Green Apples & Armagnac©

About the Book

World War II left Britain a spent force; a graveyard for youthful ambitions. But soon the world would tune into the plucky British spirit that began to drive youth in the early 1960s, in particular the young from the other side of the tracks.

With lightning speed, this catalyst for change struck a note in the hard towns of the north like Liverpool, Glasgow and Manchester. The Beatles, Stones, Mary Quant, Vidal Sassoon started an uprising that detonated an explosion heard around the world.

In Canada, undernourished souls were also searching for an escalator to change, to rise above the shadows in smoke-laden industrial towns. Andrew Cosway, from the north end of "steeltown" Hamilton, Ontario was enticed by the music of the Beatles to venture to London. His journey presented challenges running the gamut from prejudice, corporate corruption, ineptitude, and increasing creative demands until he finally realized success and the good life.

Along the way, he sips wine with some soon to be spectacular success stories including the film world's Alan Parker, Ridley Scott, Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, and familiar film stars including Roger Moore, Alec Guinness and Richard Lester, the mad director of A Hard Day's Night and with established icons such as Princess Grace of Monaco. On this hedonistic ride, doors were flung wide open as class distinction was pummeled into graveyard dust.

Green Apples & Armagnac© will encourage the talented who are driven by a stubborn desire to succeed. ItÕs a fascinating tale told through the eyes of a Canadian innocent, smack in the middle of the worldÕs greatest cultural revolution.

About the Author

Andrew is a 40-year veteran of the worldwide advertising business. He began his career in Canada as a writer with MacLaren McCann Advertising and Goodis Goldberg Soren. He moved to Nigeria with the SSC&B Lintas Group, a company he stayed with for almost 20 years. While in Nigeria he stumbled into the Biafran War where his advertising career notched up from Creative Director to Managing Director in 12 months. From Africa he returned to London, England where he stayed for 13 years, from London he was transferred to Paris, Brussels and finally the South Pacific in Australia and New Zealand. His prime contribution was creative and planning.

Andrew was a pioneer Canadian as one of the first International Creative Directors. His award chest includes Cannes, Hollywood Radio and TV, Marketing Awards, NY Radio and TV, Bessies, Clio's, Campaign Awards UK, and scores of other award shows worldwide. In Andrew's view "awards donÕt mean a thing, its market results that matter, plain and simple".

He founded Campaign House 12 years ago, and while other agencies have merged, gone out of business or sold, Andrew's group had slowly emerged as the Canadian nucleus of a worldwide cluster of "boutique" agencies called the World1 group. A massive achievement running against all odds in a savagely competitive industry dominated by powerful global groups.

Andrew was also the first Canadian to be recognized by David Ogilvy in his second book, Ogilvy on Advertising.

He is now retired and is a published author living in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada.