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Former BBH APAC executive creative director McClelland joins global coalition Jane Fender

scott-facesScott McClelland, the former executive creative director of Bartle Bogle Hegarty (BBH) Singapore, has joined global ideas coalition Jane Fender.

Based in Byron Bay, Australia, he will work on a project-by-project basis with consultants specialising in fashion, branding, music, the visual arts and strategic thought.

McClelland quit BBH last year, choosing to relocate back to Australia to spend more time with his family and to focus on what he describes as ‘do good’ personal projects.

“I’ve known the Jane Fender crew for a while and really dig what they’re trying to do,” said McClelland. “They’re getting into some really interesting projects. We talk about being problem solvers in our industry but we generally just make ads. Nothing wrong with that but ad agencies are full of incredibly smart people who could be aimed at helping solve client’s real branding problems rather than just filling their media space.

“At BBH we did lots of non-ad stuff but clients still generally see you as the peeps that make ads. Jane Fender doesn’t have that legacy/baggage so get to have different conversations with different kinds of people.”

Jane Fender has outposts in Byron Bay, Sydney, Los Angeles and Dubai but its members are scattered all over the world. It works in partnership with RSA Films in Los Angeles and 98 in Sydney.

“At BBH I had the best job at – in my completely biased opinion – the best agency,” said McClelland. “I really enjoyed the agency and the incredibly smart and talented people I got to work with every day. Professionally, it was very tough to leave.

“But the Jane Fender opportunity allows me to get closer to the work and the craft. We were really hands on at BBH but my other day job was running a 100-person company. Now every conversation is about the work. Also, I may be in a small town now but the Fender clients are all over the world. The gang have recently worked with Ford in Detroit and the Mongolian government for example, so it’s still a big canvas to play with.

“Jane Fender’s model is project based so it also allows me the flexibility for other ‘do good’ projects I’m working on; helping launch a men’s health charity and helping a few brands who are trying to make the world a bit better. Maybe Byron is turning me a bit hippy but I’m trying to earn some good karma points.”

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