To mark the end of a really successful season 3, we bring you a very special episode of The MCA Prodcast as we look back on some of our favourite bits of advice that guests have given us over the last few months.

Pat Murphy has been lucky enough to sit down with some of the real shining lights in our industry and we’ve covered so many different topics; from creativity and storytelling, to leadership, nurturing new talent, technological developments and even exploring entirely new ways that we can connect with audiences.

Exploring these topics and many more are:

• Doerte Spengler-Ahrens – Chairwoman of Jung von Matt and President of the Art Director’s Club (ADC)
• Upasana Roy – Global Creative Strategy Director at Reckitt
• Philipp Schuster – Agency Management and Marketing Partnerships Director from Bayer Consumer Health
• Sir John Hegarty – Co-founder and Creative Director at The Garage Soho & The Business of Creativity
• Mark Benson – President of The Mill
• Kristen Cavallo – Former Global CEO of MullenLowe
• Matt Miller - President and CEO of the Association of Independent Commercial Producers (AICP)
• Paul Burke – Radio Copywriter and Producer

Season 4 of The MCA Prodcast will be landing in early 2025!

Hosted by Pat Murphy

Connect with Murphy Cobb and The Prodcast:

Murphy Cobb & Associates | The MCA Prodcast | LinkedIn | Instagram | Email

This week on The MCA Prodcast Pat Murphy talks to President of The Mill, Mark Benson. Before the brands merged Mark was CEO of MPC Advertising – the Moving Picture Company - under whose leadership the organisation was transformed into a multi-award-winning global creative studio.

Mark and Pat reminisce on their early days as runners, and how that shaped them for their future careers. Mark reflects on how client service was something that always fascinated him, and MPC’s commitment to clients and relationships was something that kept him at the business for 25 years! Mark also explains how MPC transitioned from working exclusively on ads, to later providing post-production services for big screen movie projects such as The Harry Potter franchise.

When discussing MPC’s merger with The Mill Mark says ‘the fundamentals haven't changed. We are all excited about how we go forwards into new markets and new areas of opportunity, predicated on talent, and a real understanding of what a narrative, what a story can be and how it's told’. Parent company Technicolour has the ambition to become the ‘world's largest creative visual arts company’ and Mark explains how that aspiration is being achieved, branching recently into new areas like The Sphere, 3D Billboards, live theatre and more. Mark reveals how projects like the upcoming Elvis immersive experience are setting new standards in storytelling by engaging audiences in unique and interactive ways.

Watch Mark’s favourite ad: Ryan Giggs - Reebok

Hosted by Pat Murphy

Connect with Murphy Cobb and The Prodcast:

Murphy Cobb & Associates | The MCA Prodcast | LinkedIn | Instagram | Email

This week on The MCA Prodcast Pat Murphy talks to Lisa Lavender, MD of British Arrows which is the UK’s longest running and most prestigious moving image advertising awards. Prior to this Lisa was founder of The Traffic Bureau and CEO of Adstream UK.

Lisa originally dreamt of being a choreographer but found her way into advertising, starting out as a production assistant. She talks us through how her career began, her temporary move to Canada, and how she launched The Traffic Bureau which was the first outsourced TV admin company in the UK. Hear how what began with a casual conversation later evolved into the sale of The Traffic Bureau to Adstream, with Lisa becoming CEO of Adstream's UK operations. From there, Lisa’s skill in nurturing exceptional talent and creating a happy, dynamic company culture left a lasting impact on her career.

Lisa talks us through the complexities of broadcast and business affairs. With so many channels and outlets, how can organisations stay on top of the various requirements in terms of clearance and rights management? Lisa explains that tech is helping hugely in this field and she suspects AI will also have a role to play.

Throughout her journey, Lisa emphasises the importance of mentorship and fostering diverse environments in advertising. She’s a powerful advocate for supporting new talent and has always strived to create opportunities and welcome new people into the industry, something that she is now especially proud to do in her role organising the Young Arrows awards. She considers how attitudes to work have changed through the generations and how ‘Gen-Z’ now demand a more healthy work-life balance – something we can all probably learn from!

Lisa and Pat discuss why creative awards like the British Arrows remain so vital in today’s advertising landscape and how the Young Arrows can celebrate the next generation of great storytellers and creatives. The awards are celebrating their 50th Anniversary next year and would love to hear from any organisation interested in sponsoring the events.

Watch Lisa’s favourite ad: Hamlet Cigars – Photo Booth

Hosted by Pat Murphy

Connect with Murphy Cobb and The Prodcast:

Murphy Cobb & Associates | The MCA Prodcast | LinkedIn | Instagram | Email