…and a real agency called George Patterson Advertising. Andrew Dowling, managing director Y&R Group Sydney, talked to The Stable about making the film authentic.
Ruben Guthrie is a George Patts executive creative director living the cliché adland lifestyle – money, sex, drugs, parties and alcohol abuse.
[Ruben Guthrie: Patrick Brammall] Photo: Mark Rogers
He hits a wall – or the bottom of his swimming pool to be precise. To win back the fiancée his boy-on-the-town lifestyle has lost for him, Ruben Guthrie has to stay sober for a year.
Zoya (Ruben’s fiancee): Abbey Lee
Even if you’ve never been a Ruben Guthrie creative, his story will make you uncomfortable. If you’re an older Australian creative, Ruben Guthrie will make you squirm. Adland Aus has had many Ruben Guthries. Australia, the nation, has very many more. You’ve known at least one.
More importantly, you will have encountered the mores that Guthrie has to rebel against to get his life back together. We all have. The wider story is that of Australia. Our attitudes to alcohol, relationships and supporting one another are pretty messed up.
[Brendan Cowell centre]
Ruben Guthrie was written and directed by Brendan Cowell. This is how that came about, “Years ago, as a social experiment, and possibly because I was drinking like a mad fish, I decided to take a year of the grog the grog. What followed was a rollercoaster 12 months of personal discovery. I had no idea that this simple act of ‘drying out’ would have such a dramatic effect on not only my life, but also the lives of those around me…” Cowell kept a Year Without Beer diary. The film’s authenticity may be helped by the fact that it was filmed at George Patterson Y&R offices, using GPY&R people as extras. But in fact, it is authentic because the story is real. Some of you will know that first hand.
In one of the film’s early scenes, the camera catches the receptionist’s computer screen open on Facebook. At that point, there’s so much worse to come. The Stable asked Andrew Dowling, managing director Y&R Group Sydney, to tell us about being the agency that helped Brendan Cowell make Guthrie’s warped life look authentic on the big screen.
[Chet (young creative) Brenton Thwaites & Ray (George Patts MD): Jeremy Sims]
The Stable: You ‘donated’ your offices and people…what else did you give/loan to the film?
Andrew Dowling: The film’s producers were keen to shoot in an agency with real agency folks as extras to help with the authenticity of the film. We were happy to help in this respect and a few of our staff took it to the next level and appeared as extras in party scenes. To help lead, Patrick Brammall, prepare for the role and understand some of the stresses and joys of working in a creative industry, he got to spend time with ECDs Bart Pawlak and Dave Joubert in Sydney looking at some live briefs, and our CCO, Ben Coulson, took him along to a ‘legends lunch’ with a bunch of creatives down in Melbourne.
[Susan (Ruben’s mum) Robyn Nevin]
TS: What’s it like to see your world through Brendan’s eyes? What’s the real GPY&R like?
AD: I think for many of us in advertising – and outside the industry – there are aspects of Ruben’s struggle with living a life of total sobriety in ‘this alcoholic country’ that feels familiar. This is more than a comedy, it’s a film with a point of view on the role that alcohol can take in our lives.
I’m afraid a fair bit of creative license is taken with the dynamics of Ruben’s work life and his relationship with his boss. My typical day with the creatives is not nearly as dramatic. We do like to work hard, play hard, but all within reason.
[Peter (Ruben’s dad) Jack Thompson] photo: Jon Love
TS: What did you learn from the experience?
AD: We underestimated what a buzz staff would get from participating in the shooting of a film in the office. We participated last year as part of our 80th anniversary celebrations in art & commerce, so the continued excitement we’ve gotten from this has been great. Looking forward to the wide release to the public.
TS: What do you think Ruben Guthrie will do for GPY&R? Will you use Ruben Guthrie to promote GPY&R like McCann NY has been Mad Men?
AD: We don’t have plans in place to use Ruben Guthrie to promote the agency as such, but are proud to live on in Ruben’s world on the big screen. We simply saw it as an opportunity to marry an idea existing in the creative world with the contextual setting of Australia’s oldest advertising agency and help bring some authenticity to the story.
