John Hunt to be inducted into One Club Creative Hall of Fame

Source: © TBWA TBWA John Hunt will be inducted into The One Club for Creativity Creative Hall of Fame in October

Hunt, the co-founder of internationally recognised South African agency TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris, and Global Creative Chair, TBWA\Worldwide, is among the first group of creative leaders who will be inducted.

A legacy across the globe

“The Creative Hall of Fame is the ultimate recognition of a storied career of a visionary creative professional,” says Kevin Swanepoel, CEO, The One Club.

“Hunt is an ad legend and global creative leader who has helped transform the industry, uplift underrepresented groups, and continues to inspire the next generation of creative thinkers and doers.”

Troy Ruhanen, president and CEO, TBWA\Worldwide says: “I have such tremendous respect for John, not just for what he has achieved, but more importantly, how he has gone about it.

“He inspires us, continues to be our creative north star, and has given so much to our company, industry and society. His integrity, generosity and talent are matched only by his enormous heart. We are immensely proud to see him join the Creative Hall of Fame.”

Luca Gallarelli Group CEO of TBWA\South Africa says: “John’s impact on the industry can be felt not only in the legacy of the amazing work he has been a part of producing or in the agency that he help cofound but primarily in the people who were shaped under his watchful eye and a steady hand, today leaders in our industry scattered across the globe ensuring his creative DNA will forever be imprinted across our creative industry globally.”

He adds: “His biggest legacy is what lives on beyond his active engagement with this industry through the people he has influenced so fundamentally and the role those people fulfil in the industry globally will ensure his legacy lives on almost indefinitely.”

Life’s too short to be mediocre

Hunt, together with Reg Lascaris, built up TBWA Hunt Lascaris in South Africa. He produced award-winning work for BMW (who doesn't know the BMW mouse?), the famous Nando’s campaign, and the first-ever election campaign for Nelson Mandela and the ANC. Together the two transformed South Africa’s advertising industry into a 21st powerhouse.

Hunt was born in Livingstone Zambia. After his family stayed in England on and off, they finally settled in South Africa when Hunt was 10. They lived in Hillbrow - a place Hunt would stay in for 21 years, saying it “layered” him in ways other places could not have. At school, he wrote poems and short stories.

Following his military service, he stayed at university for one day and then left. He worked as a claims clerk at an insurance company and fell into advertising. It was his girlfriend who encouraged him to consider a copywriting career and arranged for him to be interviewed by some agencies.

In 1983 he and Lascaris founded TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris. With the mantra “Life’s too short to be mediocre” it won awards and was named Agency of the Century in 2002.

Source: Creative Criminals Creative Criminals TBWA used worthless high denomination Zimbabwe currency as the materials in billboards, murals, posters and flyers in protest to the policy of Robert Mugabe, because it had an negative impact to the country’s economy

In 2010 it was named Agency of the Decade 2010. Its work for the The Zimbabwean Newspaper was also the most awarded campaign of all time in the same year, winning at Cannes, The One Show, Clio’s, ADC and D&AD.

Hunt moved to TBWA’s New York headquarters in 2003 as worldwide creative director. He founded the TBWA Young Bloods programme and in 2004 he started the SWAT initiative, to ensure a global answer to the creative questions often asked by worldwide clients. In 2006 he returned to South Africa, still in his worldwide role. He is also a playwright and author.

New inductees

Other initial inductees are:

• Joe Duffy - branding and design innovator,founder, chairman, Duffy & Partners
• Cheryl D. Miller - graphic designer, writer, artist, theologian, and decolonising historian known for her contributions to racial and gender equality in the graphic design field.
• Nancy Vonk and Janet Kestin - former co-chief creative officers at Ogilvy Toronto, oo-founders of the Swim leadership lab.
• Carol H. Williams, president, CEO, chief creative officer and owner, Carol H. Williams Advertising, the longest-running US independent multicultural agency.

Educators Hall of Fame

Ron and Pippa Seichrist, Cofounders, Miami Ad SchoolAdditional inductees will be announced shortly.

Criteria

Inductees are nominated and voted on by The One Club Board of Directors.

Criteria for being considered are three-fold:

• Impact — Those who have a celebrated body of work. This includes work that has been recognised as the best in the industry over multiple years for multiple brands, can be considered truly innovative and original in thinking and execution and has an undeniable lasting impact.
• Influence — Those who have used their creativity and leveraged their resources to advance the industry and serve the greater good.
• Inspiration — Those who have had a measurable, positive effect on the next generation of creative leaders, and are known industry-wide as mentors, door-openers, and opportunity-creators.

Additional inductees will be announced shortly

A rich heritage

The Creative Hall of Fame has a rich heritage of honouring the lifetime achievements of creative luminaries in all forms of advertising and design, starting with the induction of Leo Burnett in 1961.

The black-tie Creative Hall of Fame induction ceremony, which is a fundraising gala to support The One Club’s many global DEI programs, will take place on the evening of 27 October 2022, at Tisch Skylights at The Shed, Hudson Yards in New York..

Event and ticket details, as well as bio information on this year’s inductees, is available here.