Now both executive creative directors at Peter Defries and Alan Wilson first crossed paths in Australia, working at SapientNitro (now Publicis Sapient). Originally from Brisbane, Alan remembers getting to know his future creative partner while playing beach volleyball on a work trip in Peter鈥檚 hometown, Sydney.
鈥淗e had a look of determination, a highly competitive vibe, and a vicious serve. You could say we clicked straight away. Thirteen years on and he still has the determination and the highly-competitive vibe鈥 But it鈥檚 been some time since I鈥檝e seen him serve a volleyball.鈥
At the time, Peter was a junior art director, while Alan was a project manager-by-day and attending ad school at night. 鈥淚 thought that was super impressive,鈥 says Peter. 鈥淲hen the opportunity came up to work on a Young Lions brief together, I jumped at it knowing how driven and hard-working Alan was. Turns out I was right because we clicked like a team that had been working together for years and, more importantly, made the final.鈥
One based in Brisbane, the other in Sydney, the two spent hours on the phone during that project, and came away with a desire to collaborate again. 鈥淯nfortunately, it took years for that to finally happen,鈥 says Alan.
The pair would eventually reconnect at DISCIPLE Sydney, when Alan freelanced on a sportswear project for Peter. 鈥淲e came up with the pitch-winning idea, Alan was hired the next week, I had a new partner, and the rest is history.鈥
Peter continues, explaining how their dynamic clicked instantly and involves a lot of overlap in their roles. 鈥淎lan and I are both obsessive about ideas and always work on pen and paper first, which has meant we blur the lines between art and copy and have been on the same page from day one 鈥 quite literally. Some of our most visual ideas have come from Alan鈥檚 brain.鈥
Above: Jif - 'The Merger'
Alan returns the praise, saying, 鈥淧ete鈥檚 easily one of the best art directors out there, but what a lot of people don鈥檛 know is that he鈥檚 also an incredible writer. He can do it all. That makes my job a LOT easier as I trust him more than anyone else on scripts, headlines, and basically anything with words. The great thing about that, now that we鈥檙e in a more managerial position, is we can easily divide and conquer, if we have to.鈥
Now elevated as ECDs at BBH USA, the pair lead creative for PSOne, bringing some Aussie flair to more than 10 iconic J.M. Smucker brands - Jif peanut butter, Folgers coffee and Milk-Bone pet snacks to name a few.
鈥淲hat has excited us the most about PSOne has been working on these iconic American brands that have lived in the psyche and zeitgeist for decades, and bringing newer and younger audiences along for the ride,鈥 says Peter. 鈥淚n the beginning, PSOne set out to do something that had never been done before, creatively transforming 10 iconic but stuffy American brands, in the space of a year, into brands that would resonate with contemporary audiences. All these years later it鈥檚 hard to believe that we did it. And we鈥檙e currently doing it again with the newly acquired Hostess brand, which has been super exciting.鈥
鈥淎ustralia doesn鈥檛 have the budgets that America has, so we had to learn how to break through without breaking the bank,鈥 adds Alan. 鈥淎s a result, it鈥檚 all about the idea. We still try to keep that philosophy even though we鈥檙e now working with American budgets, and it鈥檚 worked out for us!鈥
While all the J.M. Smucker brands bring something unique, Peter admires Jif鈥檚 historic presence at the forefront of major creative breakthroughs. The peanut butter brand became the 鈥済uinea pig鈥 for PSOne鈥檚 brand transformation endeavour with the launch of the irreverent 鈥楾hat Jif鈥檌ng Good鈥 platform and sci-fi epic TV spot, 鈥楤unker鈥. 鈥淛if now felt more tonally at home in the candy aisle than in the spreads aisle, and it set the standard for the rest of the brands to come,鈥 explains Peter.
Above: Jif - 'Save the Celery'
鈥淭he next breakthrough came in the form of disruptive culture hacks with 鈥#JifvsGif鈥 and 鈥楾he Lil Jif Project鈥, and has since become a way that all of our brands behave. Because these brands are culture.鈥
Now having looked after these classic American brands at BBH for two years, Alan shares that they were initially surprised to find a new, fulfilling passion for the management side of their role. 鈥淎s much as we loved writing, creating, crafting and doing the work (and we did), mentoring the teams below us and watching them grow has added a whole new level of joy.鈥
The duo has also seen personal growth as a creative partnership 鈥 a dynamic they describe as built on friendship and fun, bouncing ideas around and making each other laugh whenever possible.
鈥淲e鈥檙e fortunate enough for our partnership to have never been truly tested,鈥 says Peter. 鈥淲e鈥檝e been hired onto accounts that were already in the process of firing the agency, moved agencies only to be boomeranged back to the previous agency with the account, moved continents with no job, and even spent six months living and working together 鈥 and we made it out all the better for it. Like every partnership in life, we certainly have our moments, but we tend to resolve any conflict as quickly as it starts (usually over a few beers).鈥
The closest situation to a true test came during the lockdown days of covid 鈥 when remote work began to take its toll. 鈥淚t not only sucked all the fun out of what we do, we found that it took much longer to get to the right ideas than if we were in person,鈥 says Alan. 鈥淎nd this went on for months and months.鈥
鈥淏ut this tough moment also brought one of the best moments,鈥 he adds. 鈥淎s soon as it was legal, Pete and I caught up at a bar. I think we did about 30 minutes of work and spent the next few hours catching up, laughing, and drinking beers at a record pace. It was such a fun night but the best thing was the next day we realised (with sore heads) that we cracked two briefs in the 30 minutes of work we actually did. It made us really appreciate the actual facetime (not digital) we get with each other.鈥
This in-person socialising is an important part of their friendship and working relationship alike. One of their daily rituals is their morning coffee walk 鈥 鈥渁nd it鈥檚 not just because of our caffeine addictions鈥. They use these to touch base on work, but also to discuss movies, music, Australian rugby league and more. 鈥淚t鈥檚 one of our routines that has really helped us keep up to date with everything going on, from a work point of view and personal.鈥
Milk-Bone - 'Howl You Know Trailer'
Reflecting on their journey together so far, from Australia to New York, Peter describes Alan as 鈥渢he wildcard and disruptor of the partnership鈥, celebrating how the pair have found a long lasting balance. 鈥淲here I can sometimes be a little too methodical, strategic and logical, Alan will throw something left of field into the mix which often turns out to be brilliant,鈥 he says, adding how Alan鈥檚 ambition and drive has also pushed him further and faster than he鈥檇 thought possible.
鈥淲hether it鈥檚 career moves, changes in title, or moving to a different continent, the ability to just take the plunge and figure it out after is something that took me a long time to get comfortable with but something I鈥檓 grateful to have learned from Al. I remember I had been planning and putting off talking about our move to the US for almost a year, and when I finally told he was like, 鈥榮crew it, let鈥檚 do it鈥. He didn鈥檛 really hesitate and that鈥檚 what I鈥檝e always loved about him.鈥
Likewise, Alan shares that he learns from Peter on a daily basis 鈥 one of the most significant lessons being 鈥渢he importance of being extremely buttoned up鈥 for everything. 鈥淎nd not just his awesome shirts!鈥 he jokes. 鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 matter if you鈥檙e presenting to a packed-out auditorium or presenting a script to your CD; over-prepare, over-deliver, and be thorough in everything.鈥
鈥淭he other thing about Pete is that he never settles and he keeps pushing the work. He鈥檚 always looking to improve, and it鈥檚 rubbed off on me. We just keep asking ourselves, 鈥業s this the best idea?鈥, 鈥業s this the best way to execute it?鈥, 鈥榃hat else can we do?鈥. It鈥檚 these questions that have led to our work going from great to incredible,鈥 he continues. 鈥淏ut he also does the same thing as a leader: 鈥楬ow can we be better managers?鈥, 鈥業s there anything we can do to move the business forward?鈥.
He鈥檚 made me a better creative, a better leader, and a better person.鈥