“I consider The MediaShop to be a great company too, built on a group of different people, and not just the strength of one individual. We are all different, which makes us all strong in our own unique way,” says  Botha. “Our company is about to go through a change as well, in that one of our ‘founding partners’ is leaving us.

“It is with great sadness that I have to announce that Virginia Hollis has resigned and will be leaving the company with effect end June 2012″.

Virginia wants to move back to her first love, which is writing media strategy full time. Writing strategy is what she loves doing, and what she is really good at.

Hollis is not moving to a competitor, and plans to become a freelance media strategist. “Her first client that she has agreed to work with is a brilliant company called The MediaShop! Virginia, will continue to work with the team here for the next few months, ensuring that the clients get handled and managed efficiently, and will still be a sounding board for strategic advice,’ explains Botha.

The management team of The MediaShop would like to thank Virginia for her hard work and efforts. She is so much part of why this great company has become what it has.

Agency of the Year – Gloo

Lifetime Achievement Award – Nunu Ntshingila

Cape Agency of the Year – The Jupiter Drawing room

Durban Agency of the Year – The Hardy Boys

Gauteng Agency of the Year – Ireland/Davenport

Media Agency of the Year – The MediaShop

Small Agency of the Year – Mediology

Advertising Achiever of the Year – Dawn Rowlands

Breakthrough Agency of the Year – M&Csaatchi Abel

Agency Group of the Year – Ogilvy South Africa

Design Agency of the year – The Jupiter Drawing Room Cape

Advertising Achiever of the Year – Mike Abel

Baobab Award – The Old Shanghai Firecracker Factory

Magazine Campaign Award – Ireland/Davenport for National Geographic

Specialist Agency of the Year  34

This year, the Loeries Judging migrates to Cape Town’s iconic City Hall and becomes part of Creative Week CT (15 to 23 September).  The week includes a seminar on Friday 21 September, which promises to inspire its audience with insights from a selection of top global brand leaders – including the Loeries four international jury chairmen.

The seminar is a fantastic opportunity for agencies and marketers to hear about the latest trends in brand communication from international leaders.

The full-day seminar is open to everyone and tickets can be purchased from the Loeries website (www.theloerieawards.co.za). Seminar tickets are exclusively for the seminar and do not include access to the award ceremonies nor other functions during Creative Week Cape Town.

Seminar Speakers:

TV & Radio Chairman: Tony Granger, Global Chief Creative Officer of Young & Rubicam

South African-born Tony Granger, now the Global Chief Creative Officer of Young & Rubicam, believes in the magic of ideas and their power to transform brands and agencies. He started his career as an assistant art director at Grey, then left South Africa in 2000 and continued to work on breakthrough communication, such as the legendary ‘Got Milk?!’ campaign.

To date, Tony has won numerous industry awards including Y&R New York’s 2010 title for the most awarded agency in the US and the second most awarded agency worldwide. The Young & Rubicam global network has also been named Network of the Year by Dubai Lynx, Art Directors Club, London International Awards and EPICA.

When asked about coming to Cape Town in September, Tony says, “I always look forward to coming home to South Africa. And every time I do, I am delighted by our industry’s people, culture and work.”

Tony has also served as president of several international advertising juries including Cannes Lions and CLIOs.

Direct, PR & Live Events Chairman: Alex Schill, Global Chief Creative Officer of Serviceplan Gruppe

Alex Schill took just nine years to work his way from junior copywriter to Chief Creative Officer of Springer & Jacoby in Germany. He left Springer & Jacoby in 2006 to become Global Chief Creative Officer at Serviceplan Gruppe – the biggest independent agency in Europe, which includes Serviceplan, Mediaplus and Plan.Net.

Within just five years Alex has put Serviceplan on the map, landing them second place in the German Creative Ranking (Big Won 2011), as well as ninth place worldwide.

Alex, who has over 30 Cannes Lions under his belt, was voted best German CCO and third best globally. He also judged at Cannes last year and was recently ranked 6th in the PIAFYS world ranking of creative directors. He says, “Coming to SA to chair the Loeries is a big honour for me. I am more than curious to experience the work of agencies that face a truly unique market.”

More recently, Serviceplan Gruppe took home Best in Show at the 2012 One Show Design Awards for their solar annual report, which can only be read in direct sunlight.

Print Communication Chairman: David Nobay, Creative Director of Droga5 Australia

David Nobay started as a junior copywriter in London at the age of 19 and became the youngest Creative Group Head in the Ogilvy & Mather Direct network only a year later. By 27, he had launched his own agency Wells Nobay McDowall in Melbourne which became one of Australia’s most awarded integrated agencies of the 90’s.

In 2008, he launched Droga5 Sydney with David Droga and within a year received the title ‘Agency of the Year’ by B&T Magazine. Nobay has also been ranked as the most awarded Creative Director in Australasia and listed in Archive Magazine’s Top Ten most published copywriters of the last millennium.

“Having had the privilege to work alongside great South African talent like Tony Granger, Jan Jacobs and Porky over the years, I’ve been dying to come to your shores for a long time. I can’t think of a better way to see everything I’ve heard about in action, than helping to judge this year’s Loeries,” says Nobay, who has sat on various judging panels including Cannes, D&AD, London Festivals, Dubai Lynx, Young Guns and Art Director’s Club, to name a few.

Design Chairman: Chris Lee, Creative Director of Asylum Singapore

Chris Lee is the Creative Director at Asylum Singapore, which has become one of the most respected creative companies in the world with a reputation for challenging the design status quo. His work has won numerous awards in Singapore and on the international scene. He also ranks as one of Singapore’s most influential Creative Directors and was the recipient of Designer of the Year at Singapore’s President’s Design Award.

Chris has served as a juror at international awards such as The One Show, D&AD and as Design chairman at Creative Circle Awards. As founder and president of The Design Society, which aims to promote visual culture through exhibitions, workshops and education in Singapore, Chris has a gift of bringing out the best in young designers.

When asked about his invitation to chair the Loeries Communication Design panel, Chris said, “I’m extremely excited to be coming to South Africa for the first time and to be able to judge amongst the best designers there. I’m sure there’ll be great works awaiting!”

Seminar Details

Venue: City Hall, Cape Town

Date: Friday 21 September 2012

Time: All day (times to be announced)

Registration: Thursday 20 & Friday 21 September

Standard tickets: R500

Student tickets: R150

Standard ticket bookings should be made directly at www.theloerieawards.co.za. Student tickets should be booked with the Loeries office (contact info@theloerieawards.co.za or 011 326 0304).

Additional speakers will be announced in the coming weeks.
Entries to The 34^th Annual Loerie Awards are now open and can be submitted until 31 May 2012 at www.theloerieawards.co.za. All Loerie winners will be announced at the awards ceremonies at the CTICC on Saturday 22 and Sunday 23 September. Tickets for the awards may be booked via the Loeries website, where further information on entry guidelines, judging procedures, the Seminar, accommodation bookings and Tempest car hire specials can also be found.

Major Sponsors

The major sponsors of The 34^th Annual Loerie Awards are Cape Town Tourism, The City of Cape Town and Gearhouse South Africa

Additional Sponsors and Official Suppliers

Adams & Adams Attorneys, ADreach, Aon South Africa, Associated Magazines, Backsberg,  BEE Online, Black Powder, Bouffant, Cape Town Partnership, Commercial Producers Association, Freq’ncy, Gallo Images, Graphica, GreaterCapital, Greensky,  Hetzner, LifeSense Financial Services, Mail & Guardian, Newsclip, Ornico Group, Paygate, PocketMedia Solutions, Rocketseed, Tempest Car Hire, The Jupiter Drawing Room South Africa (Johannesburg), Think iT Solutions, Trinergy Brand Connectors, Tsogo Sun, Ultra Litho, YouTube

Travelling Exhibition Venues and Dates

Dates to remember:

OpenWindow School of Visual Communication            9 – 19 May 2012

Vega, Johannesburg                                                            4 – 9 June 2012

Markex, Sandton                                                            12 – 14 June 2012

Concept Interactive, Cape Town                                     16 – 20 July 2012

Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, PE            6 – 15 August 2012

Tshwane University of Technology, Pretoria                        27 – 31 August 2012

Stellenbosch Academy of Design & Photography            8 – 12 October 2012

Oliewenhuis Museum, Bloemfontein                                    29 October – 2 November 2012

Important Loerie dates to diarise:

Migrate magazine – issue 14

Available at Exclusive Books & CNA stores

33^rd Loeries printed Annual

Available at Exclusive Books, Pulp Books & the Loeries website

Call for Entries Open: 15 March 2012

Entry Deadline: 31 May 2012

Migrate magazine – issue 15

May 2012

Judging Week in Cape Town

17 – 20 September 2012

Loeries Seminar in Cape Town

21 September 2012

The 34^th Annual Loerie Awards at the CTICC

22 & 23 September 2012

Migrate magazine – issue 16

November 2012

For more information go to www.theloerieawards.co.za

Grootes replaces broadcast veteran, Chris Gibbons, who is moving on to pursue other opportunities after 32 years with the stations.

Primedia Broadcasting CEO, Terry Volkwyn, said: “Chris has been presenting the Midday Report for the past eight years. He has worn many hats while being with us and he leaves behind a lasting legacy.”

The Midday Report is an hour-long current affairs show that brings listeners up to date with the latest breaking news and information, analysis, interviews and comments. It is simulcast on both 702 and CapeTalk and has won a number of awards, including an MTN Radio Award for 2011.

“Listeners will always remember Chris for getting to the bottom of issues and he will always be an inspiration to broadcast journalists,” added Volkwyn.

Gibbons will officially be leaving at the end of August.

“We wish Chris well in his future endeavours,” said Volkwyn.

Talk Radio 702 Station Manager, Pheladi Gwangwa and 567 CapeTalk Station Manager, Colleen Louw, said: “We are pleased to welcome Stephen Grootes to the Midday Report. We are confident that he will do well. He has previously filled in for Chris and other presenters. He has years of experience in news and current affairs.”

Grootes will continue his role at EWN as a senior political reporter.

Grootes said: “I am absolutely thrilled and excited and I’m looking forward to hosting the Midday Report which is South Africa’s premier news and current affairs show. It’s a huge opportunity to speak to newsmakers and give our listeners the very best understanding of news events as they happen, when they happen”.

Gibbons said: “I  would like to emphasise that we part company on the best of terms. Primedia and I go back 32 years in one form or another and both parties value that long association. However, I do feel it is time for a change of emphasis in my professional life. I wish both Talk Radio 702 and 567 Cape Talk all success – and perhaps our paths will cross again in the future.”

Caxton has launched the Eyethu Zululand newspaper as a replacement for the discontinued Eshowe Watch. This forms part of a strategic realignment of the Caxton group’s newspapers in the region, underpinned by solid research and bolstered by the phenomenal growth in commercial activity in the area, with four shopping centres and two bus ranks being opened during the last two years.

As a result of its revitalised presence in the KwaZulu Natal community market, the new Eyethu Zululand publication will feature an expanded footprint, extending from the Eshowe and Hlabisa areas to the all important retail centres of Melmouth, Ulundi and Nongoma.

As a free English/Zulu newspaper, it will be distributed every Thursday with a print order of 24 400. This brings the total Eyethu package of nine newspapers combined to 269 400 free, unduplicated copies per week.

NAB (the Newspaper Advertising Bureau) will be responsible for the national advertising sales of the paper. Joint MD John Bowles says; “We’re excited and proud to be representing Eyethu Zululand – a truly local newspaper catering for the burgeoning middle class in the area and an addition to the powerful Eyethu brand.”

In terms of the formation of the broader Eyethu brand, Bowles says this comes on the back of vernacular community newspapers coming into their own during the last year. This is in sharp contrast to the declining trend revealed when analysing the circulation performance of daily and weekend newspapers over the past 10 years.

“One of the only places that have bucked this trend is KwaZulu Natal and in light of this, we decided to align our strategy with the trends that we were seeing. Eyethu was therefore an opportunity to market one brand to one province but with unique editions for unique communities,” he explains.

NAB represents Eyethu Zululand as of the 10th May 2012 when the first issue of the newspaper was published.

Shelley Atkinson, executive creative director of Grid Worldwide, will be jetting off to the South of France come June 17 to join the Design Lions jury at the 59th Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. She makes up the team of 16 Design jury members from as far afield as Japan, Canada, India, Europe, USA and Brazil. The United Kingdom’s Bruce Duckworth is Design jury president.

Winner of a multitude of local and international awards, Atkinson has worked on brands from Brand South Africa and Airports Company South Africa to First National Bank and British Airways Comair. She was appointed ECD at Grid, South Africa’s most awarded branding and design agency, in 2011. Commenting on her appointment, Atkinson said “I am really excited to be part of this year’s Design jury. There have been so many changes in the communications industry in the last few years, I can’t wait to work together with judges from around the world to find the best work and discuss new ideas. It’s an honour for me and for South Africa which has never failed to punch above its weight on the international stage.”

On announcing the juries, Cannes Lions CEO Philip Thomas said, “Cannes Lions is a global event on a huge scale and it is therefore imperative that the people judging the thousands of entries are representative of this. It’s always exciting uniting exceptionally talented people from all corners of the world and watching them work together to set new precedents in the creative and communications industries.”

The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity runs from 17^th to 23^rd June.