Nick Worthington interviews Tony Bradbourne in inspiring episode of Creative Relay podcast

The latest episode of Smith & Western’s Creative Relay Podcast – the pod series where the world’s most inspiring creatives talk to the creatives who most inspire them – features two of the most pivotal creative leaders in the New Zealand advertising industry over the past twenty years – Nick Worthington (right) and Tony Bradbourne (left).

Worthington created many award-winning campaigns at BBH and AMV London including Levis Creek and Drugstore, before moving to New Zealand and heading Mojo and then Colenso for 17 years, winning numerous awards including a Cannes Grand Prix, D&AD Black Pencil and leading Colenso to be recognised as “Best Agency in the World” by the Big Won Report in 2013.

Bradbourne is founder of Special, the first global creative network founded from New Zealand, now with eight offices globally, winner of double Cannes Grand Prix and over 30 Agency of the Year titles – including being named ‘Most Effective Independent in the World’ by Effie Worldwide and being crowned by Campaign UK as “Global Creative Agency of the Year” in both 2020 and 2022.

Showrunner Dan Higson, EP at Smith & Western, says Worthington sought out Bradbourne for his leg of the Creative Relay because he’s admired his work for a long time and “because he’s kinda done one of the things I was frightened of doing”.

The brilliant hour-long discussion charts the fascinating and little-known story of Special, from the driving inspiration on which the company was founded to the improbable journey from small NZ start-up to one of the world’s most globally awarded creative agencies.

Bradbourne gets to the heart of what makes great creative effective, how energy and drive is more important than talent alone, misuses of media, sumo techniques, fearless and ambitious clients, extra-ordinary leaps, selling the impossible, ‘foundation & fame’– and what it truly takes to build an ‘independent creative network for the world’s most ambitious brands’, from the bottom of the world.

This episode is a must-listen for the creatives, marketers, CEO’s, founders and the ‘crazy ones’ everywhere who want to leave a dent in the world.

As two legends of the NZ creative industry sit down and talk the business of creativity and effectiveness for the very first time.

This unmissable episode is now available on Apple podcasts, Spotify and at thecreativerelay.com