On the Craft — A Conversation with Barry Hill
Why Barry Hill
I reached out to Barry directly in 2019 while studying at Centennial College in Toronto. I had just developed my first real campaign concept — a winter fragrance project for BOSS — and something had shifted. I wasn't just trying to complete an assignment anymore. I wanted to understand whether I was thinking about this the right way.
Barry had done the real thing. JWT. OgilvyOne. The Dove Campaign for Real Beauty. Hong Kong Disneyland. That wasn't a résumé I could ignore. He agreed to talk. What followed wasn't a lecture — it was an honest conversation about how the industry actually works.
Two things stayed with me. First: the difference between writing well and writing effectively isn't talent — it's understanding who you're writing for and why. Second: a good brief protects everyone, and learning to ask for one is a skill in itself. Both of those ideas show up in how I approach every project today.
Barry Hill · Copywriter
Who Is Barry Hill
Barry Hill is a copywriter with over a decade of experience across copy, UX and digital content. He holds a Master of Business Administration from the Ivey Business School in London, Ontario — one of Canada's most respected business schools. His career spans Toronto, Hong Kong and London, UK — with agency work at JWT Wunderman, Bates Advertising and OgilvyOne.
Dove — Campaign for Real Beauty
Print ads copy
Hong Kong Disneyland Launch
Senior Brand Writer
The Interview
Transcribed from a conversation between Barry Hill and Marco Sablich, 2019. Lightly edited for clarity.
What is it that you do? How do you work?
Start with a brief — many are vague and assume that mind-reading is a creative skill. I often work with a visual or graphics person. I use a range of techniques to brainstorm relevant, original ideas: angles and approaches that make the communication attention-getting and effective.
Then I rewrite and polish drafts relentlessly before presenting to the client — and try to defend the work against their often mysteriously uneducated objections. Come back with a better or compromised version, several times if needed.
How did you get into copywriting?
A miracle, depending on how you look at it. I started life as a very bored oil refinery technician. I quit, went to business school and ended up at Esso Hong Kong after a year in China.
When that contract ended, I started a small business, ran it for three years — no success. Then, after a long and heartfelt prayer late one night, an accounting friend at Bates called the next day. The ECD badly needed an English direct mail copywriter for a bank client and had found my old résumé. I got the job without even a portfolio.
Work was typical agency life in Hong Kong: 10 to 12 hour days, some weekends, very stressful for years. I felt constantly in over my head. I almost got fired a few times. But I worked with great mentors who took me under their wings. Eventually I worked across all media and big brands.
After four years I moved to OgilvyOne to become Senior Brand Writer for the new Hong Kong Disneyland park launch. I began writing for The Economist as well, and was honoured to be chosen by the Ogilvy Asia Regional CD to write a print ad series for the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty.
Most creative careers are not a bed of roses — and I'd say more so as you get older.
Barry's direct mail copywriting work for a banking client — one of his early Hong Kong projects.
How has your work changed in recent years?
More mobile, social and some UX. More editing and proofreading. More financial copywriting. I also found a knack for creative business journalism and storytelling through a contract writing for a large firm's intranet — their readership more than doubled in a year. I found that success genuinely satisfying.
What advice do you have for new copywriters?
Take the projects no one else wants and learn everything you can, from anywhere you can. Work hard, be eager — senior people notice that when the right time comes. That's why I was chosen for the Dove work.
Be fanatical about learning grammar and punctuation. Quality long-form writing is getting harder to find. And know how to work in very short social media formats too — both matter. Try to get a good brief. No one usually has the time, but without one, the pressure will always land on you.
Barry wrote copy for this campaign — one of the most culturally significant advertising campaigns of the last two decades.
How do you deal with demanding clients and tight deadlines?
Honestly, this is one of my weak points. I hate saying no to people in a bind, so sometimes I take on too much for the timeline and end up working overtime for no extra pay. With freelance clients, I ask for at least 50% upfront. If I lose the work, that's fine — it's better than chasing someone for payment for weeks or months.
What do you love most about the profession?
Having a client who is genuinely thrilled with the work — and knowing it was effective in the marketplace. Seeing that ad out in the world is a warm feeling.
Interviewing Barry gave me a wider and more honest picture of how the industry works — the long days, the near-misses, the years of feeling in over your head, and the discipline it takes to keep going anyway. His career — from a prayer in Hong Kong to writing copy for Dove and Disneyland — is proof that this profession rewards people who show up, do the work and keep learning.
Barry Hill · JWT Wunderman · Bates Advertising · OgilvyOne
Dove Campaign for Real Beauty · Hong Kong Disneyland
Interview conducted by Marco Sablich, 2019.
