Experienced, highly-awarded creative director.
Hi there.
I'm a passionate, smart, strategic creative. Oh my God. Did I just call myself smart? That's terrible, isn't it.
My roles have included Deputy Executive Creative Director at DDB Sydney, Executive Creative Director at Naked Sydney, Creative Director at BBH London, and senior copywriter at DDB London.
Recently I've set up a successful social media agency - Hungry Beast - which has led to a monthly column in Mumbrella about social media, and speaking at numerous conferences.
I'm in my 40's, married, with two kids, and a very cute but very stupid dog. She's learned about four words of English, in four years. That's an average of just one word a year.
I've written six screenplays, two of which got optioned. One idea was made... but unfortunately my edgy drama became a teen comedy starring Zac Efron. Sheesh.
In a previous life I was a journalist, writing articles for The Guardian, The Sunday Times, GQ, and women's magazines. A lot for women's magazines. Long story...
I was educated at Oxford University, where I studied Philosophy & French.
British/Australian citizen.
I've won about 100 advertising awards
Cannes - 5 Cannes Lions, including 1 Grand Prix and 2 Gold Lions
D&AD - 2 pencils, 6 pencil nominations, 40 in-book entries (roughly)
Others - various - it's kinda embarrassing how many award shows there are in our industry.
My first book was published in May 2010 and has been translated into 7 languages. Yup, I have the Korean edition somewhere.
It's called 'How To Make It As An Advertising Creative'. The publisher commissioned it after seeing a series of tips I was writing for young creatives on my blog, Scamp.
I really enjoy training young creatives. I've also taught at Miami Ad School, and gave the opening lecture at Award School three years in a row.
My second book, 100 Ideas That Changed Advertising, came out in January 2015. Yellow again!
It forms part of a series by the same publisher, which includes 100 Ideas That Changed Art, 100 Ideas That Changed Fashion, etc.
I've always been into technology. I learned to code at age 14 and still keep my hand in with html. I'm also an avid gamer. In short, it's great news for me that being a geek has at last become socially acceptable.
I was somehow the first creative in the UK to start a blog. Scamp quickly gained a wide following and at its peak was getting tens of thousands of visitors a week - over 1.6 million pageviews and 18,000 comments so far. It also got me into a lot of trouble, but the less said about that, the better...
It later became a weekly column in Australia's leading advertising trade magazine, Campaign Brief and then a monthly column in Mumbrella.
I can be contacted on +61 402 123 823 or simon.veksner@gmail.com.
Thanks for visiting : )