Senior Writer and Creative Director

Hi, I'm Tom.
I lead teams to deliver big, simple, PR-able ideas.

Like the Bluey House on Airbnb.

Or Australia’s cushiest job.

Or the first ever symphony for chickens.

  • You know, the sort of thing people write about.

Experience

  • Thrive PR and Communications, Sydney. 2021-2024.

    Led the creative offering for the 2022 Mumbrella and B&T PR Agency of the Year. Led ideation, pitched and won new business, coached teams on creative thinking and implemented creative processes to elevate creative work.

  • Archibald Williams, Sydney. 2014-2021.

    Led creative on the Citi, Mastercard and Westpac accounts. Wrote a 380-page playbook for an APAC-wide Citi credit card conversion from Visa to Mastercard, with 1,000+ communication templates covering every stage and variant of the customer journey in 11 markets. Reversed the NRL’s declining game attendance over 2017 with the ‘Be there when history happens’ campaign. Pitched for and won significant clients including Mastercard, the NRL and Cancer Council.

    303Lowe, Sydney. 2013-2014.

    Created through-the-line campaigns for Harley-Davidson and Qantas Frequent Flyer.

  • DDB Hong Kong, 2008-2013.

    Created digital and integrated campaigns for clients including McDonald’s, Intel and the Financial Times.

About

I’m a copy-based creative director who brings big-idea thinking, strategic understanding and a real desire to lift the people around me (figuratively).

I’ve spent 15+ years in creative agencies in Hong Kong and Sydney, creating campaigns for brands like McDonald’s, Westpac, Mastercard and the NRL. Add to that three years as a creative director in PR, and you’ll find I deliver big, simple ideas that get picked up in the news.

I’ve worked on everything from multi-country integrated campaigns to quick and dirty PR stunts, content, social campaigns and hardcore CX journeys. 

I’ve coached teams on creative thinking and helped build the creative capability at Australia’s PR Agency of the Year.

So if that sort of thing sounds like it might be useful to you, please feel free to drop me a line.

Awards

Mumbrella PR Agency of the Year
B&T PR Agency of the Year
Cannes Lions – Silver Lion x 2 (Media, Mobile)
Cannes Lions – Bronze Lion (Print)
Webby – Rich Media (B2C)
AdFest – Bronze x 4 (Promo/In-Store, Promo/Event & Field Marketing, Integrated, Media)
One Show – Merit
D&AD – Finalist (Gaming)
Kam Fan Awards (HK) – 1 Grand Kam Fan, 2 Best In Show, 4 Gold, 2 Silver, 3 Bronze, bunch of Finalists
Geneva International Film Festival – Nominee
Digital Media Awards – Bronze
Marketing Awards (HK) – Best in Show (Direct)
FWA – Site of the Day
FWA – App of the Day
Internationalist Awards – Gold
Spikes Asia – Bronze (Gaming)
New York Festivals – Finalist (Direct)

Contact

thomas.selby@gmail.com
+61431272574

LinkedIn

I acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land where I work and live, and pay my respects to their Elders past and present.