But after a while, he felt the need for different challenges and couldn’t resist the lure of the underdog. So, he moved to Euro RSCG and helped them finish top of Campaign magazine's New Business Performance League. Next stop was Sydney where he won George Patterson's first ever Cannes Gold Lion. Then, in Auckland, he helped Y&R win the Fairfax/Ad Media Agency of the Year, while he was Creative Director. As well as winning a couple of Cannes Lions.
Since then, Steve has enjoyed a slightly nomadic creative existence, contracting and consulting for agencies in Auckland, Sydney, London, Beijing, Dubai and even Lagos (the one in Nigeria, not Portugal). Some saw him as a lucky charm for winning pitches, while others referred to him as the "Red Adair of advertising" – being called in to work on briefs that had already been through far too many rounds of creative. Although he would claim he was only doing his job.
On his travels he's won a number of creative and effectiveness awards.
In 2015, Steve finally put down some roots and set up shop in Dunedin, and is one half of a creative resource by the name of Claude & Co. From here he, still manages to work remotely for ad agencies in Auckland, Wellington, and Sydney, while helping out local brands with writing.
He's just about coming to terms with the fact he (probably) won't now make it as a professional footballer.
Download a PDF of Steve’s CV.
