After 18 months in business Sydney-based independent ideas company Ugly closes up shop
October 31 2018, 12:15 pm | | 9 Comments
18 months after setting up shop, Sydney-based ideas agency Ugly has closed its doors.
Ugly ~ partly funded by M&C Saatchi ~ was founded in April 2017 by former TBWA\Sydney ECD Gary McCreadie, Anomaly Amsterdam founding partner and CEO, Hazelle Klønhammer and Ross Berthinussen, ex-head of strategy at M&C Saatchi, Sydney. (The three are pictured above at the time of the agency’s launch last year).
The end comes six months after McCreadie left for a new venture, later revealed by CB to be the ECD role at 303 MullenLowe, Sydney.
CB has reached out to Hazelle Klønhammer for a comment.
9 Comments
I’m always bemused by mentions of Gary (and Wes) and their adventures.
How do they keep getting gigs?
They abandoned TBWA twice and did nothing while they were there, and more nothing at their next stops.
Surely a BBH reel isn’t that powerful still?
They must be great in interviews.
don’t be an asshole
She makes a fair point. Everyone knows that Russ led TBWA while they were there.
I worked with Gary and Wes and Craig and a lot of very talented creatives during the G&W years. We had a decent run as a team winning new business and Cannes etc.
This industry is tough but these kinds of comments can be really hurtful so let’s keep it classy yeah?
You petty little thing.
Why you have a weird vendetta against two of the most talented and nicest creatives in the Australia is beyond me.
I don’t think anyone in this city can rate a creative or ECD on “what they got out” in a few years in a job. I’m not sure if you’ve bothered to look at award entries or even what gets posted on the blog, but its gotten notoriously hard to get work made these days. Speak to anyone at any other agency and the consensus is that if you can win pitches, retain clients and make sure everyone is getting paid at the end of the day then you’re doing well.
Reputation goes further than the scam you pump out. Being a good leader and a nice human counts.
It blows my mind how cruel people can be on this. Genuinely reading comments like that are enough to make me want to leave the industry. And I don’t even know the people being mentioned. But I do know what decency is.
January 2017:
“Hey guys, lets set-up a new shop together, it will be awesome. We can finally be out from under the holding company umbrella. I, for one, am 100% committed to making it work if you guys are….so are you with me team?”
June 2017:
“Yeah…naaaah. I’m off. Later.”
Whilst people talk down or criticise the creatives, there are others who made Ugly, a bit ugly. Bruised egos aside, they’ll survive and hopefully be better people and leaders for it.