AUCKLAND, Today: FCB NZ copywriter Josh Thompson’s celebrated clown stunt is receiving global media attention following the big NZ Herald reveal on Saturday.
The story spread quickly after the Auckland agency told Thompson (an Australian, who’s also worked at Saatchi NZ) he was a candidate for redundancy. He was permitted to take a support person to the redundancy meeting.
His support person, as we now all know, was … a clown. In full clown uniform (polyjester?). And the adman sent the newspaper a photo of the meeting taking place.
The clown played with balloons animals and “wept” during the meeting as Thompson was given his marching orders.
The Sun in the UK called Thompson a “cheeky advertising exec”, while the New York Post said “a support dog just wasn’t going to cut it”.
New York Times reporter Liam Stack shared the news on Twitter, with the line “meanwhile in New Zealand … “.
His story also ended up in The Telegraph, the BBC, and Time magazine. Washington Post’s David J Lynch noted: “If I’m taking a ‘clown’ to a meeting where I’m getting fired, it’s gonna be Pennywise.”
NZ’s Sunday Star-Times even featured the news in its Page 2 Quiz.
USA Today said Thompson made sure he “had the last laugh” at the meeting, while DNA India labelled it “a bizarre but innovative move”.
Others shared their thoughts on social media. Boston writer Tanya Edwards tweeted: “A hero walks among us”.
“His soon-to-be ex-bosses saw the humorous side of his bizarre stunt. They took it well.”
Another tweeted: “Meanwhile, the firm was so impressed, the clown starts on Monday.”
The jokester at the centre of the meeting was Auckland actor and freelance videographer Joseph Brosnahan (26), who works as a clown for hire, mainly at children’s parties.
Brosnahan said the adman met him outside FCB on Tuesday 20 August. Thompson let him into the building where he changed into the costume in a bathroom before entering the meeting.
There was no pre-planning before the meeting and Brosnahan said that despite his presence, the employers kept straight faces. And Thompson says his soon-to-be ex-bosses saw the “humorous side” of his bizarre choice of support person.
“The employers didn’t seem to have much of a reaction, to be honest,” he told the Herald. They were like ‘oh you’ve brought a clown with ya, ok’. But then it just carried on.
“There’s not much to it really. I thought it’d be funny, so I did it. They took it well.”
Brosnahan said: “I was trying to make sure that whatever I did was, maybe be funny, but don’t do anything offensive.”
Brosnahan has also worked on several indie Kiwi films and TV shows as an actor and stage crew — including on TV show Westside (he played an extra).
Johnson has since returned to Australia, and secured a new job with DDB – he starts in the role today.
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