Andy Greenaway, regional creative director, Saatchi & Saatchi Asia, has laid asphalt, cleaned hotplates, pulled pints, mowed lawns, sold art (his own), modeled (yes, on a catwalk) and performed extensive fieldwork in elementary nutrition (he lived on baked beans and canned tomatoes for two years during art school). He eventually stumbled into direct marketing, as a junior art director, at 19. In 1991, he moved to Asia—with stints in Singapore, Hong Kong and Thailand—and settled-in at Saatchi in 2004.

03.26.08

Pushing Beyond The Obvious into The Realm of The Original

If you have a degree in what field is it? I never took a degree, but I received a diploma in the arts. I'm not certain I believe degrees are important in our business.

If you could choose one person to work with (outside your own agency), who would it be? As a young art director, Steve Dunn was someone I always admired. He created pioneering campaigns that took art direction to entirely new levels. I’ve never met him personally, but I’m certain that anyone who crosses his path, learns something.

Who was the client for your first advertising project? British Telecom. I was hired on a Friday and thrown into a pitch for the business the following Monday. We won and I became embroiled in the account.

If you were to change professions, what would you choose to do? Back in 1997, I tried my hand at being an artist. And, although I had a successful first show, I found the whole process a bit isolating. I realized that I like the collaborative nature of advertising. So if I was to switch careers now, it would be writing screenplays or some other field where teamwork is an integral component of the creative process.

What do you consider to be the greatest headline of all time? David Ogilvy’s headline for Rolls Royce—“At 60 miles an hour the loudest noise in this new Rolls-Royce comes from the electric clock.” It’s dated now, but at the time it was a landmark headline that created a whole new thought process.

From where do your best ideas originate? That’s a tough question. Although I don’t believe there is any one source, three things immediately spring to mind: broad experience (travel, film, art, fiction, philosophy), forcing ourselves to think of one hundred ideas for every project (pushing beyond the obvious into the realm of the original and unexpected) and interrogating a client until it yields a unique insight or benefit.

How do you overcome a creative block? The only way to overcome a creative block is to start writing. It doesn’t matter if the ideas are rubbish. The act of putting thoughts on paper breaks down mental barriers. By not thinking and just letting ideas flow, you often stumble into interesting territory.

If you could choose any product to create an ad for, what would it be? If the client allows, you can do great work for any product.

Do you have creative outlets other than advertising? I have a mobile content company that creates and sells premium content in twenty countries around the world. I write a couple of comic strips, I just finished writing a screenplay and, in the past, I’ve written and directed comedy for the Internet.

What’s your approach to balancing work and life? My work is my hobby. My hobby is my life. I don’t really see a distinction. If I didn’t like my work, then there would be a problem. Luckily, my wife shares my interest in the arts and my kids are budding artists. Of course, I also squeeze in a bit of time for squash and soccer.

What product/gadget can you not live without? My iPod. I started running on treadmills a couple of years ago (a habit that started as a result of traveling too much); my iPod makes it bearable.

What’s your favorite quote? “The only way to learn to paint is to paint.” —Camille Corot.

Do you have any advice for people just entering the profession? Be a great storyteller and the world will be yours.

What's one thing you wish you knew when you started your career? Getting a job is not enough. Getting into the right agency and working with the best people is vital.