We've had the pleasure of working with Martin for some time now on various clients, from McEwan’s Lager to Strutt & Parker, and I can confidently say that he is the best in the business. He always comes up with fresh, creative ideas and is not afraid to take on even the toughest of briefs. Working with him is an absolute breeze, and his positive attitude and collaborative approach make him a joy. If you're looking for a highly-skilled, incredible creative genius who consistently delivers top-notch work and is a pleasure to work with, look no further.
Darren Turner, Co-Founder of THE TABLE LONDON
Martin Gillan is miles from the nearest beach, there’s no bar, no pool, nothing for the kids to do, and parking is non-existent. Hugely disappointing.
Martin is one of the best out there. Truly fun to work with. An intelligent collaborator with a great sense of humour. Calm under pressure. Full of ideas and full of words that push the work forward. His writing is smart, on strategy, light, poetic, wonderful – and ultimately successful. Martin is a true pro, who does a pro job. Every time.
Christian Butte, ECD, R/GA Berlin
Martin’s writing has stories to tell. Always. That is why I love him on projects, because he is not limited to words or focuses on making puns (God, I hate puns) – instead he finds insights, tonalities, ideas and stories to build his writing on. When Martin writes something there is always an idea behind it. His writing can turn into something that is a specific insight for a certain channel, a great observation for a certain message or into a campaign platform that can host tons of channels and assets. And: He can concept you all those assets as well. He offers me solutions instead of just lines or words.
Patrik Lenhart, Creative Director, R/GA Berlin
Martin schreibt so gut wie er gekleidet ist.
Markus Daubenbüchel, Ex-Geschäftsführer Kreation, Scholz & Friends
Martin held a very important role on our global Siemens team: He was responsible for English copy in markets that were then serviced out of Frankfurt. He thus made it possible to have a much more international footprint in a much more compact team. Martin did a brilliant job. He is a delight to work with, and was beloved by all his colleagues, from China, to Brazil. When he decided to leave us and to spend more time with his growing family, the loss to the team was very painful. We had doubts we could ever find anybody half as good as Martin. Last time I saw him was actually when I stepped on a set of a film he was shooting in Beijing for another agency. And he was just the same good man, modest, inclusive and funny. I think anybody who has ever worked with Martin would love to work with him again. I am among his many fans. I can’t wait for us to collaborate in some way soon.
Witold Riedel
Global Creative Lead, Storyteller, Visual Artist, Bridge Between Cultures
Martin’s the best copywriter we’ve ever had working here. That is the plain fact of it. Don’t assume that this is the same empty flattery you find in a thousand other Linkedin reviews. It isn’t. In this case it’s totally true. There is a fluidity to his writing that doesn’t come with practice, or experience. It comes with a profound natural talent. Copy, TV scripts, radio, online…everything…he writes it all with a personality and charm that seems contrived when it comes from other people. But it would be a mistake to think he is just a writer of copy. He is a conceptual thinker up there with any of them. He raised the creative bar for us, delivering campaigns with genuine wit. The only problem was that he left to move to Germany. Many is the time since we’ve said to ourselves, “We should get Martin to do this.” If Martin ever returns to the UK, and we can afford him, we’d hire him in the blink of an eye. But seeing as he’s made his life in Germany, you’d be certifiably insane to hire anyone else.
David Alexander
Former Creative Partner at isobel
I owe a lot to Martin. He was my first Creative Director and it's no exaggeration to say I am where I am today thanks to him. Martin showed me big ideas, controversial ideas, sticky ideas, and topical ideas that weaved into culture. And a deep love for good advertising that was simply inspiring. Although he's one of the best writers I've been able to work with, he also showed me that a true creative should be both copywriter and art director in one. To this day, I still wonder "what would Martin think?" as I evaluate any idea. And that thought always makes my work better.
Iain Nevill
Senior Writer 72&Sunny
Martin is my go-to creative. He has been since the day we opened Big Al's Creative Emporium in 2004. In those intervening 11 years he has created some of our most effective and awarded campaigns, and written lots of our best individual ads. Whereas some creatives are naturally more able in specific mediums, Martin is equally skilled at print, tv, radio and outdoor. Where most creatives have a limited tone to their writing, Martin seems as comfortable doing intelligent, emotional work as he is doing original, well crafted comedy. And he works as well on his own as with an art director which makes him half price! Which is why he is my go-to creative.... Martin Gillan is a one man creative department. And a thoroughly decent bloke to boot.
Stef Jones
Co-founder and Creative Partner, Big Al's Creative Emporium
Martin Gillan is one of the most brilliant creatives I’ve had the pleasure to work with in my career. He’s a great conceptual thinker, a witty copywriter, an imaginative scriptwriter, and most importantly, a very fun person to work with. Martin has created a large number of amazing pieces of advertising. However, the single most brilliant piece of copywriting I was fortunate enough to witness from Martin didn’t win a Cannes Lion, a Pencil or a Clio. Not because it wasn’t good enough, but because there’s just no category (yet) for wedding speeches. It was a rollercoaster ride of emotions. People were so moved that they were all crying, but they were also laughing throughout because it was just so damn funny. Martin’s wedding speech was an experience I will never forget in my life. And having had the chance to work with him, that too is an experience I’ll always be grateful for.
Nico Ammann, Geschäftsführer Kreation, Heimat Zürich