R/GA has welcomed a slew of new hires and promotions to the Australian creative agency as it grows its local offering.
Rachel Blacklaws and Andrew Singleton join as creative directors based at the agency’s Melbourne studio. Joining from respective roles at TBWA\Australia, the seasoned copywriter and art director duo bring a wealth of experience from stints at Dentsu, McCann, and Grey, working with brands like Menulog, Adidas, Nissan, ANZ, Lucozade, and WorkSafe.
With their mix of international and local flair, Blacklaws and Singleton embody energy and ambition with their disruptive approach to their craft.
The pair said: “R/GA has real ambition to look at creativity in a new light, which excited us from our early conversations with Ben and Seamus. The studio is in the midst of a transition, which will see them injecting creativity and innovation into every touchpoint – it’s a super exciting time for us to join. Having seen under the hood, we can honestly say they’re doing things differently to any other Aussie agency.”
In the Sydney office, senior copywriter Kate Ross and senior art director Courtney Fay have been promoted to associate creative directors. Ross and Fay have been pivotal in their five years at R/GA and were behind award-winning work, including Uber’s ‘Vaccinate the Block’ and Nike’s ‘For Every Body,’ an AR-enabled retail experience celebrating female diversity and community.
Kate Ross and Courtney Fay
Alex Morris, R/GA’s newly appointed senior copywriter, joins from London. Blurring the lines between entertainment and tech, Morris has battled unwanted dick pics with NFTs, held agencies’ accounts hostage on TikTok, and even launched the first digital mascot in the NBA.
Teaming up with Morris is Aaron McCann, who has been promoted to senior art director. The creative has left his mark on global campaigns for Nike and Google, as well as local work for A-Leagues and McDonald’s. An advocate for insightful ideas that tap into culture, McCann thrives on creating impactful change and entertainment.
R/GA’s creative expansion aligns with Seamus Higgins rejoining as chief creative officer for Australia in June of this year. Higgins closely partners with Ben Miles, VP, executive creative director, brand design, APAC, to co-lead the studio’s creative offering across integrating brand, experience, and communications teams.
Higgins said: “It’s a significant time for us. R/GA has always embraced non-conformity, and now we’re taking a new approach that centres on a diversely disciplined, but unified team navigating all phases of a project. We’re continuing to build a studio that harnesses creative tension to unleash next level creative innovation.”
Miles added: “This team is a cross-section of hyper-collaborative talent, all focused on the bigger picture of client business. How they work is a break away from outdated structures, exploit the intersection of their skills, and deliver groundbreaking work that meets new client needs.”
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Top image: Rachel Blacklaws and Andrew Singleton