Following another solid first half of the year, independent creative agency Emotive has announced a slew of new creative hires and promotions.
In addition to the appointment of Ashleigh Bruton to the newly created role of head of fame and on the back of standout campaigns for Google, Optus, Revlon, and St Hugos, Emotive has bolstered its creative offering further with the arrival of a new creative team in Al Hill and Lucy Karsai.
Hill has worked at Example and McCann is a talented musician whose recently released Palestine fundraiser compilation Worlds Only World reached #4 on the AIR independent album chart, and has curated a decade of live music, including Wu-Tang Clan, Solange, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Ice Cube, Ziggy Ramo and H.E.R during his role as senior producer contemporary music at Sydney Opera House. Lucy is an accomplished art director with a rich background spanning both traditional and innovative creative agencies, including Example, McCann, and Edelman. Her portfolio includes high-profile clients such as Coca-Cola, Mastercard, Smirnoff, PayPal, and Microsoft. Lucy’s tenacity has also earned her accolades as a Young Lions finalist and the inaugural LAUNCH competition runner-up.
Alongside the new hires, Edward Macaulay has also been promoted to associate creative director. Since joining Emotive in 2021, Macaulay has consistently delivered some of the best work coming out of the agency for some of its most important clients. A recent highlight includes The Optus Network Trial ‘No Catch’ campaign, and he has plenty more exciting work coming out soon including a brand campaign for Weis ice creams.
“We don’t want to be the biggest indie in town, but we do want to be the best. That means hiring and backing smart, ambitious, interesting creatives and giving them opportunities to do the best work of their lives. Ed’s promotion is recognition of his commitment to making and taking those opportunities and I can’t wait to see what Lucy and Al are going to do,” said Darren Wright, group creative director, Emotive.
Along with the creative hires, Emotive has bolstered its client service offering. Andrea Dalton Doran has been promoted to Client Services Director. Having led the Optus account for the last two years and overseen its growth, diversified its outputs, and raised the creative standards, Andrea is brilliantly placed to lead the client services offering and drive new business and best-practice account management across the agency.
Liam Walker has also been promoted to Business Director, and Elisa Donato is a new hire as Senior Account Manager. Walker has been fundamental to developing the Danone account. His portfolio includes Unilever and Pernod Ricard, where the recent St Hugo’s x DR3 campaign made the news and saw Daniel Ricciardo take over a Dan Murphy’s to promote his DR3 wine range. Donato brings a wealth of experience from Leo Burnett and a solid integrated skill set, having worked across the Diageo account, including the highly awarded Bundy ‘The Wedding That Fans Built’ campaign.
“We’ve had an incredible year, pushing out some of our boldest work yet. This success is a direct result of our ongoing investment in our team and our drive to elevate our creative culture further. These new appointments and promotions reflect that momentum, and watching Andrea evolve into a powerhouse account leader and seeing Ed’s creativity reach the next level has been a real highlight. Looking ahead, our ambition has never been higher, and we’re on track to make this one of our best years yet,” said Simon Joyce, CEO & founder of Emotive.
