PlayHugeLottos Winners Interview: Taras Pratsocytyy, Kevin Baldwin & Kevin Lucas

Its not often that we have more than one winner of a Bounty and even more rare to have three Ideas picked up. But thats exactly what has happened with PlayHugeLottos who have just awarded three Bountys off the back of their brief last year. The quality of submissions we received was phenomenal which meant sorting through them was quite a task. So those of you who make it into the top lists well done, it was no small feat!. So without any more waffling I would like to congratulate Taras Pratsocytyy ($3,000) Kevin Baldwin ($1,500 and his third Bounty!) and Kevin Lucas ($1,500) on their win,  really nicely done guys! 

A big congratulation must also go out to the creatives who produced the top 9 shortlisted Ideas. You have all managed to pick up either a Silver or Bonze Award. Check out our PlayHugeLottos runners up list for more on these Awards! We also have an great little interview with our winners below Jaco below. Congratulations again guys! 

Taras Pratsovytyy 

I have to begin with asking you exactly what was going through your head when I called you with the news... 

Well, frankly saying, it was very close to guy in the spot, unless I didn’t fall. When I read an e-mail about “some news” you wanted to talk about by phone, I just couldn’t believe, it was like “NO WAY…” But when I heard your congratulations, I thought, that it was really great idea to take part in this challenge. And then I wiped my tears off the face.

So how did you stumble across Idea Bounty and what made you decided to submit and idea or did the PlayHugeLottos brief spark a fire in you that you couldn't ignore?

I need to say big thanks to my friend Stas, he always throws some interesting challenges to me but most of them somehow get to nowhere. And then it just flashed in mind “SHOULD DO THIS ONE!”. And here we are.

We assume that you have no problem with Crowdsourcing, (since you submitted and idea) what do you think it will take before the idea of mass collaboration will become standard thought for big brands?

Yeah! I think it’s one of results of what we call global village. When you just post your “Hey, guys, where can I buy green shoes with yellow stripes?” and receive about twenty answers, thought 15 make no sense, but few look quite helpful. Why brands can’t work that way? Brands try to look more and more like humans, they love to use terms “brand personality”, “tone of voice”… Why don’t they act like personality? Finally – this is not something strange I think. Everybody knows what is brainstorming, in this case it’s a HUGE brainstorming,

where author of good idea gets paid.

Any plans for the Bounty you just picked up?

I’m gonna celebrate it. And after that I’ll see how much money will stay in my pocket… Frankly, I still don’t know, it was like a bolt from the blue, so…

What was your process for tackling the brief and what do you think gave you the advantage?

Some copywriting experience helped me to catch some ways in… But from the start I though, that idea with chair was flat, poor simple and etc. But then I just felt it. Advantage? I love shooting, I love working with actors (by the way, that guy is professional actor), so maybe these skills brought idea to life, it’s very important to find proper way to show the idea, maybe even a half of deal.

Kevin Baldwin 

I have to begin with asking you exactly what was going through your head when I called you with the news, this being the third Bounty you have collected!

Initially, ‘woo-hoo!’ – swiftly followed by the thought that a large number of people are likely to loathe me for winning again.

Any plans for the Bounty you just picked up?

Well, the microwave died last week – typically, about 30 seconds after the warranty expired – so I’ll get that replaced.  And we’re going to Disneyland Paris later this year; if previous experience is anything to go by, Mickey and his mates will do an efficient job of hoovering the rest of the money out of my pockets while we’re there.

So you have made quite a habit of doing very well with the briefs on Idea Bounty and I think you have submitted an idea for almost every brief we have hosted - do you think that’s part of your secret, taking on every brief that comes your way?  

It certainly helps; it’s pretty difficult to win a Bounty if you don’t submit anything.  I don’t put any pressure on myself to enter every time, though; if an idea comes, it comes, but if it doesn’t, it doesn’t matter.

How long did you spend on your idea? Was it a long process of thinking or was it just one of those light bulb moments?

As before, I didn’t sit down and concentrate on the brief at any point.  I read it, let it sink in and waited to see if an idea popped up.  It took about a couple of weeks, I think.

If you had to become the lead creative for any brand in the world which one would it be and why? 

That sounds worryingly like a position of responsibility, to which I am completely unsuited temperamentally.  But working on the Guardian and Observer newspapers would be a challenge in terms of doing justice to the intelligence and values that characterise them.

Kevin Lucas

I have to begin with asking you exactly what was going through your head when I called you with the news... 

I thought: ‘Idea Bounty? Cool!!! I wonder why they’re calling? Surely not to tell me I haven’t won?’ ;-)

So how did you stumble across Idea Bounty and what made you decided to submit an idea, or did the PlayHugeLottos brief spark a fire in you that you couldn't ignore?

I had been talking to a friend about the flailing advertising agency model, and lamenting the way in which creativity is so often diluted before it ever sees the light of day. She suggested I check out Idea Bounty, and use the opportunity to submit my ideas in all their unadulterated glory. I’m really glad she did!

We assume that you have no problem with Crowdsourcing, (since you submitted an idea). What do you think it will take before the idea of mass collaboration will become standard thought for big brands?

Crowdsourcing is a very powerful concept. In its most evolved form it could very well be the answer to many of humankind’s problems. 

All that’s needed for crowdsourcing to take off is time. Its effectiveness will, inevitably, reach terminal velocity, but human beings are creative creatures at heart, and will always be looking for new ways to express themselves. Crowd sourcing offers them this platform. The only problem is the time it takes to separate the wheat from the chaff. 

So you’re a copywriter by training, but now work in video production. What made you make the switch?

A career in advertising seemed like a ‘good idea’ at the time. I have always enjoyed lateral thinking and conceptualization and imagined that in the role of copywriter I’d have real opportunities to turn my ideas into reality. But, after years of battling agency egos and risk averse marketers I found it harder and harder to enjoy the creative process. 

I now work as a producer for a production company, which is ironically situated in one of the bigger London agency offices. Prior to this I was assisting a celebrity/fashion photographer, all in my pursuit of new avenues for expressing my creative bent. 

Any plans for the Bounty you just picked up?

I’m gonna buy a few lottery tickets. 

What was your process for tackling the brief and what do you think gave you the advantage?

It’s quite hard to distill into words what the process actually is. I usually just let myself ‘absorb’ the brief. Then I try and blank my mind and let the ideas form out of the mist. Sounds a bit esoteric, but it works. In this particular instance I went a step further and consciously ignored some of the guidance notes in the brief. Intuitively, they just didn’t feel right. (I hasten to add though that the briefs on Idea Bounty are always refreshingly thorough!)

How long did you spend on your idea? Was it a long process of thinking or was it just one of those light bulb moments?

I had the idea on the Thursday, recorded footage on the way to work on Friday, edited it and created the music on Sunday and submitted it three hours before the deadline. In this instance it was more of a light bulb moment, but it varies from brief to brief. Sometimes you wonder if you’ll ever crack it.

If you had to become the lead creative for any brand in the world which one would it be and why? 

Great question! The reality is, any brand can be great. All it needs is a team who have the guts to make it stand out. Too many brands are happiest when they don’t (stand out).  But if I had to choose, it would have to be an airline or sports car brand. British Airways (because I think they could do with some serious help) and Lamborghini (‘cause their cars look so cool in black)