Vale Mara Marich: award-winning copywriter; Emmy-nominated writer, director + producer

Many in the advertising and TV industry in Australia and the US will be saddened to hear of the passing of the multi-talented Aussie expat Mara Marich, who has died in Houston, Texas after a long battle with cancer.

Marich began her career as an award-winning advertising copywriter on four continents, including Australia, most notably at The Campaign Palace, Melbourne, where she, together with Sarah Barclay, created the multi-awarded Antz Pantz ‘Sick ‘em Rex’ commercial, which won a Gold Pencil at AWARD in 1990 and was later voted ATV ‘Best Commercial of the last 20 Years’.

In 1992 Marich headed to the US, joining the high octane world of MTV New York’s famed on-air promotion department, graduating as an Emmy-nominated writer, director and producer.

As an inhouse, behind the scenes talent at MTV, she dreamed up new and enticing eye candy to make the masses salivate on a daily basis. Since then she successfully launched Dizzy, her own creative shop, and continued an international career spanning traditional and digital advertising and content. Over the last decade she headed her own successful creative development company, SuperMarketLove LLC.

Marich was fluent solving problems for many cultures. She launched web havens, television channels and shows in New York, Boston, Australia, India and Taiwan, and managed digital, film, TV and print projects worldwide, including London, Dublin, Sydney, Hong Kong, Paris, Cairo, Las Vegas, Dallas, San Francisco, San Diego, New Orleans and Los Angeles.

Marich enjoyed collaborating with others and listening to clients, to unlock the best strategy for messaging. As a hands-on creative, she worked closely with the subject matter, and was comfortable handling project management from A to Z. She liked the challenge of simplifying complicated subjects, and troubleshooting to find optimal solutions.

Marich was academically trained, graduating from the University of Sydney with a Bachelor’s Degree, Psychology and Economics. She was also a Lecturer and Advisor at Western Sydney Ad School.

Mara Marich picked Candy Shoes (created with Sarah Barclay at The Campaign Palace, Melbourne in 1987) as her favourite ad in Campaign Brief’s Millennium Book, published in 2000.

Marich (right) with art director partner Sarah Barclay in 1987, then a young creative team at The Ball Partnership in Sydney. While there they were featured in a September, 1987 Campaign Brief article ‘A Guide to Sydney’s hottest young creative talent’. Soon after they were snapped up by The Campaign Palace, Melbourne.