By Darren Gilbert Which advertising award would you most like to win? A Loerie would probably be right up there, along with an Eagle or even an Ad of the Year Award – that’s if you’re thinking local. Perhaps your mind flew straight overseas, with a Cannes Lion or a Clio Award among your top choices. Now, can you name someone who has won at least one of each of these awards? Maybe you can. But now tell me: how long did it take them to do it? For some, it might take a whole career to achieve, depending on their skill, the people around them or the agency for which they work. For others, such as Kenneth van Reenen and Sophia Strydom, it happens within their first few years: You know what they say about winning – it becomes a habit, and for these two creatives in particular, it seems almost second nature. Since starting out in the industry, they have racked up a combined total of 54 awards. Add to this that Van Reenen – a copywriter at MetropolitanRepublic – won a Cannes Grand Prix at the age of just 21 (I’ll let that sink in) and Joe Public graphic designer, Strydom, has only been in the industry since 2010 and you can’t be anything but impressed. Some people manage to hog all the talent, don’t they? And don’t expect the awards to stop, either. Last year, at the tender age of 24 (and already award veterans, if I may be so bold), they added a coveted Young Creatives Loerie Award to their stack. You have to wonder; what is their secret? It’s a question that leaves Strydom laughing – as far as she’s concerned, there really isn’t any big secret. “I believe if you put your love and passion into every piece of work every day, success is bound to follow.” It’s a sentiment Van Reenen wholeheartedly agrees with. “In other industries, you can get away with just ‘doing your job’, but in advertising, the amount of effort put in really shows.” COUP●DECEMBER●2011●36