The Work That Made Me: Johnny Green
Johnny Green is an award-winning composer, producer and creative director with over twenty years of experience in the music, film and advertising industries. As a talented multi-instrumentalist, Johnny has brought his music to life on large-scale advertising campaigns in Australia, UK and the USA for brands such as AT&T, Nike, Tourism Tasmania, British Airways, Telstra, Volkswagen and Farmers Insurance ‘Help Point’ (directed by Noam Murro), to name but a few.
With gongs from London International Awards, CLIO and AdFest (Lotus Award), Johnny brings a wealth of experience, leadership and musicality to Heckler Sound. His relentless pursuit and passion in evolving his mastery of composition, production, and repertoire affirms Johnny's reputation as a dynamic and engaging composer.
LBB> The ad/music video from my childhood that stays with me…
Johnny> Music Video
The earliest and most unforgettable music video has to be Iron Maiden's 'Run To The Hills'. I was around 7 years old, catching it for the first time on TV—probably on Countdown or Rock Around The World. The music video and song resonated with me instantly and most likely laid the groundwork for my enduring passion for rock and metal. It wasn't until my late teens that I grasped its deeper message about the historical clash between Native Americans and European settlers.
Ad
A 'black-and-white, moving stills' Corona Beer ad from the late '80s, featuring a solo acoustic guitar, also left a mark. I'd eagerly anticipate its appearance on TV, seizing the chance to learn the guitar parts a little better each time it aired. This was long before YouTube made things easy. I can still play that tune to this day.
LBB> The ad/music video/game/web platform that made me want to get into the industry…
Johnny> After graduating from Uni, I was willingly catapulted headfirst into the industry, and I can confidently say that my transformative years at Supersonic were pivotal to my career growth. There were two game-changing ads that truly flipped the switch for me: the 2002 Holden Monaro "Game Over" and CHANEL N°5, featuring Nicole Kidman and directed by Baz Luhrmann. These films showcased the breath-taking potential of a boutique music & sound house, and solidified my desire to be a part of this world.
LBB> The creative work (film/album/game/ad/album/book/poem etc) that I keep revisiting…
Johnny> I do reach for Steely Dan's 'Gaucho' in my record collection, more times than I'd like to admit.
LBB> My first professional project…
Johnny> Assisting and tracklaying SFX and sound design for the '2002 Holden Monaro "Game Over."' Diving headfirst into the rapid-fire world of our studio was a masterclass in creativity. Watching my boss swiftly craft soundscapes for the film underscored a vital lesson: execute your creative visions first, then fine-tune to perfection.
LBB> The piece of work (ad) that made me so angry that I vowed to never make anything like *that*…
Johnny> The project that drove me up the wall was a 15-second confectionary ad, while in the US. It went through 64 rounds of revisions and was handed over to 3 different creative teams at the agency, only to circle back to the original music with a few tweaks. Despite the tumultuous process, it went national, and the pay-out made up for the agony.
LBB> The piece of work (ad/music video/ platform…) that still makes me jealous…
Johnny> The project that still eats at me with jealousy is the AT&T Cloud ad, directed by Noam Murro, that I pitched on back in NYC. It had the aesthetic of a Coen Brothers masterpiece. I didn’t land that pitch, and I often find my mind wandering back to that film. The storyline was sheer brilliance—set in a drought-stricken town, the community united in a field, chopping a truckload of onions to make a lone cloud shed a tear. Pure genius.
LBB> The creative project that changed my career…
Johnny> There have been multiple films and campaigns with strong navigational markers throughout my career. I couldn't place it to any one. AGL - Balloons, Fuji - Slow Dance, British Airways - Missing You, UN - Empower A Woman, Empower A Nation. And more recently Belong Brand - Prawn, Maurice Blackburn's - Exhibit Ai and Black Wing - Directed By Tim Main.
LBB> The work that I’m proudest of…
Johnny> Black Wing - by Tim Main. Some of the more deeper waters I've drawn from emotionally, in composition.
LBB> The recent project I was involved in that excited me the most…
Johnny> AMPOL 'A To Anywhere' brand campaign. The creative process was so rewarding and all done in a relatively short period. The team at Saatchi & Saatchi we worked alongside were amazing.
Creative freedom and attention to detail. The planets aligned for that project.
