Cam Blackley is busy right now at M&C Saatchi asking the questions that a new chief creative officer has to ask to make his agency successful. But there are other questions in his head too. And they’re aimed at any creative on the top tier, Dave Bowman, Creative Chief of Google Zoo.
The pair sat down together at the Smith & Western studios, with Bowman baring all (or at the very least, most) about his leap of faith to Google and how it changed him, and his passion for obscure music.
“Dave’s new gig at Google means his impact will be much broader than if he was to stay in any one agency. I thought hearing about that transition would be interesting. Plus, he’s widely regarded as one of the funniest people in advertising,” Blackley commented.
Bowman describes himself as a kid in a candy shop at Google in this new Smith & Western podcast, the fifth in its The Creative Relay series. He talks (excitedly) about the challenges of his role, how he has adapted to the change away from an agency culture and his new job of connecting Google’s products and platforms with brands in ways that have never been done before.
“It was great to sit down with Cam and not only reflect on the past, but to talk about what it is we’re doing now at Google. Besides – saying it out loud helps me understand it,” Bowman quipped.
For host, Paul Dunne, the episode revealed some fresh insights and reinforced the recurring themes that have emerged as the series progresses.
“For me what’s really interesting is the connective tissue between the episodes. Common themes like sacrifice and humour, or the impact that someone like Neil Lawrence had on so many people are really fascinating,” Dunne commented.
The Creative Relay series is the brainchild of creators and producers, Dan Higson and Nick West, from Smith & Western. Each episode features the interviewee from the previous podcast, interviewing an inspiring creative of their choice.
After a successful launch last November, The Creative Relay has already attracted some of Australia’s leading creatives including Ant Keogh from The Monkeys, DDB’s Tara Ford and Jonathan Kneebone from The Glue Society.
So who has Bowman lined up for his next episode?
“You’ll have to wait and see. Which means I don’t know yet,” Bowman stated.
Listen to and download the fifth episode of The Creative Relay, either here or here.
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