2011 WriteMark |
Tuesday 9 August 2011 |
New Zealand Plain English Awards |
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John Ansell: Profile
John Ansell (aka Simpleman) is a long-time advocate of plain English. He wants the world to use shorter words so he can understand it.
An entertaining and highly creative speaker, John is a self-confessed word nut and sole inmate of Padded Sell Creative — a Wellington copywriting agency. When he’s not working with words as a copywriter or plain English crusader, he’s playing with them as an engaging poet and linguist.
John wrote for Wellington advertising agencies from 1976 to 1989, then specialised in radio ads. Between 1994 and 2000 he ran Padded Sell recording studio.
In recent years he has published a book of rhymes, harangued conference audiences about Plain English as a Second Language and the creative use of PowerPoint, and was founding judge of the New Zealand Spelling Bee.
John is the only New Zealand copywriter to have won Campaign of the Year awards for political ads. He has done this three times in four elections with two different parties. The most recent example was his 2005 billboard campaign for National. Next time he plans to be on the winning side, so he can get himself appointed Simplifier-General.
