Outsider, London, and Bartle Bogle Hegarty (BBH), London, topped the 2005 British Television Advertising Awards (BTAA), being named respectively, the most successful production company and ad agency of the year in the U.K.
The recognition comes at an opportune time for Outsider, which recently extended its reach stateside with the launch of a Santa Monica-based company under the aegis of executive producer Jonathon Ker (SHOOT, 2/25, p. 1). Outsider’s U.K. shop is run by partners/executive producers Robert Campbell and Toby Courlander.
The showing of Outsider and BBH was reflected in the BTAA Gold Awards. Winning for best series of spots was Levi’s Anti-fit 501 campaign comprised of “Bike,” “Alteration,” “Hispanic,” “Doorman” and “Doorman Eurgh,” out of BBH. The latter three commercials were directed by Will Speck and Josh Gordon via Outsider, London. The directorial duo of Speck and Gordon make their U.S. home at Omaha Pictures, Santa Monica. “Bike” and “Alteration” were helmed by Nick Gordon of Academy, London.
Nick Gordon and BBH also scored with “Bike” as a BTAA Gold winner for best :30. Additionally, BBH’s “Getting Dressed” for Lynx 24-7 deodorant–directed by Ringan Ledwidge of Small Family Business, London–topped the best less-than-:60 category with a Gold. (Ledwidge is repped stateside by Park Pictures, New York). “Getting Dressed” also shared Gold honors in three categories–including best toiletries, with SCA Hygiene’s Double Velvet ad, “Soft Factory,” directed by Stacy Wall of Epoch@ Large, London, for Fallon, London. (Wall is repped in the U.S. by bicoastal Epoch Films.)
Lynx 24-7’s “Getting Dressed” also shared Gold distinction with Honda Diesel’s “Grr” in a pair of categories: Cinema/TV spots; and best spot less than 90 seconds. “Grr” was directed by the team of Adam Foulkes and Alan Smith of Nexus, London, for Wieden+Kennedy, London.
Foulkes and Smith were major Gold winners, as “Grr” garnered the BTAA honor as best overall commercial of the year. Additionally, Foulkes and Smith directed the Gold honoree in the newspapers and magazines category: The Observer‘s “Abba to Zappa,” out of Mother, London.
The coveted BTAA Chairman’s Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Commercials Industry was bestowed upon director Daniel Kleinman of Kleinman Productions, London. Kleinman also performed well in the general BTAA competition, reflected in his frequent collaborations with visual effects/post house Framestore CFC, London. Framestore work won six Silver Awards, seven Bronzes and eight Diplomas in the ’05 BTAA competition. All but one of those 21 winners was directed by Kleinman, primarily while he was at now defunct Large.
Meanwhile, on the new-media front, this was the first year that interactive ads were eligible for the BTAA competition. However, no interactive or viral spots were judged to be of high enough caliber to justify BTAA honors.
The ’05 BTAA ceremony was held March 10 in London’s Grosvenor House. The competition originated as the London Television Advertising Awards in ’76. A BTAA sister competition, the British Television Advertising Craft Awards, which was inaugurated in ’96, takes place annually in November.
