Gary McCreadie joins Hello as executive creative director

Hello has further strengthened its leadership team, appointing executive creative director, Gary McCreadie.

McCreadie worked at the critically acclaimed Bartle Bogle Hegarty London for a decade, as board partner and creative director. He helped lead the agency’s largest and most creatively awarded accounts including Lynx/Axe, The Guardian, Mentos and Tango, picking up metal at every major award show including D&AD, Cannes Lions, BTAA, Creative Circle, One Show, Award, Clio, Directors Guild and Campaign Big. He worked as executive creative director at TBWA\Sydney from 2014 – 2017, leading David Jones, M.J. Bale, Tourism New Zealand, Airbnb and Foxtel, and has worked in a film directorial capacity, shooting campaigns for Schick, TK Maxx and Weetabix.

Says McCreadie: “Hello are a really lovely bunch of people with huge ambition. They’ve been building for the last three years and I feel very lucky to a part of their future. I’m excited to help this talented team produce work we can all be proud of.”

Says James Polhill, managing director, Hello: “Gary brings an incredible depth of global brand experience to the agency. We share a passion for film and storytelling, and his creative leadership has had an immediate impact on both our business and our clients’ businesses.”

With over two decades of advertising experience, McCreadie sent a bloke down a waterslide to demonstrate the ease of contactless payment for Barclaycard, recruited a crew of teenage NASA astronauts for Axe, collaborated with Hugh Grant to promote Open Journalism for The Guardian, shot a music video for David Jones with the camera system controlled entirely by sound, and helped Chris Hemsworth self-indulge in his own best performances on Foxtel.

Says Ngaio McCreadie, general manager, Hello: “Since joining the agency earlier in the year, my priority was to lift the creative and design output of the team, not easy during COVID-19, but we’ve created incredible momentum. It’s a family affair and we’re thrilled to have him on board.”