Jungle Music has chosen musician, producer, writer, cook and all-round guy Matt Zimbel to join the company as producer.

Leader of world-beat band Manteca, senior producer for MuchMusic’s political coverage, and an independent record producer, Zimbel steps into the Jungle following the departure of bbdo-bound cofounder Roger Harris.

Zimbel has worked with Jungle partner Doug Wilde since 1978, when Zimbel produced an album of Wilde’s. Zimbel has since music-directed three Gemini Awards shows and has written and hosted CBC Radio programs.

Youngsters Cannes do

Good parties, great advertising and even better questions marked the 43rd International Advertising Festival in Cannes from June 24-29.

From most accounts the yearly fest on the Cote d’Azur was a smashing success in terms of quality of work, food, night life and as an all-round ad-stravaganza.

While the broadcast Lion won’t sleep on any Canadian mantles tonight, a handful of Canadian spots did make it to the important short-list stage. Radke Films’ Bessie-winning Pizza Pops campaign through Leo Burnett; Heathgate Films’ Reactine ‘Annoy’ spot through Toronto’s Taxi; Jolly Roger’s Pontiac Sunfire ‘Duel’ through MacLaren McCann; Radke’s Chrysler Jeep ‘Picnic’ through bbdo; and comm.bat films’ ‘Lady Coin’ for Toronto Dominion Bank through tbwa/Chiat Day all made the cut to the short-list level.

The big winner in tv was Ammirati Puris Lintas of the Netherlands, which won the Grand Prix for its ‘Elephant’ spot for Rolos. The spot, which features the last Rolo, an annoying kid, an unforgetful elephant and a tale of well-chilled revenge, drew guffaws at the unspooling of the International Reel at this year’s Bessies and earned unofficial kudos as well as the big nod at Cannes.

‘Elephant,’ together with the Rolos ‘Cinema’ spot, also took Gold Lions in the Confectionery and Snacks category.

The coveted Journalist Award went to Amsterdam agency Wieden and Kennedy’s ‘Good vs Evil’ spot for Nike, while Saatchi & Saatchi u.k. took the Agency of the Year award, scoring 16 Lions.

Canada did come away with four Gold Lions in the press and poster categories, with Panasonic, the Royal Ontario Museum and Maple Leaf Meats ads from Roche Macaulay & Partners and an ad for Keen Music from Guerrilla tv taking the honors.

Canadian delegates and sundry attendees report a high level of satisfaction with the quality of work and the merits of the winners – with a few exceptions – and, not generally a shy bunch, the audience supplied catcalls and whistles of approval in equal measure. MacLaren McCann vp Marta Cutler says the judges seemed to emphasize execution in handing out prizes.

While the trip to Cannes with all the fixin’s is a pricey undertaking, Avion executive producer Michael Schwartz says the event is a worthwhile endeavor, allowing genuine interaction with clients and a chance to boost Canada’s profile in the ad universe.

It’s also a means of showing a level of respect for what clients do for a living, he says, going beyond acting strictly as a ‘film company’ and displaying an active interest in advertising.

Another couple of bright spots were provided by bcp Montreal copywriter Mike Leger and Taxi art director Jacqueline Zegray, who tugged ferociously at their respective boot straps to get themselves to the Cannes Young Creatives Competition and ended up winning the whole enchilada.

Upon hearing that no Canadian team would be sent to the competition, which recognizes creatives in the under-28 age bracket, Leger says he approached Canadian festival representative Marci Davies from Cineplex Odeon and appropriate authorities in Cannes and London for the go-ahead to enter.

With the graces of a helpful group of sponsors, Leger says, ‘a week later we were sitting there crunching on a problem and coming out on top.’

The competition hinged on creating a print ad for the World Wildlife Fund endangered seas campaign, based on a brief delivered by the wwf and Ogilvy & Mather, London. The duo’s award-winning idea was based on a menu, with the words ‘Order Carefully’ embossed on a Naugahyde background on the left; on the right are menu selections and accompanying descriptions of the environmental costs of each.

Leger says the Cannes experience is valuable for everyone, particularly the young and unsullied, and the exposure to a wealth of world-beating creative helps an artiste to keep a handle on the concept of quality work.

Leger also helped prick up some ears at one of the festival’s seminars. To diffuse some tension, and because he wanted to know, Leger asked some of the biggest guns in the ad world how one keeps from becoming a hack. After an uneasy pause, one of said guns deemed it the best question he had heard in untold years of seminars and the panel proceeded with answers in earnest.

For the benefit of those for whom the point isn’t already moot, responses included: be honest; keep up to speed; read a lot; be prepared to walk away; and hacks are born, not made.

Sound wins

In other sound and awards news, Vancouver’s KOKO Productions/ 8th Avenue Sound Studios recently landed a couple of prizes for sound design.

koko received a gold trophy for best use of sound in the radio category at the International Broadcasting Awards in Hollywood. The winning work was done for Moreland & Associates’ Dinosaur World Tour spot.

Last call for top trax

Playback’s upcoming Music and Sound Special Report is plotting a top 10-esque list of spot trax and their traxsters, and we need your discriminating selections a.s.a.p. All you have to do is pick three recent spots whose music/sound were exceptional, jot them down, and identify yourself and the spot (to the best of your abilities).

Phone (416) 408-2300 or fax (416) 408-0870 your picks to Cheryl Binning by July 17; or e-mail your vote to: maddever@brunico.com