Business Transformation Consultant | Unlocking Peak Performance Business Habits | Learn2Thrive | African Introspection | Writer
Colin Charles is the UK-raised petty criminal turned multi-award-winning Creative Director of Ghana’s most iconic ads for over a decade. Only Colin can connect the dots but here is what I know. With literally just four months of copywriting experience, Colin landed in Ghana with hotel money for one night and secured a job as the head creative at Ghana’s then-leading advertising agency, Lintas, in a country where he did not speak the language, had never been, and knew almost nothing about. Yet, he managed to become the most respected and awarded Creative Director of that time. What kind of person can pull that off? Colin is not what you would expect. He is by nature more of a storyteller than a copywriter; more of an observer than a designer; and more of a contrarian than a strategist. He champions people over products and cares more about leaving you with a feeling than a message. In the early 2000s, Colin was exactly the kind of unorthodox creative that the industry didn’t know it needed. He broke the rules because he never learned them and didn’t care to. Case in point: Colin once made seven "Only in Ghana" Club Beer ads with not a single product shot in them until he was overheard bragging about it. You see, Colin noticed the Ghanaian quirks that Ghanaians took for granted or were even ashamed of. The commercials he came up with stole our hearts because they made us feel good about our shared cultural eccentricities. He amplified and mirrored our flaws and quirks back to us as something to celebrate and laugh about. He reframed our most common experiences and challenges as lovable moments. He reminded us what we liked about ourselves and each other. Cut to the present day, and I hear he just won an international award for the very first documentary he produced. There is so much to unpack here! This will be a chance to hear a master storyteller break down his experience and process. If you are as curious as I am, like, share, and comment, "Tell your story!" #peakperformancehabits #storytelling #creativity #defiance #learn2thrive
And to be added that he did all that with the utmost kindness, generosity, empathy and humbleness. 💎
Before I entered the movie business, I pioneered London warehouse parties. Colin Charles was there too, rock solid member of the crew - he did visuals. We’d bus’ open abandoned warehouses and throw heavy parties… like 16 dj’s, 5 floors, 4 thousand people all grooving in peace and love. A whole floor for SOUL2SOUL: Zoo, Zoom, Roof Gardens, Diorama, Old street. Never nothing like VIP section just one nation under a groove, everytime. This wasn’t luxury, this was necessity: reggae, rare groove and hip hop weren’t tolerated at regular clubs, we needed to play our music our way and dress comfortable - hat and trainers. We came from a Jamaican sound system tradition. My crew was always the first to open up a new west end building - like the empty hospital in Golden Sq, and the Astoria Theatre where we removed the seats and built us a dance floor. West End clubs closed at 2am but we’d do it till daycome. Being illegal, being underground, made it our secret nocturnal world. We weren’t the only crew doing central London though, you had Spike and Neville, Ronnie and Cheddar, Mad Hatters, Dance Wicked - plenty a dem - but we were the biggest and we were the best: we didn’t rest - smooth criminal, get me?
London Recruits, which won Best Documentary at Joburg Film Festival, is a film I’ve been working on as a fellow Producer with Gordon Main and Colin Charles for the past five years. Colin has a lot of experience and radiates and attracts energy, both in creating interest for the film and on set shooting it. London Recruits is an interesting, unusual and memorable film. It hasn’t come out yet but try and see if you can when it does.
Do you have a link to any of his ads. I'm curious to watch and learn
He is amazing! He worked with us on numerous ground breaking Guinness campaigns!
Colin's storytelling is so authentic and it just rolls out of his head like the natural that he is. I enjoyed working with him so much in my days at Vodafone.
Colin Charles if you havent written a book on branding and advertising by now.... i will never understand, The man is a genius , i have learnt so much
Wow, what a testimony about Colin Charles .Grateful to have met and worked with him many years ago. Kudos, Colin.
Let's hear more about this maverick rule breaker and game changer!
Business Transformation Consultant | Unlocking Peak Performance Business Habits | Learn2Thrive | African Introspection | Writer
6moTell your story!