News

Lion of St Mark winner Joe Pytka slams big ad networks as ‘trawlers’

Joe Pytka

Joe Pytka

Big advertising conglomerates are “trawling the oceans of clients” and killing creativity according to this year’s Lion of St Mark, director Joe Pytka.

In an entertaining question and answer session Pytka, director of numerous ads and the movie Space Jam, took a swing at large conglomerates, and said the last age of creativity in film was the 1970s with the last “great film” Raging Bull, while the last days of creativity in advertising were the 1980s.

“There was a certain integrity to those monstrous creative people like George Lois,” said Pytka. “He would jump out of a window rather than act to the client’s wishes.

“I’m the expert, he would tell them, so it’s my way or the highway.”

He noted the former ethos of ad agency bosses was they needed “five or six good clients to do well” adding they would be selective with who they worked for, then likened the modern day marketing conglomerates to “trawlers” trying to pick up every bit of business they could, with the result they ended up sacrificing creativity.

“How can you be creative when you have to look over your shoulder to make sure an accountant is billing every hour you work for a client,” he added.

During the press session at the Cannes Lions on Thursday he also said he did not feel he had earned the Lion of St Mark award, given to someone who has made an outstanding contribution to the advertising industry.

Pytka also hit out at the availability of things like music freely on the internet, saying it wwas denigrating the art and running down the industry.

However, he said the craft of creating a 30 second spot would not be run down despite the rise of long-form branded content.

But, he also filmmakers could learn from the art of the ad maker in terms of conciseness, adding “every film I have seen in the last 15 years has been too long”.

Alex Hayes in Cannes

 

 

ADVERTISEMENT

Get the latest media and marketing industry news (and views) direct to your inbox.

Sign up to the free Mumbrella newsletter now.

 

SUBSCRIBE

Sign up to our free daily update to get the latest in media and marketing.