Paul Catmur, who has lived in the Ponsonby area since arriving from the UK in 2000, recently published his first book.
The ‘Gutter Bar’ is an extremely funny, satirical novel set around the advertising industry in London and the annual global shindig in Cannes. Paul worked for many years at DDB New Zealand and then co-founded his own agency Barnes, Catmur & Friends.
Be in to win a copy. We are giving away three signed copies to the first three people who can tell us where the Cannes Advertising Festival was originally held before it moved to the South of France.
EMAIL YOUR ANSWER TO martin@ponsonbynews.co.nz
What inspired you to write the Gutter Bar?
The Gutter Bar is a kind of love/hate letter to advertising. It’s an industry where if you do well you can find yourself around the world in some amazing places, but which also has a more cynical and manipulative side to it. Even so, it’s tremendous fun. Or at least it was.
The book starts off in London where I worked in the Nineties. Everyone at the time told me that I should have been there in the eighties but believe me the nineties were pretty good too.
The story then moves down to the South of France when Ben Putney, the main protagonist, is invited to be the Jury President of the Cannes Advertising Festival. He gets embroiled in the politics, backstabbing and dirty tricks around the event which can make and break careers.
Did you enjoy your time in advertising?
I spent a large part of my life to the industry and overall it has been kind to me. After a sluggish start I ended up meeting some wonderful people and had some great times in various exotic destinations around the world. After spending most of the last thirty years dealing with constant deadlines, problem solving, and budget-juggling I’m quite relieved to currently be taking things a bit easier.
How true to life is the book?
Although it’s a novel, it is based on truth. The dubious behaviour of the jurors all happened, though some people will be relieved to know that names have been changed. The characters are often amalgams of industry figures I met over the years. As well as twenty odd years in New Zealand I spent ten years working in London advertising and have judged at many award shows, including twice at the Cannes Festival.
The story is centred around an app which claims to solve malaria by imitating the noise that bats make to scare off mosquitoes. While this may sound far-fetched it’s certainly not the most outlandish advertising claim I have heard.
What’s been the feedback from people in advertising?
It has gone down incredibly well and I’m pleased to note that the key feedback is how readable it is. A number of people have confirmed the accuracy of the behaviour and a number have squirmed, which I think is understandable. While making some valid points I wanted to poke fun at the discrepancies rather than lecture. Some people have read it in a single sitting which I guess makes it hard to put down. Either that or they’re lawyers skim reading to make sure their clients are not mentioned.
Is it just for people in advertising?
Not at all. Non-advertising readers have fed back how universal the stories and attitudes from the book are. It seems that most industries have similar characters and tales to tell.
Is there a New Zealand connection?
There is a lone Kiwi character, but for a stronger New Zealand flavour you’ll have to wait for the sequel.
So there’s a sequel in the pipeline?
I’m not sure yet. I’m often asked, but as anyone who’s written a book knows it can be a tough process. I have a couple of other projects to dive into first.
