The British Arrows Names Charlie Crompton Chairman of the Jury for Craft

The British Arrows is delighted to announce that Charlie will chair this year’s Craft jury. Commenting on his position, Charlie says: “When I started in this business, I remember the Arrows was the only awards that I wanted to go to.  It’s always felt the most important awards for us in this country. I think it’s their legacy. If you go into any top agency or creatives’ office the arrows are always there. Often they could do with a polish (although bronze does begin to look a bit like gold after a few years in the sun!) but they stand for a lot. 

“In asking around, it’s clear that as an industry we feel very benevolent towards the Arrows - like going to a wedding, you’re predisposed to having a great time, catching up with a load of people you may not have seen in a while and meeting a lot of new ones.  A lot of creatives also feel similarly about D&AD because it’s also a showcase for design, illustration and it has a worldwide reach.  But we work in moving pictures and the Arrow has always represented the very best of what we’re seeing here in the UK.”

Charlie Crompton was supposed to be a rock star but instead, started his career by becoming a motorcycle messenger thinking that that might at least allow him to race motorbikes and perhaps become the next Barry Sheene.  With no natural sense of direction, it was a job he was so bad at that he ended up dropping vital artwork into Liberty’s, convinced by his human compass that it was the glamorous reception to the flamboyant ad agency, Allen Brady & Marsh.  His inability to deliver anything on time, or even to the right postcode meant he didn’t last long, but one of the ad agencies he could find, offered him a job because they thought he was someone else who’d actually been to art school and knew what they were doing. 

Inevitably Charlie did not remain in that position for long, and moved onto commercial production roles; starting out as a Runner and working his way up to become a Producer at MPC. However, it was an introduction to David Van Der Gaag that changed his fate and led them to set up Rogue Films in 1992.

With the added experience of being a juror at this year’s British Arrows Awards in March 2015, Charlie is looking to inject new energy into his Craft 2015 jury.

“What was so refreshing about being on that jury was that it felt that we had a great meeting of minds, many of whom were not from a traditional advertising background – but all were really engaged in the process of celebrating the best in British advertising.  What I’m at least attempting to do with Craft this year is to curate a diverse cross section of individuals all of whom are passionate about the business and are up for a bit of a scrap about the merits of the individual contributions of the crafts. I’ve also been so encouraged that when you ask busy people to be on this jury, they’re all as flattered to be asked as I was and have instantly jumped at the opportunity!”

Robert Campbell, Chairman of the British Arrows, said “The Board of Directors and I knew that Charlie would make a great Craft Chairman. He has such an energetic personality and a continual drive to implement fresh ideas. He’s dedicated to celebrating the creative process in film-making and is never short of an opinion! We’re sure he will lead his jury into some very interesting debates and will definitely bring a new dimension to this year’s Craft awards.”

The British Arrows Craft is accepting awards submissions until Friday 25th September at 5:30pm with a late entry extension to Friday 2nd October at 6:00pm.