To anyone who asked where he'd been, Paul Zoellner（photo） smiled and replied: "Just been away on a long shoot on the West Coast."
And it didn't seem much longer than that, in Madison Avenue time, but the fact is that Paul had spent five months being Associate Creative Director of another agency.
"I was back at DDB in time to initial the proofs of two ads I'd done-one for Bankers Trust and one for Aviancabefore I left in December," he said To the expected question of Happy is something Paul doesn't believe creative people are capable of being 100 percent of the time. "It's not in their make-up. If they could be happy 100 percent of the time, they couldn't do the other thing---the creative work itself."
But the odds, he blieves, are for more happiness more of the time in DDB's atmosphere, "as 19 people will attest."why he me back, Paul gave what he admitted was the expected reply: "The creative climate.
It's unique." Before leaving his five-month-long job, Paul had two other offers, but shrugged them off. "I'm happy to be back here."
Nineteen being the number we totted up of DDBers who've spent time elsewhere, and then returned.
Paul and 18 others.
Seven of them we covered in a DDB News story in April, 1970, namely:
Lore Parker, first of the returnees, who joined DDB in 1953, left in 1956, worked at two other agencies before coming back in 1959, and is now VP-Copy Group Supervisor.
Charlie Piccirillo, away for six years, from 1963 to 1969 as executive art director of PKL, now VP-Creative Management Supervisor.
Larry Levenson, who joined a small agency in 1968 and was back at DDB four months later, is now VP-Creative Management Supervisor.
John Annarino(photo), who left DDB-NY in 1968 to be a creative director of McCannErickson,
San Francisco; rejoined DDB in L.A. a year later and is now Copy Chief there.
Copywriter Deanna Cohen, who spent nine months (starting mid-1967) in the experimental creative division of a large agency.
Copywriter Stevie Pierson, who started as a secretary at DDB, left to be a copywriter at BBDO, returned in 1969.
Copywriter George Rike, who spent some years away at Benton & Bowles and
Wells Rich Greene.
The 1970 round-up of returnees overlooked Tom Garbett, who joined DDB as an AE in 1961, left in 1962, returned in 1963, still an AE. Today he's a VP management Supervisor.
Others who've rejoined DDB in the years since include:
Allan Buitekant,(photo) VP-Creative Management Supervisor. Started in the bullpen in 1954, was an art supervisor when he left in 1967 to be a partner in a small agency, returned to DDB in 1970 because, as he said at the time, "Its work is still the best in the business."
Ed Brown, President, DDB-Canada. Left DDB-NY in January, 1969 to be Senior VP in Charge of Account Management at the F. William Free agency.
Returned late in 1969 to head up DDB Mexico briefly before moving to Toronto.
Russell Hand, VP-Management Supervisor, DDB-LA. With DDB since 1958, with two years out in the late '60s as part owner of another Los Angeles agency.
Senior AE Howard Giordano, Started at DDB in 1960, left in the mid-60s, worked at three other agencies, briefly tried a franchise operation (which didn't get off the ground), returned to DDB in 1970.Said at that time., "If you have to be in this nutty business, DDB is the place to be. "
Werner Butter, Co-Creative Director of DDB-Dusseldorf, was a journalist before he joined the agency in 1964. Was Copy Chief by the time he left some years later to be a co-owner of Special Team, a division of one of Germany's largest agencies. Asked by the DDB News on his return if agency atmosphere differ in Germany as they do in New York, Werner replied, "Yes, it's the same story here."
Helmut Krone,(photo) Senior VP-Creative Management Supervisor, joined DDB in 1954, left in 1969 to establish Case & Krone, returned in 1972 with the comme that "I considered working for two people-Bernbach and myself. I picked Bernbach; he's still the best."
