Together with CEO Pawl Cubbin, ZOO Melbourne has tasked newly appointed managing director (partner) Matt Rose and creative partner Alex Wadelton with reinvigorating the agency as they look to produce intelligent work that moves people.
Rose said, “ZOO Melbourne is the perfect chance to build something and control my own destiny.
“Working with Pawl means working alongside a great businessman, who has built a range of very successful businesses across a range of industries. His experience and enthusiasm are infectious, and I can’t wait to combine that energy with my skills to grow a business that has a significant positive effect on shaping the fabric of the Melbourne advertising industry.”
Wadelton added, “I’ve worked with a heap of clever people in my career, and I hope I’ve been able to glean what things work, and don’t work, along the way. Now, in my own place, I can just focus on the good things, and produce work with a bit of heart with people who also want to be proud of what they do every day”.
“We conducted an extensive nationwide search, looking for a combination of the best talent and cultural fit,” Cubbin said. “They’re both very experienced and have a great chemistry between them, and that’s what makes a great agency. Bringing in Matt and Alex feels like a new lease of life for our Melbourne office – they’re ambitious and have already set some aggressive targets for 2016.”
Rose has spent the last five years heading up the AAMI business at Ogilvy Melbourne, including the famous “Rhonda and Ketut” campaign that became one of the most loved and anticipated series in Australia.
In that time he also oversaw campaigns for a wide range of products including Safe Driver Rewards, Skilled Driver, Business Insurance, and Life & Income Protection Insurance. He has worked across clients such as the Victorian Government, Crown Lager, Cascade, BP, Kraft, Mattel, Goodyear, PEET Property, the Myer IPO launch, Swinburne Online, and many more.
In a fifteen-year career, Wadelton has worked at some of the biggest and most successful agencies in Australia. With experience at GPY&R (both Melbourne and Sydney), DDB Sydney, Cummins, and McCann, Wadelton brings with him an eclectic style of thinking that has helped a wide array of brands achieve great results, whist producing interesting work.
Some of the projects he has helped create include the launch of the Big Bash League for Cricket Australia, the recent “Where great minds collide” campaign for the University of Melbourne, the long-running Wrigley’s “Food Creatures” campaign that has now aired in over 100 markets around the world, as well as a vast array of successful AFL work.
Wadelton is passionate about giving something back as well, as evidenced by his “One Buck One Pluck” idea for Camp Quality, where he plucked one hair out for each dollar donated by the public.
ZOO group has also added experience in account cirector Katie Franklin, account manager Nikki Allan, and senior digital producer Martijn Wingens to work on their growing list of clients.
ZOO Melbourne is part of ZOO group, an independent creative network in Australia, with offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Auckland, and Singapore.
