Ninety days down the line with a highly respected new body of work for the likes of Tusker in East Africa and South Africa’s very own iconic Chicken Licken, plus a prized Lotto pitch win under his belt, the ripples are well on course to become a wave. “No resting on any laurels , that’s for sure,” says Mike Schalit, BBDO South Africa CCO and Net#work co-founder. “Brad’s back, our winning ways are back and our very special  core values and idealistic spirit remain as consistent as ever. What a win.”  

Indeed, Reilly’s partnership with a whole new level of dynamic young leaders, literally bubbling over at the exciting hotshop has seen a welcome return to Net#work’s winning ways. According to MD Boniswa Pezisa, “Brad’s arrival signals an exciting new era of creative integration for our clients – as we continue to attract a disproportionate share of the talent, we now offer an even more compelling combination of creative firepower and strategic depth.”

Reilly’s return home to the agency that he not only grew with, but helped grow, after SIX years out in the wilderness couldn’t have come at a better time. Given his track record of sharply insightful, highly breakthrough innovation and his innate grasp of multi-channel platforms, he adds a proven dynamic to the idealistic, somewhat maverick creative force as it approaches its 21st year.

Adds Reilly, “There’s something about this place that manages to propel people forward in a quest to do their best work and, coming back after a few years, it's refreshing to see that old Net#work glint in the eyes of a new bunch of talented people. I’m excited to be part of the ambition of creating more than just ads as we make our contribution to defining not only a new South African landscape, but an African one too.” 

A believer in collaborating on big ideas, to deliver integrated experiences for people,  Reilly’s beliefs on creativity and the work have been moulded by the various and diverse phases of his career. The value he places in the power of a big idea was born from his time at Net#work BBDO, where he spent 11 years, working his way up to creative director. It was during these formative years that he won the Australian Chairman’s Young Gun Award twice. His passion for smart, seamless integration was sparked by the Coca-Cola World Cup experience and the continuous excitement he feels when collaborating with brilliant people was at the heart of his own & Anonymous adventure. 

Reilly became the first South African to win two of the world’s coveted Cannes Grands Prix for Virgin Atlantic Airways – Upper Class Radio, the campaign that paved Net#work’s global story-telling reputation, as well as the world’s first Nedbank solar powered billboard pioneering the Goodvertising Movement that is now propelled through Purpose Driven Marketing. In the past 17 years, he collected a few more awards; Cannes Gold, D&AD Pencils, Clio Golds, and six local Loeries Grands Prix for iconic work such as the Opel Corsa Raj Brothers, and Metro FM’s What makes you black campaign, just to mention a few.

While Reilly has now been brought full circle, returning home to his Net#work roots, his trajectory has only just begun, as he is entrusted with taking the agency into the future, the continent and beyond. 

For more information on Net#work BBDO, visit www.networkbbdo.co.za. Alternatively, connect with them on Facebook and on Twitter.