The Work That Made Me: Tamryn Kerr

Tamryn Kerr is creative co-founder of Hijinks. An avid storyteller, she has created campaigns that shift perceptions and change behaviours. Tamryn has worked at some of the best agencies in the world including BBH London, Colenso BBDO Auckland, Joint London and VMLY&R. Her most recent in-house role was as creative lead for YouTube EMEA.

As a truly integrated creative, Tamryn has made work in every medium imaginable and even created a few new ones. A fierce advocate of women in creative industries, she’s also a She Says, The Dots and D&AD mentor.

LBB> The ad/music video from my childhood that stays with me…

Tamryn> New Zealand has a long history of great advertising so I was lucky enough to be exposed to some real gems. One of the most memorable ads was ‘Togs or Undies’ for ice cream brand TipTop. The ad was a guide for how to tell when your togs (swimming costume) are no longer appropriate for the setting and have inadvertently become undies. It became part of popular culture and is still widely quoted by both kiwi school kids and adults. 

LBB> The ad/music video/game/web platform that made me want to get into the industry…

Tamryn> The best ads on NZ TV were undoubtedly beer ads. They were funny, irreverent and infinitely entertaining. They became part of popular culture with people quoting them, even printing t-shirts with spoofs of the campaign endlines and punchlines. Even though beer was not my drink of choice, I desperately wanted the chance to write one. 

LBB> The creative work (film/album/game/ad/album/book/poem etc) that I keep revisiting…

Tamryn> I really love following the work of Munya Chawawa on YouTube. His witty, sarcastic and hilarious skits are so engaging, amongst the ever-growing social noise that’s out there. His content comments on and reframes topical social, political and cultural moments, adding a sprinkle of humour along the way. Check out his feed, especially if you still don’t know what ‘Brat Summer’ is.

LBB> My first professional project…

Tamryn> When I was entering the industry it was incredibly competitive. You were expected to deliver projects that justify your measly below-minimum-wage salary and also prove yourself as a great creative. One of the first projects I was given was a stills shoot for a credit card rewards catalogue. Even though this was incredibly unglamorous, I’d never been on a commercial shoot before, so I really enjoyed learning about the process and meeting the photographer. I’m still in touch with that same photographer to this day. 

LBB> The piece of work (ad/music video/ platform…) that made me so angry that I vowed to never make anything like *that*…

Tamryn> I really really really hate it when brands play into stereotypes to make a point about stereotypes. I find it pretty lazy strategically and creatively. Needless to say, I won’t be making ads that tell women to ‘get back in the kitchen’, like Burger King did or turn anything pink for IWD like Brewdog.  

LBB> The piece of work (ad/music video/ platform…) that still makes me jealous…

Tamryn> There are so many great pieces of work that I wished that I’d done but one that came to me immediately was the Vodafone 'Mayfly' ad. It’s brand storytelling at its best with a good amount of craft thrown in to boot. I watched it again as I was writing this and even though it was made a while ago it could run tomorrow and be just as good. The sign of a good ad. 

LBB> The creative project that changed my career…

Tamryn> Years ago I wrote an ad that told the story of a father and daughter cooking together from different parts of the world thanks to the Amazon Echo Show. The story was very simple but insightful and very sensitively told.

So many people resonated with the spot and unlike most Amazon ads at the time, this one was shared positively on Twitter (as it used to be called) and by men too! The ad caused the product to sell out and led to a three-month-long waiting list to buy. As soon as I put that ad in my book I started getting calls from very interesting agencies and brands. 

LBB> The work that I’m proudest of…

Tamryn> In all honesty I’m super proud of a lot of the work I’ve been lucky enough to make, because I know how hard it is to make great work. I would say that my standout pieces are ‘Love Story’ for Viagra, ‘The Source’ for Reuters and ‘Reclaim Her Name’ for Baileys - Ads that all came from real briefs for big brands and produced great results. 

Above, Viagra, 'Love Story' 

LBB> I was involved in this and it makes me cringe…

Tamryn> I always give my best to everything I do even if it’s something that’s never going to set anyone’s world on fire. I think that my most cringeworthy experiences haven’t come from the work but rather the agencies I’ve worked for in the past. The big network shops who collect awards for work with ‘purpose’ whilst at the same time taking the cheque from some of the world’s biggest polluters not only makes me cringe but also shudder. 

LBB> The recent project I was involved in that excited me the most…

Tamryn> The most exciting thing that I’ve been involved in recently is the creation of our agency, Hijinks - A new agency that believes in ‘positivity through creativity’. Building an agency from the ground up is a wild ride - we call it ‘The Rollercoaster’.

So far we’ve grown from just three of us to 17 people and counting. And the journey we have been on has helped us meet and partner with so many talented people along the way, including several amazing female-founded companies. We have plenty of exciting things in the pipeline so watch this space!