TONY PLETTS

CAREER HISTORY
EINSTEIN’S OCTOPUS LTD (established 1986)

Founder, managing director and sole proprietor of Einstein’s Octopus Ltd, a multi-media design company specialising in art direction, models, set building and special effects for commercials, promos and television. Turn over per annum approximately £400,000. Basic team consists of a handful of art directors and associates whom I have worked with closely for over ten years and dozens of specialist freelancers. Commissions include:

OVER 150 PROMOS INCLUDING
U2, Simply Red, Elton John, Bjork, Enya, Elvis Costello, Massive Attack, The Cure, Cher, Suggs, M-People, Seal, Paul Weller, Westlife, Ian Brown, 50 Cent.

OVER 150 COMMERCIALS INCLUDING
BMW, Fuji, Access, United Airlines, Tescos, BT, Nissan, McEwans, Sony, Opal, Persil, Kellogs, Birdseye, Cellnet, NYNEX, Reebok, Nat West, Yellow Pages.

OVER 50 STILLS CAMPAIGNS INCLUDING
Prada, Miu Miu & Sportswear campaigns 99-01, Gucci, Alexander McQueen, AA, Rover, Reebok, Nintendo, Adidas, British Airways, Evian, Mitsubishi, Louis Vuitton.

Full company DVD showreel is available on request. Since 2003 we have been undertaking virtually monthly commissions from Sky for title sequences and commercials. Einstein’s has also been active in exhibitions and publicity stunts. In 2000 we designed and built a huge environment for Nintendo at the Dome, attracting 13,000 visitors on the day and in 2004 we designed the space for Hewlett & Packard’s ‘HP’ exhibition in Brick Lane.

Full company details can be seen at www.einsteinsoctopus.co.uk

As well as conducting all the company’s business affairs I am a fully qualified and experienced art director & project manager in my own right. I am still very ‘hands on’. My knowledge concerning how to make, style and price any imaginable 3D scenario is extremely comprehensive.

Business Boasts: Excellent management, communication & people skills – Respected diplomat & negotiator - Concise decision maker, even in harsh circumstances – Very competent at handling substantial budgets – Hugely experienced with pressure and tight deadlines.

Computer skills: Quickbooks, Photoshop, Final Cut Pro, simple Dreamweaver, Excel, Word.

TRAVELLING

Travelling has consumed much of my soul. At the last count I had visited over 50 countries. I always try to devote at least three weeks of the year to being on the road, travelling on a basic minimum. My particular interest is finding common bonds with pariah states (a passion that developed after spending much of 1984 in Russia & China), in the last decade I have spent prolonged periods in Iran, Yemen & North Korea.

WRITING

2000 – Winner - Time Out travel writing competition (story of prison life in Bolivia).
I have had articles, reviews and features published in The Mail on Sunday, Design, Time Out, China Now, Wave Magazine, Design Week, Independent on Sunday, Traveller and The Observer. Full folio available on request.
‘The Partygoer’s Guide to Iran’ & ‘Yeahman’, extensive journals concerned with Middle Eastern dance culture, are looking for a publisher.
I also write & photographically illustrate children’s teddy bear murder mysteries – The Ted Files. This project is currently being represented by ‘Form Talent’ agency.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Photographic work represented on the web at Alamy photo library.
2004 – Shortlist – Calumet international Photographic competition. Work featuring ‘Burning Man’ festival published in commemorative high profile book.
2002 – Runner up – Geographical / Royal Photographic Society competition (Oman).
2001 - Winner - Traveller Magazine competition (Peru).
2001 - Runner up - Sunday Telegraph / Insight Guides competition (Kumbh Mela, India).
2000 - Runner up - Sunday Telegraph / Insight Guides competition (Bhutan).
2000 - Runner up - Geographical / Royal Photographic Society competition (India).
I have had travel photography exhibitions at Sevenoaks Arts Club in 1988 and a retrospective at The Bloomsbury Theatre in 1996.
Numerous images published in books and magazines – full folio available on request.

BROADCAST

Presenter & writer of two half hour travel features on North Korea - ‘The Great Leader, the Dear Leader and the tour leader’ - commissioned by BBC Radio 4 – recorded on location October 2004, broadcast February 2005 – producer Sara Jane Hall. Nominated for a SONY January 2006.
Pick of the day with excellent reviews in FT, Independent, Guardian, Times, Telegraph, Observer, Mail & Time Out. Top item, ‘Pick of the Week’ BBC radio 4.
Ten minute live feature on the hardships of travelling in Africa for Mark Thomas and ‘The Mix’, BBC Radio 5, 1990.
Five minute feature on political repression in Tibet, also for The Mix, 1991.
Chief prankster and general agitator for Mark Thomas on ‘The Mark Thomas Comedy Product’, Lawless Films 1996 & Vera Productions 1998.

FILM

Since 2001 I have been shooting, directing & editing personal films. ‘Perfect Home’ is an hour-long documentary about an underground music festival in Norfolk. ‘Return to Oz’ & ‘From Karmi to Kolkata’ are personal hour-long travel features. All titles available on request.

TEACHING

2002 - 2006 – Lecturer at The Guildford Institute, Surrey University, on ‘Unusual spiritual festivals’, ‘Travelling in The Axis of Evil’ & 'Celebrating Burning Man'.
1986 – 1988 Lecturer for one day per week in ‘Complementary Studies’ (a broad look at the arts) at West Sussex College of Art and Design.
Guest lecturer at; Swire School of Design, Hong Kong & Fudan University, Shanghai, China.

FREELANCE 1982-1986

Maverick designer, writer and performer, regularly employed by two of London’s top industrial design studios, BIB & Pentagram. Co-Founded ‘Placebo Productions’, a theatrical company which toured shows about London.

EDUCATION

1971-1979 Christ’s Hospital - 6 O’s & 3 A’s.
1979-1982 West Sussex College of Design. - B-Tech diploma in Industrial Design.

PASSIONS

Consuming the contemporary arts scene at an unhealthy rate (encyclopaedic knowledge of cinema, theatre and contemporary music), dancing until the sun comes up and last, but by no means least, family life & parenthood.