bryan cawood

brand strategy / creative director / film director / whatever interests me

March 2023 -

Noosa, Queensland

I left youi after 15 years in March ‘23. The corporate creep had entered the business and the loss of the entrepreneurial spirit made me decide it was better that I return to what I like doing best, being part of something fresh and new and working with entrepreneurs and creative people. I’ve now made myself available to do whatever comes along if it interests me.

youi insurance australia

brand strategy / creative director / film director

August 2007 - March 2023 (15 years 7 months)

Sunshine Coast, Queensland

I moved to Australia in 2007 with the start up crew to launch a new car and home insurance brand. I was responsible for creating the new brand and positioning it in the very competitive car and home insurance industry. I came up with the youi name and with a designer, designed the corporate identity. Since then I have been responsible for the youi brand in Australia and later New Zealand. I worked on all the brand and communications strategies for the company that saw it grow to over one million clients and over $1Billion of premiums every year. I conceptualised all the campaigns and directed all of the commercials for the company from launch until March ’23. In all that time youi had no advertising agencies and I used a freelance producer to produce all of the shoots with me. The in-house agency I set up in the beginning was unique in its time, being one of the only agencies responsible for creating and growing a big brand.

fusion films

film director / owner

January 2002 - July 2007 (5 years 7 months)

Johannesburg, South Africa

Fusion Films was a commercial production company that a producer and I started in Johannesburg. We produced TV commercials for advertising agencies. Early on we landed the Outsurance insurance account where I was responsible for the strategising, creative and film direction of many advertising campaigns for the company.

bester burke d'arcy

creative director / shareholder

January 2000 - December 2002 (3 years)

Johannesburg, South Africa

When Cape Town based independent advertising agency Bester Burke signed with D'Arcy internationally they needed an office in Johannesburg to handle the international clients: Fiat/Alfa Romeo, Procter and Gamble and Roche Pharmaceuticals were the main alignment clients. A managing director and I ran the office until Leo Burnett merged with D'Arcy. I had directed a commercial for Berocca whilst creative director and this opened the door to a change to directing for me.

nsop advertising

creative director / shareholder

June 1996 - December 1999 (3 years 7 months)

Johannesburg, South Africa

I joined this small agency as a partner and shareholder. We built the agency, winning significant pieces of business. Most notably we won the Hyundai and Volvo accounts in a big pitch against much larger agencies. Unfortunately the people running the Hyundai and Volvo accounts lead their business into insolvency, exposing our business and forcing us to close our doors.

amc ddb

creative director / shareholder

May 1993 - June 1996 (3 years 2 months)

Johannesburg, South Africa

I joined this offshoot of TBWA Hunt Lascaris to work on the ANC election campaign in the historic first democratic election in South Africa. I worked solidly on the election campaign for a year. It was an amazing experience working with clients who had been to jail for 27 years for their brand. I was ten meters from Nelson Mandela when it was officially announced that he had won the election to become the first democratically elected President of South Africa. I went on to design Mr Mandela's personal stationary, presenting my ideas to him at his dining room table. An experience I will never forget.

After the election the agency aligned with DDB globally and I worked on many of the DDB aligned clients.

Other agencies I worked at in my early years: O&M RSTM Cape Town, JWT Cape Town, Hunt Lascaris TBWA Johannesburg

CV