James Whatley

Also fair.

YOU WERE LITERALLY JUST TALKING ABOUT HOW GREAT CAPTAIN MARVEL IS IN A WORK CONTEXT !!

Also, I've been playing Nintendo machines for as long as I can remember.

I have owned (and still own) nearly all of the consoles.

To have some work *that I wrote the creative brief for* ON THEIR OFFICIAL CHANNELS is wild.

W I L D.

Kid Whatley would freak OUT.

I keep trying to read the comments but it just says "FINALLY" like a million times over.

Must be a glitch.

LEGO on Instagram: "New form unlocked! New sets coming in 2027. #LEGOSuperMario #LEGO #SuperMario" 218 likes, 3 comments - lego on March 9, 2026: "New form unlocked! New sets coming in 2027. #LEGOSuperMario #LEGO #SuperMario".

Oh.

Guess now's a good time to tell y'all I'm working on this too?

www.instagram.com/reel/DVsJWNq...

Nintendo UK on Instagram: "It’s Luigi time!💚 #LEGOSuperMario #LEGO #Nintendo #MarioKart" 924 likes, 12 comments - nintendouk on March 10, 2026: "It’s Luigi time!💚 #LEGOSuperMario #LEGO #Nintendo #MarioKart".

FINALLY I CAN TALK ABOUT THIS.

LEGO Mario Kart Luigi Mach 8.

Easily the most fun brief I worked on last year.

Happy Mario Day!

www.instagram.com/reel/DVtShIq...

What are LEGO's plans for Mario Day 2026? Mario Day is nearly here, and the LEGO Group's usual annual offers for the event are nowhere to be seen in 2026, leaving us to ponder their plans.

👀

www.brickfanatics.com/what-are-leg...

Hey! @outersloth.com just publicly shared it’s contract terms at GDC 2026. Here’s the skinny if you’re looking for some funding!

Every day is International Women's Day if you try hard enough x

👀

P R O U D.

IWD 2026: Campaign celebrates inspirational women For International Women's Day 2026, the Campaign team has picked a group of women working in adland and beyond who inspire them.

OF COURSE the Mrs got name checked for IWD.

♥️

www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/iwd-...

That was Dame Annette King.

She fiercely protected her people. Made room and remembered those that worked hard for her. And having someone *that senior* come out to bat for you is just something I struggle to put words to.

This IWD, go google Dame Annette King.

I miss her.

Publicis Groupe James Whatley to Join Digitas as Strategy Partner

Anyway

(and don't me wrong, there were a BUNCH of other brilliant women involved- namely Dani Bassil and Emma de la Fosse)

Barely a month later I'd signed a contract, and a new adventure (leading to all the amazing OREO work we did) began.

www.publicisgroupe.com/en/news/pres...

(Jo is Jo Coombs, my old boss at Ogilvy One and by this point, COO at Publicis)

1. Annette had left OVER A YEAR BEFORE.

2. Annette was NOT on my email.

3. FIFTEEN MINUTES HAD PASSED.

This was what I got. I hadn't even crossed the river.

Close friends of mine know this story well; I've told it so many times. Because Annette was a phenomenal human.

I left Sea Containters (Ogilvy HQ) on the south bank, walked along the water, and *literally* as my foot touched the steps at Waterloo Bridge my phone buzzed.

It was Annette.

OH!

I still have the email! It was 1234pm.

The nature of the 'people leaving' meant that no one knew who was leaving and you weren't allowed to tell anyone until your last day.

So, around half twelve-ish, I wrote my goodbye email, bcc'd a bunch of people I knew and loved across the building, hit send, and then closed my laptop.

Off I went.

For ✨ reasons ✨ *quite a lot of people* were leaving Ogilvy that day.

Part of my role at Ogilvy was looking after all our platform partner relationships. And if I recall correctly, I was off to a fancy Christmas lunch with Facebook in Covent Garden.

So I decided to walk.

/2

A small story that I wanna share about Dame Annette King.

Nov 30th 2018 was my last day at Ogilvy (Annette had left the year before to go to Publicis).

My plan for my last day was to send my goodbye email around lunchtime, go to lunch, and then meet everyone else leaving that day at the pub.

1/

Why are there loads of old white men eating burgers on LinkedIn?

Weird flex guys x

The Mrs referred to Resident Evil Requiem as 'effed up Blue Prince' and I can't stop thinking about it.

Busy morning lads.

Never change, Private Eye.

Never change.

They see me rollin

Me after you change the fonts on my PowerPoint.

If you do LISTEN TO THE VOICES please let us all know.

Because if you do, then I can say 'I know of THREE PEOPLE who have bought a Switch 2 for Pokopia'

(yes, there are others)

Whoever thought 'share button = pause' for Resident Evil Requiem needs a stern word with, ideally outside.

Adland titan Dame Annette King dies at 57 Former Accenture Song, Publicis and Oglivy leader stepped back from her executive career in 2025.

57 is no age.

😢

www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/adla...