Neil French | "I'm not hung enough for Boogie Nights." (interview)

I'M TALKING TO WHO?! (a conversation series)

Now in his seventies, Neil French is a Hemingway-esque figure. Neil's checkered past includes a stint as Judas Priest's band manager and a foray into Soho's pornographic underworld that lasted until the Maltese mafia threatened his life. It was Neil's stratospheric success in advertising that made him rich and famous, yet for reasons left unexplained, he can't stomach being compared to Don Draper of MAD MEN. In 2005, he finished his career with Sir Martin Sorrell at WPP with the exalted title "worldwide creative director," then went into the business of being a dad full time. This podcast presents a single hour of coherent conversation (distilled from several hours of discursive dialogue). In this recording, we get into random & fascinating topics like: • How to know when to give up bullfighting • David Ogilvy: from boardroom to bedroom • Why you should try to write the way you talk • Ozzy Osbourne's incredible ear for accents • The mindsets and practices that create and sell-in effective advertisements • Banging heads with the chairman of Mitsubishi, and how that can be avoided by using a 4-foot "cultural exclusion zone" • The generous spirit of Thai women • Which airline serves the best curry • The genius of Jimmy Buffett and the poetry of country music • How to get the best out of your clients while helping them get the best out of you • Being likeable versus ingratiating • Living without regrets Jeremy Hildreth is the idiosyncratic proprietor of the "I'm talking to who?!" conversation series. The ambition here is to start with a fascinating guest who's lived a remarkable life so far, then goad him or her into a ranging, elucidating, and revelatory conversation. http://jeremyhildreth.com | If you want to never be boring (or bored) work with me. iTunes cover art by Carmen Nistor | https://www.saatchiart.com/carmennistor Neil French | http://www.neilfrench.com/