Collaborate Bolsters Creative Team as Growth Accelerates

From left to right: Ewan Ferrier, Merlyn Gray, Rich Hartle

Independent global experiential agency Collaborate has announced the arrival of award-winning creative directors Richard Hartle and Ewan Ferrier who join ground-breaking creative director Merlyn Gray in a new creative line up. Rich and Ewan join from VML where they were formerly creative directors.

Explains executive creative director Andrew Walker, “There is growing brand desire to connect with people via big and bold ideas, beautifully produced, to create memorable moments. I’m delighted that Rich and Ewan are joining our studio - both are rockstar designers, brilliant and original creative thinkers with style. Together with Merlyn’s innovative work, this new creative powerhouse will super charge our offering to clients.”

Under Merlyn’s creative leadership, Collaborate is breaking new ground with activations and experiential campaigns for eBay, Hyundai, Colgate-Palmolive, Kuoni and Randox among others – landing prestigious industry awards along the way. His career has seen compelling creative across categories and disciplines for brands such as Coty, Shiseido, Philips, William Grant & Sons.

Says Merlyn Gray, creative director, “As Collaborate continues to flourish, we’re thrilled to welcome Richard and Ewan to our growing team. Both bring a wealth of industry experience that’s set to elevate our unique offering even further. With their multi-disciplinary expertise, we’re expanding our ability to add value to brands, and own every stage of a project - from bold concepts to flawless delivery.”

Rich brings twenty years’ experience in the creative industries including eight years growing and developing creative teams in pursuit of compelling work for high profile brands including LEGO, Carlsberg, Tuborg, Boots, Gore-Tex, Huawei. He has worked across digital, social and experiential, from mini-documentaries to big brand campaigns - helping clients transition and grow in existing and emerging channels. His work has won at Cannes, D&AD and The One Show.

Says Rich Hartle, creative director, Collaborate Global, “The world of physical objects, spaces and experiences is where I spent my first career years- in furniture, retail design and architecture - getting back to that is exciting. Especially with Andrew, Merlyn, Ewan and the rest of the outstanding Collaborate team. They’re forward-looking, and growth driving. They explore what's new, test ideas and make smart plays, moving ahead of client expectations. All done with people at the heart. It’s going to be fun!”

Ewan’s creative journey has seen him work for experiential, branding and advertising agencies, covering disciplines and sectors. He has created award winning work for brands such as Levi’s, Adidas, McLaren F1, Vodafone, Heineken and most recently Coca-Cola – all driven by powerful and singular ‘ideas’ that always seek to build upon a compelling (and often unearthed) truth.

Says Ewan Ferrier, creative director, Collaborate Global, “I’ve always felt that good creative people are discipline agnostic, and the most important thing is a good strong ‘idea’ that works across all touchpoints - 2D, 3D and digital. The only place where all three exist is experiential design. It’s a critically exciting time - experiential design is a high-riding priority for brands today. And with Collaborate, I’m getting to do this with a great team and an agency on the rise!”