In Dynamic Duos, Mumbrella each week asks two colleagues with a professional and personal affiliation to share with readers the importance of workplace relationships in an increasingly hybridised world of work.

John Gault:

When you walk into an interview as a battle-scarred creative and sit down opposite a baby-faced creative director you immediately think two things – I wonder who this nepo baby’s parents are, and how did I get ‘old’?

I eventually learnt the answer to the first question, (he was untainted by nepotism), but am still ruminating on an answer to the second.

After working together for a few weeks it became clear that Matt was ‘The Doogie Howser of Advertising’; a prodigious young talent capable of surgical creative precision. I like to think of him wearing a stethoscope to client meetings as well back then, but that might be the metaphor talking.

Successful creative partnerships are a unique mix of complementing skill-sets, personality, ambition and sheer serendipity. We were 4 from 4. Rapport that normally takes months was instant, we could build on each other’s thoughts, and quickly kill off the lesser ideas without either of us batting an eyelid or feeling slighted. There was no score keeping, just a passion for doing what was best for the work and the business problems we were solving.

Fast forward nearly 10 years, and rather than maturing into a stale, long-term relationship, we’ve burgeoned into a loving creative marriage. We won lots of awards, started our own business, had said business acquired, and now find ourselves heading up the creative........

© Mumbrella