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#Newsmaker: On the Wild side with Avatar's newly-appointed ECD

By Jessica Tennant

29 May 2017

Brett Wild was appointed Avatar's executive creative director “just the other day” and just in time as the integrated agency eyes further expansion.

“This appointment is in line with our vision to be respected internationally and preferred locally by clients in the markets in which we operate. We needed a person with a strong global creative track record to enable us to move closer to this vision and Brett was the obvious choice,” says founding partner and chief creative officer of Avatar, Veli Ngubane, who is “honoured” to have Wild join the team.

Brett Wild, Avatar's new ECD.

Wild says that “the guys at Avatar had spent the last five years getting the place to where it is. They are now at the point where they want it to join the ranks of other great creative agencies in this country and then to be respected worldwide. Answering this call with agencies has always been my passion so here I am.”

His approach sounds good enough to eat. He plans to grow the agency “with a whole lot of love, kindness, a tone of passion (which may not seem kind at times) combined with a good giggle and topped with a selection of clients that allow us to do good”. Mmm, now we’re talking…

What are you most excited about?

Becoming part of a future with a black-owned company that is intent on showing what talent and potential this country possesses, without the word ‘colour' becoming a part of the dialogue.

What do you love most about your career in marketing?

Mostly the people, they’re just nothing like the guys you meet behind the desk at Home Affairs. (My apologies to anyone from Home Affairs who may be reading this. Actually, where’s my f*cking passport?)

What industry trend do you predict for the next year?

I predict a trend amongst clients to go with smaller, independent, locally-owned agencies to do some memorable communications.

What's at the top of your to-do list?

It’s an incredibly long one, but one has to start by finding out what makes every single aspect of the agency tick.

What motivates you?

Endless possibilities. Every day we see examples of great creatives from around the world. The human ability to endlessly generate them makes me want to be a part of the factory.

What are you currently reading/listening to for work?

I don’t listen to anything that has to do with work, but then again I don't think there is anything that doesn't have something to do with our work.

So I listen to a podcast that is all about the strangest facts about this planet and its inhabitants. It’s called No Such Thing as a Fish.

I mean do you know Australia has moved over four metres since the late seventies? And it’s heading toward ‘Trumpville’? Or that no scientific experiment has ever been done (or could be) to prove that time exists?

It’s important to keep your head away from even suspecting that this life is mundane. And letting that show in your work.

Tell us something about yourself not generally known.

I listen to podcasts with names that make no sense.

More about Brett Wild

Wild worked his way up from art direction at Hunt Lascaris and Ogilvy to ECD of Saatchi & Saatchi South Africa, winning numerous accolades and awards including extensive Loeries and Cannes Golds. He moved on to lead Saatchi & Saatchi Singapore, traveling the region and mentoring agencies in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam, and took the Singapore office to the top three in the network.

Having spent the past decade behind the camera, successfully running his own production company, Wild has acquired insight into all aspects of the creative industry. Over the years, he has consulted on how to run creative departments in agencies and has assisted in implementing successful turnaround strategies.