Interview with Chris Arnold, Executive Creative Director, BLAC

by Mark McGuinness on August 7, 2006

Table of contents for Research: Perceptions of Coaching in the UK Creative Industries

  1. Take Part in My Research – ‘Perceptions of Coaching in the UK Creative Industries’
  2. Research Project: Definition of ‘Coaching’ for this Project
  3. Research Project: Definition of ‘Creative Industries’
  4. Questionnaire for Managers in the UK Creative Industries
  5. Questionnaire for Employees in the UK Creative Industries
  6. Online questions for UK Creative Industry Staff
  7. Interview with Mick Rigby, Managing Director, Monkey Communications
  8. Research Project Featured on ‘Better Business Blogging’
  9. Interview with Ruth Kenley-Letts, Film Producer
  10. Interview with Chris Arnold, Executive Creative Director, BLAC
  11. Interview with Russell Davies, Advertising Planning Maestro
  12. Interview with Chris Hirst, Managing Director, Grey London
  13. Interview with David Roberts, Senior Project Manager, Creative Launchpad
  14. Interview with Neil Youngson, Technical Director, Cabinet UK Ltd
  15. Interview with Greg Orme, Chief Executive, Centre for Creative Business
  16. Interview with Chris Grant, Consultant, 14A Conversations
  17. Interview with Antonio Gould, Consultant, and Sara Harris, Screen Media Lab
  18. Interview with Richard Scott, Surface Architects
  19. Interview with Ben Demiri, Brand Manager, SIX Showroom
  20. Interview with Sian Prime, NESTA Creative Pioneer Programme
  21. Interview with Jill Fear, CPD Manager, The Institute of Practitioners in Advertising
  22. Interview with Terry Childs, Creative Director, Silver Chair
  23. Interview with Matt Taylor, Director, Fat Beehive
  24. Interview with Mark Earls, Advertising Contrarian
  25. Interview with David Amor, Creative Director, Relentless Software

Research ProjectMy latest interview for my research project Perceptions of Coaching in the UK Creative Industries was with Chris Arnold, Executive Creative Director of BLAC (Barradale Leagas Arnold Campbell), a creative integrated marketing and advertising agency that specialises in change marketing.

EDIT (5.7.07): Chris is now Executive Creative Director of the ethical marketing agency FEEL.

Formed from the merger of Ron Leagas’ integrated agency Edge and Chris Arnold’s creative shop Feel, BLAC seeks to challenge conventional thinking both with its clients and internally. Read more about their approach on the Change Marketing blog.

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Chris has strong opinions about the state of management in the UK advertising industry. He is also very interesting on the subject of managing risk – always a hot topic in a creative business. As with my other interviewees, I was struck by the way his approach to people management seems to emerge naturally from his creative and business strategies.

Watch this space for more interviews in this series…

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In typical bohemian fashion we met for our discussion in a cafe, which means there’s some background noise on the recording – but hopefully that won’t be too much of a distraction from what Chris is saying.

Click the ‘AUDIO MP3′ icon below to hear the interview.

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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }

Geoff Dodd - mindset January 3, 2008 at 1:57 pm

Thanks for your series on coaching in the creative industries. The change marketing blog is something else.

Taragh October 11, 2008 at 10:05 am

Thank you Mark – I enjoyed the interview.

Mark McGuinness October 14, 2008 at 12:12 pm

Thanks Taragh, glad you liked it.

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