The second Cummins?
February 26 2010, 9:27 am | | 28 Comments
SMH’s Nina Hendy reports that Sean Cummins is quietly plotting a re-entry into the advertising industry, revealing that he is even toying with the idea of buying his agency back. In the article he also claims credit for the CumminsNitro, Brisbane’s ‘Best Job in the World’ campaign: “More recently, Mr Cummins instigated the ”Best Job in the World” campaign for Tourism Queensland, which won a record of three Grand Prix and five Gold Lions at the Cannes International Advertising Festival.”
28 Comments
Lynchy, please tell us why you are still using his twenty year old photo…it’s unfair, it make all of us think we are aging.
Or does he just take the same concoctions that Siimon takes.
He always use to envy and copy Siimon as we know!
I think you should use his photo from the eligible bachelors article from Campaign Brief – Circa early 90s. Largely bespectacled, spotty and very not chic. True.
So Sean ‘instigated’ the Best Job campaign did he?
Really?
Has anyone got a shot of this guy when he’s not looking beautiful?
I heard mention of a reunion for all the people who had ever worked at the old Cummins and Partners, but there were some problems in hiring the Telstra dome.
What a shame that so many heartfelt comments on this development will be deemed too hot to post. So many voices will be necessarily silenced.
Lynchy, what about starting a private subscription version of the Blog, a sort of Penthouse Black Label edition full of the deliciously defamatory slagging off, not to mention the true story behind the PR facade?
Perhaps you could ask Sean, as an ex lawyer and son of a retiring judge to provide a legal opinion on the viability of this.
Good on him and more luck to him. When so many people in our industry talk about what they’d like to do, guys like Sean just do. If everyone on this blog did rather than talked, they’d all be happier and living in big f$$K off fancy houses like Sean. To paraphrase a well used quote from Mr Shaw; those who can do, those who can’t, bitch.
Sean I would to see you buy back your agency – be vocal in the industry again. You are a first class operator. You have a massively high opinion of yourself – and from a work perspective deservedly so.
‘He also wrote the ”You’ll Love Every Piece of Victoria” campaign for Tourism Victoria, now the longest-running tourism campaign in the world.’
Note to the SMH journalist:
I’m sure Sean told you that. He no doubt also told you that he was the brains behind Best Job in the World.
The ‘Virginia is for Lovers’ tourism campaign is still going strong after 40 years. ‘I Love NY’ for well over 30 years. These spring to mind instantly, there are no doubt many more.
Sean cummins wrote:
If there is ever a reason why I have enjoyed being out of the business you can read it here.
Guilty as I may be of posting some strident views on work, advertising and hype, I have never stooped to attack people on a personal basis.
Such behaviour is like drinking poison and hoping someone else dies.
The article reported in the SMH and the Age was merely a catch up on what I have been doing since I left the business.
I was asked questions, and I answered them truthfully.
I never claim credit for work I haven’t had a key hand in. Maybe all those people who would fill the Telstra Dome would know that, at least, I had deserved any credit given to me.
I know the people I have had run-ins with. And In the role I played over the years , as an owner of a business as well as a creative leader, you have a double dip at pissing people off.
But i certainly don’t lie in bed at night worrying what the chattering classes may think of me. I just go about things my own way.
What I do object to is out and out inaccuracies. And lies.
My father is not a retiring judge. My father died tragically 8 years ago. He was a Major in the Australian Army.
As for work like Best job among others, I will only say this: It was a great collaboration over a long period of time and no-one has ever been robbed of credit for it. I understand my name may cast a shadow over any credit that is given out, but that’s the price of being high profile.
And the price of high profile is also unfortunately being run down by anonymous people in a blog that is supposed to be affirming about our business.
It is true, I may get back into the business. But I may not.
But I will not be deterred either way by silly comments by small minded people.
And if i do, return i promise to bring a new pic with me.
I hate looking at those bloody photos as much as you all do.
So at least we agree on something.
Sean
Sean, I’ve never met you but I admire you. I’m relatively new to the business and have seen the nasty side of chosing not to team with somebody manifest itself in ugly rumours and lies. The fact you’ve been able to put up with so much more for so long and can address it professionally without taking anything personally is to my mind a great strength of character. I wish you all the best with whatever you choose to do.
Sean.
It’d help greatly if you didn’t describe your peers on the blog as ‘the chattering classes’ as it reinforces the opinion some have of you.
Perhaps peers by profession but not by professionalism. He may have his faults but at least he has some balls. And some class.
Can’t wait for the new pic Sean. What stylist are you using? Promise no botox beforehand.
There’s a fine line between normal behavior of the outrageously successful and plain old narcissism.
A key trait of narcissism is seeing yourself as superior than others. Another is believing that all criticism of you is based on jealousy. Another is an insatiable need for recognition.
However, most narcissists have an inflated sense of their achievements. Sean actually has achievements he should be proud of.
Could go either way.
I quote: “He also wrote the ”You’ll Love Every Piece of Victoria” campaign for Tourism Victoria, now the longest-running tourism campaign in the world.”
That launched in 1993.
‘I Love New York’ launched in 1977.
So I guess that beats Sean by about sixteen years.
Actually the #1 trait of a narcissist is a lack of empathy for others. So unless Sean has spent his career displaying a lack of empathy, he’s just successful and should be respected, not slammed. IMO.
I’m thinking about buying Manchester United.
I’m not at all actually, but it looks great in print.
Anyone else notice the sudden and mysterious removal of the ex-colleague’s comment from this morning? The one that said ‘we’ll talk about it one day.’ Wow, that was quick – have they ‘talked about it’ already with the co-operation of this blog?
Well, way back in the old clubbing days (when the ‘clarity’ came straight from Amsterdam) there was an annoyingly catchy little song that got played a lot. It was called: “Things that make you go hmm.”
This has to be the most heavily censored article ever in the history of the blog. Pity.
Sticks and stones…. you have all been around long enough to relise he doesn’t care what you say, and he truly is a great leader, adman and personality. You only have to still be working at Sapient to realise how shit the place is without him. Much missed. Respect.
I’m struggling to reconcile “quietly plotting” with granting an interview to a journalist.
I may be a simple man, but they really don’t go hand-in-hand to me.
Sean, before this item disappears into the archives, you might contemplate just why any story about you invokes such strong and poisonous invective. It’s not for the reasons you pretend to identify in your rant above, and you know it. Have a nice life.
Sean had shit all to do with “Best Job”.
Trust me.
I know.
If we’re going to get personal about Sean, I’ll tell you my personal experience.
I met Sean briefly years ago when I was in Melbourne. At that time I had all the clothes I owned on my back and a dusty folio bag. I was tired, hungry and had been door-knocking for a junior gig for about 2 months.
Sean was one of the few to take me in and look at my book – on the spot. I had no idea back then how busy CDs were.
He looked through it, said ‘I’ll be honest, I can’t give you a job. But go and see these guys. Tell them I sent you.’
I knocked on the door without an appointment. The recruiter was asking ‘who the hell do you think you are…’ – I mentioned ‘Sean… Cummins? sent me here.’
Straight away she sat me down, got me a coffee, went through my book and got me a gig within a week.
Thank you Sean, you probably don’t remember doing that, but I’ve enjoyed a moderately successful career since and I’m grateful you took the time to see me.
No doubt about it, 3:12, Sean is undoubtedly one of the staunchest supporters of young talent in Australia. It’s what he does with seniors that earns him so many enemies.
From an external observers point of view, perhaps the lack of creativity in advertising that Sean talks about stems from the fact that you are all so busy wasting your creative energy slagging off on others rather than developing create campaigns.
Is there an ex-CHE ECD going to be part of this (potential, but not confirmed) new agency?