Faculty & staff
It would be a shame if the students were the only weird and wonderful people in the building. To make sure we offer the best help, advice and teaching possible to our creative cohort, we’ve assembled a team that’s just as eclectic as they are.
Toufic Beyhum
Toufic Beyhum graduated in fine arts and advertising in the UK in 1994 and has been in the world of advertising ever since.
He has worked in New York, London, Dubai, Berlin and is now based in Windhoek. Over the years, Toufic has worked full time for international agencies such as Leo Burnett, BBDO, McCann, Y&R and as part of the M&C Saatchi network.
A restless soul who always pushes himself creatively, his efforts have been rewarded with numerous national and international awards. Outside of advertising, he leads a varied life, having opened and run an artgallery in Berlin, shot an award winning documentary on the Bedouin of Petra, published a photography book and exhibited his work in 6 different countries.
He continues to mentor at the most awarded advertising school in theworld, the SCA in London, and is also a certified beekeeper! Toufic's fave ad of all time is 'Litany' for The Independent.
Rob MacGillivray
Rob MacGillivray has over 30 years' experience as a professional director, writer and producer.
Rob has worked extensively in music videos, commercials and mainstream television in the UK and Europe. His evolving and varied career has given him hands-on knowledge not just of directing and production, but also storytelling, scripting, lighting, shooting, animation and post production software.
Rob currently directs and produces corporate advertising. He also lectures in Film and Television at UAL and RCA. His favourite TV Commercials when growing up were anything featuring the Pilsbury Dough Boy or Fred the Homepride man. As it turned out, Rob never did grow up.
Caroline Hampstead
Caroline Hampstead started her career wanting to be a barrister but ended up as a copywriter at WCRS and HHCL where she worked on accounts including Orange, BMW, Carling, Camelot and Danish Bacon. She has been a D&AD judge and awards include Eurobest, Aerial, CBS Outdoor Long Copy Challenge, Grocer Magazine and Florida ADDY.
Currently freelance, she splits her time between ad agencies, digital agencies, design companies and dance classes (performances include 3 out of 4 2012 Olympic/Paralympic ceremonies, Dance the Dream with English National Ballet, Crowd Out with the LSO and Resolution! 2014 at The Place).
Elliot Harris
Reckitt Global Executive Creative Director & Creative Partner Impeccable taste. Energetic Experience. Quiet Revolutionary. Young Talent Nurturer. Let's the ball do the work.
Elliot Harris is a Creative Partner at Havas London and Global Executive Creative Director for the entire Reckitt portfolio. He has been instrumental in building the new Havas London creative dept alongside Vicki Maguirewith multi-disciplinary teams on brands like Durex, Finish, Air Wick, Vanish, Gaviscon, DFE, Molson Coors and Heinz.
This has raised the standard of creativity and effectiveness of the work within the agency.
Mr Cee
Cool, Charming & Conscious, Mr Cee brings 20 years of comedy experience to the table at SCA. Equally skilled at either Hosting, Stand-Up, Improv or Acting, Mr Cee performs at various venues such as The Hackney Empire, The Comedy Store & Jongleurs and has also supported comedians Kevin Hart, Paul Mooney, Gina Yashere, Curtis Walker, and many more on their UK tours.
His comedy achievements range from doing 'warm ups' most recently for CH4's 'The Big Narstie Show', ITV's 'Sorry I Didn't Know', the BBC show 'Blouse & Skirt' and also being voted the 'Best Male Newcomer' at the Prestigious Black Entertainment Comedy Awards in 2000.
His presenting skills have been seen on Sky TV/YangaTV's Noni-Chat. Mr. Cee started teaching at SCA through his relationship with The Comedy School and after years of educating our students on the art of stand-up comedy and helping them with presentation skills for pitches, we asked for an encore in our faculty.
His favourite ad growing up is Hamlet Cigars — Photobooth. Directed by Graham Rose & acted out by Gregor Fisher... It had him in stitches.
Marc Lewis
Marc Lewis was a scholarship student at SCA when it last existed in the 1990s. He left to work for Leo Burnett as a writer, but ended up creating technology companies.
Marc's start-ups created over 50m in shareholder value, but he fell out of love with money and wanted to do something more meaningful. A heart-to-heart conversation with Sir John Hegarty and Rory Sutherland led to the reopening of SCA in 2010.
John and Rory became founding Governors. Because he won his scholarship, without which he would probably have made a career flogging fake Rolexes and stolen car stereos, he is devoted to helping others benefit from similar opportunities. As a result, SCA has distributed over Elm of scholarships and bursaries since reforming.
Marc's favourite advert growing up was Graham Fink's British Airways commercial, although HHCL's campaign for Tango runs a very, very, very close second.
Richard Russell
Richard has been kicked out of some of the best agencies in the world, during a rich and unpredictable career.
His best-known work was probably made at Wieden + Kennedy London,where he was lucky enough to create many of the early ads in the Honda 'Power of Dreams' campaign (voted 'Campaign of the Decade" by Campaign).
He can't pretend he isn't touched that his Honda 'Banana' printad and diesel 'Grrr' commercial are still referred to all these years later. If pressed, though, his favourite advertising memory is of the guy who wanted a life size copy of his Gordon's Gin 48-sheet poster, so he could put it on a wall inside his huge 16th century mansion. Maybe it's still there?
Richard has always loved that a Creative department is, in theory, ameritocracy. A place where anyone can have the next great idea, irrespective of status, or salary, or age, or gender, or background. He takes real satisfaction in enthusing and enabling young Creatives, not least because it is this new generation of wiser creatives who are going to have to save advertising itself.
Richard's favourite ad growing up was Kia-Ora — 'I'll be your dog'. He yearns for the return of the jingle.
Mike Nicholson
Mike brings almost 22 years of experience from the world of digital, design and advertising. Previously he was the Executive Creative Director at Brave, The & Partnership Canada and Toaster (Google Creative Lab's partner).
Mike has worked with some great creative agencies including AMV BBDO, Wieden + Kennedy and Adam and Eve DDB. Mike was named the number one English Creative in The GUNN Report 2009. His industry accolades include being recognised over 130 times at all the usual award shows including D&AD pencils in ten different categories.
Mike's favourite ad growing up was Carling Black Label — Dambusters.
Alexandra Taylor
Acknowledged as one of the UK's most respected and acclaimed artdirectors, Alexandra Taylor has gained a reputation for her prolific award-winning work.
She has been recognised by D&AD for her outstanding contribution to advertising, and among her accolades are over 200 entries into the D&AD Annual, 7 silver D&AD pencils and 9 silver D&AD nominations including the Grand Prix at Cannes.
In 2014 she was the first female recipient of the D&AD President's Award for her outstanding contribution to Advertising. The majority of her years in Advertising have been at Saatchi & Saatchi London, where she was joint Creative Director.
Deanna Rodger
Deanna Rodger is an international performer and facilitator. Recently featured as one of ELLE UK magazine's '30 inspirational women under 30', she is a former UK Poetry Slam Champion and has written and performed commissions everywhere, from Buckingham Palace to BBC iPlayer.
Deanna co-curates two leading spoken word events, Chill Pill and Come Rhyme With Me, and is a member of Keats House Poetry Collective.
Gary Neill
With over twenty years experience as an illustrator, Gary Neill is known forcreating conceptually bold and vibrant illustrations; sometimes edgy, atother times, playful. His work always begins with drawings of ideas and metaphors that explore meanings by juxtaposing different visual elements. His work is a great example of how to deliver a message in a direct, economical fashion which cuts straight through self indulgence and windowd ressing.
Gary's potent visual style is vibrant and clean and has been use dextensively in the fast-paced world of newspapers and magazines such as The Guardian, The Economist and The New York Times. Gary's fave ad is PS4
Ian Hands
I tell people that I teach 'detail'. I'm a stickler for it, it's what I see first.
There are very few creative areas I haven't turned my hand to; illustration, painting, food styling, photography, font design, graphic design, typography, digital 3D, music, animation... it's all drawing to me. And I love to share what I've learnt — at every stage of my career I have always taught.
Teaching is the best way to learn. Creativity is in my DNA and my family name. I'd rather create than consume. Ian's favourite ad growing up was Cresta — It's Frothy Man. Or anything with polar bears in.
Thaigo de Moraes
Thiago has worked in advertising for over 20 years, in places like AMVBBDO, Droga5 London, The & Partnership and the BBC.
Along the way he has created work in varied forms: from press ads to video games, interactive documentary series, music videos and many more. Happy accidents and a general lack of judgment led to quite a lot of it winning awards. A life-long obsession with doodling has eventually led him to write and draw children's books, which have been published in over 20 languages so far.
Pete Cain
Pete has worked at and been fired from some of London's top ad agencies.
He's directed commercials, been a professional stand-up comedian, and written and directed a sketch comedy tv series. His sharp writing and obsession with 'creative propositions' has led him back to teach part-time at the SCA. He studied there in the mid-'90s before embarking atumultuous award-winning career.
Notably, he won Campaign 'Poster ofthe Year' while still on placement. More recently, he has established The Raised Eyebrow Society, a purpose-led ideas collective. Oh, and he swearsa lot, too.
Squirrel
Squirrel has nearly three years of experience of looking after students and being really cute. Her other hobbies include sleeping, eating treats, growling at cats and barking at the door bell.
Squirrels favourite advert whilst growing up was Walls — Sausages
Alex Mecklenburg
Alex is an experienced, provocative business coach, working with leadership teams, CEOs and boards of organisations who are looking to break through their own business bubble.
She has built a wonderful career by solving business problems with creativity and continuous organisational prototyping. In her time as Global Brand Director and Business Director, and Global Digital Lead for Unilever she delivered seminal work like Dirt is Good.
Max Woodall-Collins
Max joined the SCA faculty with 20 years experience in the creative industries. Having completed a design degree, she started out at AKQA then moved into TV production.
She spent several years as a Production Coordinator infactual programming at the BBC before moving onto the Graham Norton Show and The Wright Stuff. More recently, she spent her last 6 years at Sony Pictures Television before joining the team at SCA as Operations Manager in 2016.
Max's most memorable ad from her childhood was the 1984 'Bodyform' campaign because of its catchy theme tune which has never left her memory!
Alan Burles
Alan Burles is an advertising art director turned photographer and since his early twenties he's been seen carrying a camera everywhere he goes.
Alan's first job was under Paul Arden at Saatchi & Saatchi where he worked for ten years — it's extraordinary how much influence that had and how itreverberates to this day.
Alan also worked at BBH and some other fine agencies and therefore has been steeped in the world of ideas for a large part of his career. With all ofhis experience, he hopes it gives everything he does an extra dimension. His favourite ad from when he was younger was Benson & Hedges —Swimming Pool.
Shannon Vaughan
Shannon joined SCA with 11 years experience in the creative industry and 6 years in the non-profit sector after completing a Culture, Communication and Media Studies degree in sunny South Africa, where she grew up.
She worked in Public Relations, Broadcast, Marketing and Advertising companies, giving her a broad scope of communication and relationship management skills and understanding of the industry.
She also ran anaward-winning diverse creative talent programme at Ogilvy UK for 5 years,with one of her key partners being none other than our very own SCA. The 90's South African VW advert, Memories, is still her favourite ad eventhough it made her cry. In fact, her family had all the cars shown in the ad,including her own first car. Guess that ad worked!
Marcia Miller
Marcia is a graphic design graduate with over 8 years experience in studio management. Marcia has now been at SCA for over 5 years and before that she was a studio manager at an interactive art studio.
Marcia's favourite adverts whilst growing up was Reebok — Belly's gonna get you and Power Pods — Football crazy, chocolate mad.
Laura Jordan Bambach
Laura Jordan Bambach is founder and Chief Creative Officer of Uncharted, an advanced
creative agency launched in 2024.
She is former President and CCO of Grey London, founder SheSays (the industry’s largest global women’s network) & OKO (mentoring and employee engagement app) with 30 years of award-winning work. She’s won Cannes Lions, D&AD pencils, One Show Gold and global Grand Effie in the last two years across gaming, film, social and PR for both local and global clients.
Previous President of D&AD, twice listed one of Britain’s most influential people within the Debrett’s 500, named by The Guardian a “digital female icon” and was one of “BBC’s 100 Women” awarding 100 of the most globally-impactful women of the year, for her services fighting for gender equity in the industry and beyond.
She’s a proud geek, a determined optimist and a believer that creativity can change the world for the better.
Louise Sloper
Listed in Campaign's '40 over 40', Louise is an awarded Creative Director and Designer, consulting, making and writing for ads, branding and creative storytelling, alongside her role as Chairwoman of TypoCircle (one of the first women in over 30 years to hold the position). A craft-orientated, type-loving, experienced creative leader, with a curiosity for integrating emerging technologies in design, she left ad-land to set up her own studio, Here.We.Go. London to 'Design Change'. Clients have included innocent, WHO, The Listening Planet, The Children's Society, NHS, Effie Worldwide and Eptura.
Lou has held positions as Head of Art at BMB London (working alongside Trevor Beattie and the executive team), interim Head of Art at Sky Creative, Head of Art & Design at CHI&Partners (leading a large team of ad, digital and branding designers, and 3D artists), and Head of Design at BETC London (growing the start-up agency, winning the global Bacardi and Diet Coke accounts, and creating the 'Campaign Hall of Fame' work for Cockburn's). And before that, she worked at London ad agencies including BBH, WCRS, M&C Saatchi and JWT, as well as a branding consultant for clients such as The Natural History Museum.
Lou has been on numerous creative judging panels – D&AD Awards (Chair/Black Pencils), D&AD Next (Mentor) & New Blood (Jury President), Creative Circle Gold, Kinsale (Jury President, awarding the first ever Design Shark Grand Prix), Creativepool, DesignWeek – and has featured in the London Design Festival as an invited artist to create a flag for Bankside.
She's passionate about inspiring the next gen of creatives and co-founded TypoCircle's 'SuperCondensed' to support young creatives and champion diversity. She has been a D&AD / Soho House x Creative Network mentor, and guest lectures at uni's and creative studio's.
Awards:ADC, Campaign 40 over 40, Campaign Hall of Fame, Cannes Lions - Shortlist, Creative Circle Gold, Creativepool Annual Gold, Creativepool Creative Influencer of the Year, D&AD Pencil, EPICA, Pitch 100 Superwoman
Charlotte Beckett
Charlotte has 24+ years in brand strategy, research, audience insight, impact evaluation and training.
Proof that the path to SCA takes many forms, she started out in digital as the dotcom boom busted;
she’s worked since for agencies indie or not, done a couple of stints client side (for an investment
bank and a local council); and with a range of sectors including not for profit, government, financial
services, FMCG, telco, tech, start-ups and healthcare. Armed with a MSc in Consumer Psychology,
she gives people the tooling to apply behavioural science, insights, and strategy to the work they do.
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