Needle And Camera: The Eclectic Life Of Saatchi & Saatchi's Peniel Gebreselassie And Eleanor Weitzer

It only takes one look at the creative credentials of the Ethiopian and Geordie duo to highlight why they were selected to help bolster Saatchi & Saatchi's dynamic creative team  - particularly notable from their time at McCann is the viral “cheeky controller” which marked the release of ‘Deadpool and Wolverine’ for Xbox.

With a background in fashion - Gebreselassie has worked at Paul Smith, Ahluwalia, and Brøgger agencies and been featured in Stylist and Elements magazines. Meanwhile, Weitzer has a keen eye for photography and has worked as an editorial photographer and assisted the studio team at Cosmopolitan in the past.

From The Polyester Podcast, to deadlifts and Noah Davis, from London to Ethiopia and Newcastle - El and Pen share where they turn to light up their creative eye.

El

The Polyester Podcast and Underground Music

As always, I am loving The Polyester Podcast. The lasses dissect culture through an intersectional lens. Absolutely love what they do.

There’s also the newly launched Radge Magazine based in the North East - looking forward to seeing where they take it.

I take inspiration from the likes of Gabriel Day and Man Power, who have developed a thriving underground music scene in the North East, continue to inspire me from across the country. They are absolute legends.

Laughs and books

When I was a photographer, I met someone who worked at an agency in San Francisco. They told me what a copywriter did, and it sounded super made up. I think I laughed at them… Sorry about that.

I have made reading my whole personality recently (eye roll) , I know. It makes my brain feel good. I like reading a couple of titles at once. recently, I have read ‘Carol’, which has been haunting, and I have just finished 'Anna Karenina', which was also haunting… wait, maybe there is a theme here?

Coffee, Deadlifts (and work)

Our day is as follows: Coffee, deadlifts at the gym, coffee, work, talk to Pen about deadlifts (if Franki [Goodwin] is reading this, we also talk about work). Then more coffee, outside time, work, and then stand outside to remind myself that I'm human. More work.

Diversity, change and tech savvy

We talk about seeing ‘real people’ in ads a lot - I reckon that only comes from having diverse voices across an agency. We are lucky at Saatchi & Saatchi to have colleagues from a variety of backgrounds. I’m looking forward to creating culturally rich work with them. 

In the past I had to beg creative directors to download TikTok so they could review my TikTok work… and they didn’t. I don’t know what else to say. That was a pretty wild experience as a newbie to the industry a few years back. 

Pen

My experience in fashion, and interning at McCann

 Working in fashion, advertising was always intrinsic to launching campaigns, but I only understood how broad advertising can be when I started interning under Jack Stoten and Connor Wynn who took me under their wing - shout out to those absolute legends.

Noah Davis and Chrstina Kimeze

Most recently, The Noah Davis retrospective at the Barbican had a profound impact on me. His work captures the magic of everyday life with remarkable depth. Learning about the Underground Museum, which he and his wife founded in LA, made his achievements even more inspiring, especially knowing he sadly passed away at just 32.

I also recently went to Christina Kimeze’s exhibit ‘Between Wood and Wheel’ at South London Gallery. The pieces are full of vibrancy with a subtle haunting quality. Depending on how long I looked at each piece my perception would change as if the work had an interactive quality.

'Amén The Missing Tapes', Amain Berhana

The more I read, watch, and experience, the richer my ideas and references become.

Lately I’ve had Berhana’s new album on repeat - 'Amén' (The missing Tapes). It was a treat to see him perform it live in London.

Deadlifts and a supportive team

Basically what El said about deadlifts but also the people. We’ve had the privilege of working with some truly generous and encouraging individuals. I’m grateful to have met people who aren’t just excellent in their creative work, but also in their treatment of the people and teams around them.  

Gen AI

I recently gave a senior a brief show and tell on how to use a generative AI tool in photoshop - I love moments like that. AI is wild these days.