Timezoneone Blog

  

Introducing Miss Jackie Clark, one of our sedulous Account Managers based in our New Zealand office. 

I have the good fortune to share an office with the ‘Jackstar’ and I can confirm she does love to laugh but I’m yet to experience her singing. Perhaps after consuming a few of her favorite ’Rose Martinis’ she could be persuaded to kick off the karaoke at the TimeZoneOne conference! 

THE HARD QUESTIONS

 

 

JACKIE CLARK

1. What are you wearing today?

 

Jeans, black / white top / black boots.

2. How many brothers/sister do you have and are you first born, middle, youngest or only child?

 

I have one older brother (who is also in advertising but lives in Hong Kong), one younger sister (who organises medical conferences and in her spare time is a beauty therapist – yeh!).  I am the middle child.  Then I have 8 step brothers and sisters.

3. Where were you born?

 

In the Mater Hospital in Mt Eden, Auckland.

4. Tell us one thing not many people know about you?

 

I love singing  - especially when I have had a few!  Hmmm but then again maybe a few people know about that!!!

5. What are you like at parties?

 

Hilarious – generally first to arrive and last to leave.  I LOVE to have a good laugh.

6. Tell us your favorite drink?

 

A rose martini.  Delicious!

7. Who is your ‘Go to’ person?

 

Chris  - my darling fiancée.  He cops the lots  - the good, the bad and the ugly….and he’s great at fixing things!

8. What was the last song you downloaded (or CD you bought)?

 

Mystery Liquid “Without You” - a new Auckland band

9. Tell us your pet hate?

 

I have a few:

Women who wear flesh coloured stockings with sandals.

& Men with comb overs

10. Vegemite or Maramite?

 

Vegemite

11. What are 3 things you could not live without? (excluding people)

 

Chocolate, My dog  - Johnson, Holidays!

 

12. Best piece of advice your mother ever gave you?

 

Always wear good, clean underwear when you go out.  

Twice now  - I have put on the old and faded faithfuls (but still clean of course!!) and those are the 2 days I have had significant accidents in my life!  OH the shame!  The nurses had a good laugh…..

13. If you had a ’shin-dig’ at your house and could invite 4 famous people (dead or alive) who would they be?

Sean Connery – I very nearly met him once!

Jude Law

George Clooney

Jim Morrison

An eclectic mix  - but I would be happy!

 

14. What is your favorite place in the world and why?

Lake Tarawera – we have the most beautiful spot on Lake Tarawera.  My grandfather bought it years ago so it has huge family history for me and my grandparents and various pets are now buried there.  It’s somewhere where I spent loads of time growing up and so have many memories at different ages with all sorts of friends and on my travels all around the world and that’s the place I missed most.  It’s rather special!.

15. If you won a million dollars tomorrow, what would you do with the money?

1 Million dollars doesn’t go far these days  - but I’d pay off any debts, take a little to go on a trip to Europe with Chris and then invest the rest.  How sensible is that?

 

16. Do you have a nickname? (and if so what is it?)

Jacks or  Rose and when I was little Mum & Dad called me Pickerty Witch!

 

17. And lastly who would you turn gay for?

Hmmm let’s see now  - Charlize Theron or maybe Kate Hudson! Now do I get $20?

 

 LYE

 

I have the pleasure of introducing Liz Bissland, one of our crafty creatives.

Now, it seems the lovely Liz has been slightly evasive in answering a couple of the below questions…but she has made up for it when choosing ’who to turn gay for’  with not one choice but TWO! SAUCY!!

THE HARD QUESTIONS

 

 

LIZ BISSLAND

1. What are you wearing today?

 

Clean clothes - I did about 2 weeks worth of washing yesterday!

2. How many brothers/sister do you have and are you first born, middle, youngest or only child?

 

Youngest of three sisters - I must admit I had it easy. I never had a curfew, got grounded & almost got away with murder! Now I only have one sister…kidding!

3. Where were you born?

 

Christchurch

4. Tell us one thing not many people know about you?

 

It’s a secret….sorry

5. What are you like at parties?

 

Depends on if I know other people there or not. Quiet if I don’t know anyone & messy if i know them very well :-) I am known for pulling out the splits and limbo with broomsticks after a few.

6. Tell us your favorite drink?

 

Bellini’s, Champagne (the good stuff!) and for a shot - A cock-sucking cowboy. Am I allowed to write that!?

7. Who is your ‘Go to’ person?

 

I have multiple go-to people depending on the instance & occasion. That way they can tell me what I want to hear!

8. What was the last song you downloaded (or CD you bought)?

 

Album - the Ting Tings

9. Tell us your pet hate?

 

I have so many – don’t even get me started!!! I am a virgo.

10. Vegemite or Maramite?

 

Marmite

11. What are 3 things you could not live without? (excluding people)

 

Love, attention and friends (I know they are people damn it)

 

 

12. Best piece of advice your mother ever gave you?

 

Treat others as you would like to be treated yourself. A brilliant piece of advice..

 

13. If you had a ’shin-dig’ at your house and could invite 4 famous people (dead or alive) who would they be?

I would need months of preparation for this & I have work to do…

 

14. What is your favorite place in the world and why?

Mexico - it has everything it’s amazing! Great ruins, history, culture, food, beaches. I might just live there one day.

15. If you won a million dollars tomorrow, what would you do with the money?

Invest as much as possible & make it grow for me while I travel the world…again ha ha

 

16. Do you have a nickname? (and if so what is it?)

 None that I want my colleagues to know.

 

17. And lastly who would you turn gay for?

Natalie Portman or Eva Mendes

 

 LYE

  

 

Today we delve a little deeper into the life of Raewyn Topp, Timezoneone’s Global Marketing Manager & Brand Strategist based in our Chicago office.  

It is often said that people may have ‘good taste’ or ‘expensive taste’.  It seems our Raewyn possesses both…

 

THE HARD QUESTIONS 

 

 

RAEWYN TOPP 

1. What are you wearing today?

Not enough clothes!!  It’s freezing today.  The Chicago winter has arrived.  It’s time to pull out the warm winter under garments which tend to be more “Nana” than Victoria Secrets.

2. How many brothers/sister do you have and are you first born, middle, youngest or only child?

One sister called Kathryn.  She is the baby. I’m the bossy older sister.

3. Where were you born?

The great metropolis of Rangoria in their local hospital

4. Tell us one thing not many people know about you?

I could happily live in the country and be a farmer….with horses and sheep….I’d enjoy this as much as I enjoy being a city girl.

5. What are you like at parties?

Never want to go.  Then when I get there, I’m pretty much the last to leave!!

6. Tell us your favorite drink?

Champagne of course!  Closely followed by G&T.  If I’m feeling particularly homesick for my younger days, I can always go a bourbon and coke and be reminded of growing up in Rangoria.

7. Who is your ‘Go to’ person?

Tatts.   Closely followed by my mum, who always manages to keep perspective on everything life has to deal you.

8. What was the last song you downloaded (or CD you bought)?

As you all know I’m particularly sad on the music front.  But I think it was Natalie Merchant with her album Tigerlilly.  If not, it was bound to be some 80’s crap that David has never heard of.

9. Tell us your pet hate?

Negativity I dislike it greatly. 

10. Vegemite or Maramite?

I can swing either way.  I like both!

11. What are 3 things you could not live without? (excluding people)

 

Hmmm…tough question.

·         Cups of tea  (it makes everything seem better)

·         My diamond rings

·         My new super comfy bed.  I don’t know how I’ve survived the last 35 years without it.

12. Best piece of advice your mother ever gave you?

You can do anything you set your mind to.  Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

13. If you had a ’shin-dig’ at your house and could invite 4 famous people (dead or alive) who would they be?

Frank Sinatra (I’d want him to sing)

Elizabeth Taylor (I’d want to try on her jewels)

Hugh Jackman (I’d want to be chatted up in the corner by him)

and Mr Darcy…..so I could pretend I belonged in a Jane Austin novel.

14. What is your favorite place in the world and why?

Vienna.  It’s where I got engaged.

15. If you won a million dollars tomorrow, what would you do with the money?

Invest it.  I know it’s boring, but I’d enjoy finding more investment properties to buy and stocks to purchase than I would buying stuff.  In saying that, I’m sure I would be tempted with more sparkly diamonds….

16. Do you have a nickname? (and if so what is it?)

I have so many ……Rat, Ratty, Pooh, Ratnam, Fat Duck, Lois, Doll, Dolly, Two Pie Topp, Topper, Toppy, ……the list goes on.  Oh and yes, “princess” by my father!!

17. And lastly who would you turn gay for?

Catherine Zeta Jones.  I think she is gorgeous.   Particularly if I got to wear her wardrobe.

 

LYE 

This week, back by popular demand, is the much requested section of the blog where you get to know some of the TZ1 team members just that little bit better…Today we gain an insight into one of the newest members to the TZ1 team, Robert MacDonald… 

THE HARD QUESTIONS

 

ROBERT  MACDONALD 

1. What are you wearing today?

Stripy pants, black socks, jeans, T-Shirt saying “UZI Does it” and a watch.

2. How many brothers/sister do you have and are you first born, middle, youngest or only child?

Two older brothers and one older sister…yes I am the baby. 

Brother No 1 is a pilot

Brother No 2 is a mathematician

Sister is a molecular biologist and mother of two

3. Where were you born?

Lanark, Scotland

4. Tell us one thing not many people know about you?

I love peanut butter

5. What are you like at parties?

Drunk and asleep 

6. Tell us your favorite drink?

Red wine or lager

7. Who is your ‘Go to’ person? 

My wife

8. What was the last song you downloaded (or CD you bought)?

1234 by Feist

9. Tell us your pet hate?

Slurping loudly

10. Vegemite or Maramite?

Neither, they’re both disgusting

11. What are 3 things you could not live without? (excluding people)

Peanut butter, the internet and wine

12. Best piece of advice your mother ever gave you?

Drink lots of water

13. If you had a ’shin-dig’ at your house and could invite 4 famous people (dead or alive) who would they be?

Billy Connolly, Peter Kay, Johnny Ball, Richard Dawkins

14. What is your favorite place in the world and why?

New Zealand because it’s pure brilliant!!

15. If you won a million dollars tomorrow, what would you do with the money?

Spend it in Amazon

16. Do you have a nickname? (and if so what is it?)

Nope

17. And lastly who would you turn gay for?

Anyone that gives me a million dollars

LYE 

It’s Friday again, the weather sweet and we all had cake for lunch. I’ve been with TimeZoneOne for two months now and I’ve noticed that we need a very good reason to eat cake for lunch. The reason of today’s cake celebration is the impending marriage of Miss Rose Carson. Next Saturday Rose will be the center of attention and declaring her undying love for her lucky man Josh and by the end of the day she will no longer be Miss Rose Carson but instead Mrs Wells. Rose was kind enough to invite the TimeZoneOne team to the evening celebrations and this will be the first Kiwi wedding I’ve attended so I’m excited to see if the amount of alcohol consumed at a Kiwi wedding can be compared to that of a Scottish wedding.
Anyway, this is my last blog entry for a few months and I have enjoyed sharing my thoughts and educating my Kiwi colleagues on Scottish culture and geography. I mentioned in my first blog entry on Monday that my wife and I made our first bungy jumps over Queenstown a couple of weeks ago. Well they were recorded and uploaded! Enjoy…

 

Rob

Crocs Thursday number two has had yet another great turn out, I’ve noticed quite a few zoners sporting their crocs. I have yet to own a pair so unfortunately I can’t participate until then.
It’s been a frantic day today, I missed lunch and I’ve only had three cups of coffee…not nearly enough to keep the engine running.
Anyway, my blog entry will have to suffer today as I’ve been ultra busy and I’ve just been offered to go to the pub for an after work pint. No Scotsman can resist such an offer!
I’ll leave you with a wee clip from a comedy series called “Little Britain” by way of an apology for my pathetic blog effort.

Rob

The Marketing Association Luncheon was a success! The free food consisted of a medium rare sirloin steak, roast tatties (Scottish for potatoes), vegetables, lashings  of cranberry flavored gravy followed by an incredibly rich chocolate cake topped with whipped cream, rounded off nicely with a cup of piping hot coffee. A fine corporate event if ever I attended one! More importantly though, Nigel’s presentation went off without any hitches…. a smooth and clean delivery which was informative and entertaining. At the end we handed out 12 free beers to each table, which was followed by a short Q&A session initiated by Murray shouting, in a rough southern English accent, “got any bottle openers?”….typical southerner!
Roughly forty people from various Christchurch businesses turned up for the presentation, all curious to find out what exactly the number one ad agency in Christchurch is doing right. One comment from Nigel I’ll be happy to share with many people for years to come is “I only employ clever people”. Nuff said.

Well tonight my wife and I will be attending our first of seven Salsa lessons, a wedding present from my brother and his wife who are more than aware of how incredibly uncoordinated both me and Marie-Claire are when it comes to dancing. We may need dancing lessons but Salsa will not alleviate the embarrassment they have to endure when we go clubbing together. On that note I’ll leave you with a few funny home videos of bad dancing that pale in comparison to me and Marie-Claire on the dance floor.

 Rob

I hope my Gaelic lessons weren’t too difficult to get to grips with, always remember to rrrrrroll the letter r and use the back of your throat, as if you were clearing it, for “ch” and it’ll sound Gaelic enough.

Scotland is, and it’s not just the accent, a greatly misunderstood country. Many people think it’s a town in England or a state in America or even an island north of Scandinavia, misconceptions that cause great hilarity amongst us Scots but it sometimes can get slightly frustrating being mistaken for another nationality or constantly living in the shadow of a neighbor, something many Kiwis can empathize with I’m sure.

The Scottish creative industry draws many parallels with New Zealand also. Some Scottish agencies have tended to focus on using their Celtic identity and pride as an ethos for the creative process, an ideal that TimeZoneOne has successfully employed and is promoting. In fact, tomorrow our general manager Nigel will be giving a presentation at the Marketing Association Luncheon on the successful application of exploiting your “Kiwiness”. Murray and I will be attending the presentation so I’ll give a full run down tomorrow.

I’ll leave you with this absolute peach of an ad for William Lawson’s Whiskey, a fine demonstration of the good humored Kiwi / Caledonian relationship.

 Rob

Slaandjivaa! Scots Gaelic for “to your health” or “cheers”. Normally shortened to “Slanj” this is traditionally used during the age-old Scottish tradition of…well, getting really drunk.

I am the newest member and the only Celtic connection in the TimeZoneOne team here in Christchurch, although there are quite a few people here who are of Scottish descent and also share my family name.  This is my first week doing the blog so I thought I’d tell you a bit about myself and then move into some Gaelic lessons to help my colleagues understand why my accent is so severe.

My wife and I are from Glasgow and we moved here two days after our wedding at the start of August this year. My wife, Marie-Claire, is a doctor in Christchurch Hospital and an absolute angel and credit to the Canterbury Health Board.

Life for us in New Zealand is a well-balanced mix between being pretty relaxed, full of city buzz and outdoors kiwi madness. We made our first bungy jump over Queenstown a couple of weeks ago and even though it was a life long ambition of mine I still managed to let out a girly scream on the way down.

New Zealand and Scotland are similar in many ways but New Zealand seems to be an extreme version of Scotland….more sheep, higher hills, more sunshine, more snow, the list is endless but it’s not to say that Scotland doesn’t have its plus points, it does, just not enough to keep me there (sorry Scotland!!)

Yes I can quite easily say that life here is “sweet as” and working for a world class design agency with extremely talented individuals on high profile brands has been the cherry on the cake.

Anyway, I’m going to leave you with four of the easier Gaelic phrases to pronounce and a very funny clip of Parkinson interviewing Billy Connolly for the first time back in 1975.

Gaelic: Dè an t-ainm a tha oirbh?

Pronunciation: Jeh un TAH-num uh HAW-ruv?

English: What’s your name?

Gaelic: S mise……

Pronunciation: SMIH-shuh…

English: My name is…

Gaelic: Ciamar a tha sibh?”

Pronunciation: KIM-mer uh HAH shiv?

English: How are you?

Gaelic: Tha gu math, tapadh leibh

Pronunciation: HAH guh MAH, TAH-puh LEH-eev

English: I’m well, thank you.

 Rob

This year the timeszoneone creative team has decided to part-take in hot Mexican food and tequilas for our Christmas send off. I can’t believe Christmas is almost here, we need time to practice our spanish. I came across a fun site that translates our names into Mexican wrestling pseudonyms. I would like to note at this point that it is all completely random and I had no part in the outcome….however accurate or disturbing it turned out.

let the show begin in Mexican - dejar que el espectaculo comenzara

Kim Hickford - brazo famoso (famous arm)

Lor Gold - padre supremo (father supreme)

David Mcleod - el gringo ridiculoso (the ridiculous gringo)

Simon Buutveld - el lobo fantastico (the fantastic wolf)

Rob MacDonald - hermano flaco (brother disservice)

Rose Carson - el monkey guapo (the monkey lady’s man) as rose is soon to be wed she will become Rose Wells - rapido rapido muerto (fast fast dead)

Richard Tattershaw - turbo estupido (I disturb the stupid)

Elizabeth Davidson - cabeza picante (sharp head)

Jackie Clark - la fantasía numero uno (the number one fantasy)

Tim Chapman - tio flaco (the skinny uncle)  

Mark Cornellison - el maestro sin pantalones (the teacher without trousers)

 

Hamish Macdonald - el taquito del chupacabra (the chupacabra taquito - mexican dish made of mythical goat eating monster)

 

Raewyn Topp - canadiense cibernetico (the canadian cyborg)

 

Liz Bissland - el ray azul (the blue ray)

 

Andy Carruthers - el dragon ultimo (the ultimate dragon)

 

Brett King - el burrito rosa (the pink young donkey)

 

Richard McDonald - el pollo de miel (the honey chicken)

 

Lisa Lye - amigo en los pantalones (friend in the trousers)

 

Brett Folkes - hurican toxico (the toxic hurricane)

 

Matt Herivel - el chango loco (the crazy monkey)

 

Murray Grossmith - el pollo mucoso (the chicken mucous)

 

Melanie Waddell - guerrero picante (sharp soldier)

 

Nigel Foley - caballero mojado (the wet knight)

 

Have a great weekend everyone! And please have a thought for Rose. Her hens night is tomorrow and us girls will be proving our love and respect for her by taking her to a classy establishment and thoroughly embarrassing her. Rose we do this because we care.

 

signing off Maria MacDonald - demonio en fuego (the fire demon)