So, Kris, what moulded you into the adventure-seeking account manager we know today?

I’m Kris-with-a-K. Born in Gore, the youngest of three boys with twin older brothers. My family moved to Wellington when I was seven (before I learnt to roll my R’s!).

Other than living in London for five years in my mid-twenties, Wellington has been the place I call home since then.

Media career

The majority of my working life has been involved in media in one way or another – from producing and announcing on the radio, to selling media for New Zealand’s largest media suppliers of TV, radio, print and online, to working for an advertising agency where I’ve now been for five years.

Leading the Suzuki account

My role at Hemisphere is to lead the client relationship with Suzuki NZ, which on a daily basis means project managing campaigns and activities we are running for them.

I lead the team that sits between our creatives, studio and media department, and am in close contact with Suzuki’s marketing team every day as we develop and produce practically every internal and external output for them.

I see our full-service agency as an extension of their marketing department, fulfilling all their creative, media considerations and bookings plus dealer resource outputs.  It’s a busy job!

Whether it's two wheels on winding Wairarapa roads or soaring the skies in a glider, you clearly don't do downtime quietly. What drives your need for adventure?

When I’m not at work I’m often off on an adventure somewhere with my 7-year-old son. He’s a very cool little man, but has way too much energy, so after a hard day of cycling or climbing or walking or whatever the activity with him has been, I do like to sit down and reward myself with a cold Speights or a nice pinot noir. When I get a bit of me time, I can’t wait to get out on my motorcycle and head over the Wairarapa to enjoy some twisty back roads. Less frequently, but whenever an opportunity arises, I love to go flying too.

Kris happily taking delivery of his new motorcycle, and strapped in ready for pre-flight checks gliding in the Wairarapa.

If someone had to sum you up in just three words – like one your colleagues dodging your daily puns - what would those words be?

Meticulous. Frugal. Punny.

What has you excited to walk through the door at Hemisphere each morning?

The sausage rolls! Anytime we have a celebration of some sort, such as a birthday, out come the sausage rolls. Has there ever been a better food to have for morning tea?! Cheese rolls would come a very close second, but sausage rolls still win.

Great team culture

Besides sausage rolls, another thing that keeps me coming back is the very talented and creative team I get to work with, and the fun we have here while doing the work.

Not a day goes by that there’s not a few rounds of puns, or an embarrassing story shared, or a comment heard out of context that leads to quite a good laugh.

We have great clients too who I enjoy working with, and the variety of campaigns we work on means there’s never a dull moment.

From brief to brilliance – which project are you most proud of?

Suzuki new car launches are always fun. Seeing a project role out from that initial client brief we receive, through the phases of creative development, through to seeing the campaign live in market.

There are many campaigns I’ve been proud of so it’s hard to pick a favourite, but it’s always rewarding when you see a campaign you’ve helped shape playing out in the real world.

Swift launch

Last year we launched the fourth generation Swift, and for this campaign we ventured into new territory, creating a TV commercial and other assets using 3D modelling rather than the more typical vehicle footage.

This was an exciting project to work on with lots to learn and tight deadlines to meet, but it all came together into a fun and colourful campaign which propelled interest and sales of New Zealand's most popular small car.

You can see some of the material we created for this campaign here!

Every office has its legendary one-liners — what's yours?

"This calls for sausage rolls!"

Want to work with Kris and the team?