who long to be you?

Don't be like me. Be like you. Be the author of your own stuff.

RUNNER UP

Name: Rob Tarry

Years in the business: 10. Though I'm bad at math.

Big clients: Solo, Sirius, Slice, Science World.

Dream client you would most like to add to the roster: Anything else that stats with S. Sea Monkeys? Or Suzuki Motorcycles, only because I'm a huge bike geek and I'd angle for a discount. Honestly I'm just glad to be employed.

Which award were you most happy to receive? Why? It wasn't an award, but I liked being up on that cheeseball "World's Funniest Commercials" show. Finally something for my parents to brag about.

Which of your campaigns are you the most proud of? Why?

I'm most proud of the ones I haven't thought of yet. Mostly when I think of finished work, all I see are flaws. I have a lot of self-worth issues. The Solo TV was a lot of fun, though.

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