Martin Wright is the recent recipient of a lifetime award from ICAD. He is Founder and Creative Influence at his company Gospeltm Limited which has been in existence since 2005. Gospeltm Limited is an independent creative network of local and international creatives and strategic planners.
http://www.Gospeltm.com
Job description: It was a long held dream of mine to open my own agency. So I’m Founder and Creative Influence and I get to open the post. I manage the business and play a big part in the creative strategy behind all the projects we are involved in. I would lead presentations and pitches. A lot of my time involves project management and direction.
Likes: I’ve never considered it a job. I’ve been involved in some of the most exciting creative agencies in the country and internationally. I love the challenge of providing a creative solution to a business problem/opportunity. I’ve worked on some of the most iconic brands in the country and globally. I’ve met and worked with some of the most creative professionals in a wide sphere of creativity, writers/directors/photographers/illustrators/designers amazing creative people. I’ve learned a lot from some of the most professional marketeers around and had the good fortune to be able to present ideas in most boardrooms in the country – fantastic.
Career ladder:
1970s
I started in this great business in Jan 1970. Arks was my first ad agency. I was hired as a Production Assistant. I knew about printing blocks, stereos and typesetting for my first days of employment in the Irish Independent. I spent 4 years there – the last 2 in the creative department.
Then in 1974 McConnells called and I spent the next 2 years there, learning more about my craft as an Art Director. I went to London in 1977. I went to Beirut in 1978 then on to Kuwait then back home in 1979 to work at Bell Advertising.
1980s
Back to McConnells in October 1980 for the next 8 years. The eighties were creatively one of my best. Great working with Catherine, Michael, Gerry. My creative director was Jimmy Strathern, John Fanning was great, still is. We launched Ballygowan, Kilmeaden, Ryanair. Fantastic work for the IDA, Aer Lingus, Bus Eireann. Did some great work with Conor on Great Southern Hotels, phew!
Late 1980s to mid 2000s
Then a call came in from Bell and Michael and I went off to become Joint Creative Directors. Another great period for ideas and creative work – who for one moment would believe that Peter Mark would allow us to put a perm on a sweeping brush. More great ads followed and Ogilvy the owners of the agency were so delighted that they put us on the international creative roster to help out of big campaigns. I stayed in Ogilvy for 16 years. I made it to Executive Creative Director. In between I was Creative Director of Bell Recruitment. I enjoyed working in this area, we made recruitment ads creative. Added some creative flare to the recruitment pages of The Irish Times and the Irish Independent, won lotsa awards. I resigned from Ogilvy in August 2004, spent November in Sydney with Bernadette and then opened Gospeltm in Jan 2005. Began to lay the creative credentials down, won some great projects: Won two of the three National Newspaper of Ireland competitions’ creative awards for Prosperity. Branding workshops for Dublin Zoo. Relaunching Digital Agency. Was President of ICAD in its 50th year and still working on ideas, who could ask for anything more.
Qualifications: I have an Inter Cert and a Leaving Cert; a Cert and Diploma in Art Direction and Advertising from DIT; an education in Branding from Ogilvy and am still very much a student of life.
Working hours: My first Creative Director informed me that no one in this business got famous between the hours of 9-5. He was right. A spontaneous, inspired creative idea can arrive at any time, anywhere, any place.
Breaktime: Something light to eat. Then off on a walkabout, a museum. A gallery. A music store, maybe into Champion Sports to have a look at what Nike are doing in store. Then pop over to HMV have a look at some CD covers, good for type and direction. Things like that over lunch.
Social media credentials: Not very good at that, don’t Twitter. Working on my Weedle profile at the moment, want to get that right. I have a look at Linkedin, not hot on Facebook.
News: The Digital Agency – great guys there. Keeps me right up to date on things. I keep an eye on the Prosperity site and the ezine.
Onsite or offsite: The odd travel away. I like to have my meetings out of the office. Brooks hotel in Drury Street is my favourite place. Sometimes the Morrison, sometimes The Queen of Tarts, great coffee there.
Why do you love Mondays? I’ve never considered it a job. I’ve been very fortunate to be in a position where my creative talents have been appreciated and awarded. I’ve worked with some of the most creative people in a wide creative field. It’s been a real joy. Don’t get me wrong it been up and down, where hasn’t. But I wouldn’t change the last 40 years for anything else. The first series of ads I did was for CIE, a campaign of filler ads for Rambler Tickets. The last one I did was the rebranding of a digital agency, cant wait for the next one.
