Jack
Off
THE WORLD’S MOST MORONIC CREATIVITY CONFERENCE.
Ideas worth shredding.
About
JackOff is where people in beanies and jumpsuits come together, to explore the power of creativity. Join us for two days of drooling and hobnobbing with thought leaders, legendary legends, and people who talk with their hands.
JackOff isn’t like any other creativity conference. You get all the benefits of a conference, such as a personalised lanyard and a swag bag full of crap, with the sweaty energy of a music festival. Get inspired, get connected, and get your damn ticket!
Speakers
Mark
Kain
BRAND ACTIVIST,
HOMO SAPIEN
Mark Kain, a self-proclaimed Eco-Jedi, is dedicated to saving the planet by recycling all the crap that he sold during his illustrious advertising career. In 2015, Mark had a life changing encounter with Chief Oshkosh, a Native American mascot for a Wisconsin Beer Company. This unconscious conversation inspired a dramatic career change, and fuelled Mark’s mission to start a range of conscious brands that put the planet first. First up is Atchoo, a green brand that creates handkerchiefs from recycled nasal mucus. At JackOff, Mark will discuss how saving the earth means the world to him. To reduce his carbon footprint, Mark will use an old carousel slide projector and kindly requests that attendees refrain from exhaling CO2.
Gareth
Jones
GLOBAL CHIEF DIVERSITY OFFICER
Gareth Jones is the Global Chief Diversity Officer at TBH advertising group, where he leads its Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives, such as ‘Pronoun Bingo Nights’ and ‘Left-Handed Tennis’. Having spent the previous decade working as the in-house cleaner, Jones was promoted when it was clear that his unintelligible Welsh accent and ginger hair checked all the right boxes. At JackOff, Jones will discuss TBH’s commitment to meeting DEI quotas – and its mission to dismantle the systemic portrayal of Welsh people as downtrodden, stingy and good at singing. According to Jones: “It’s important to start the conversat-o-en, innit?”
Sandra
Stench
SCENT BRAND CONSULTANT
Sandra Stench is Global Nose at SuperSmell, the world’s largest scent branding consultancy. In a keynote entitled “What does your brand smell like?”, Sandra will sniff loudly and explain why smell is our most important sense, and how brand odours can create a memorable emotional connection with consumers. She’ll share the ubiquitous scent logo for Shelter, the homelessness charity – and the scent branding for Adidas Football, which mixes the sharp scent of freshly cut grass with the fruity fragrance of Messi’s left foot. According to Sandra: “Scent is the next frontier of the branding gold rush, and the best way to avoid rotten food and gas leaks.”
Mike
Rotch
MODEL, ACTIVIST
Mike Rotch needs no introduction, but we’ll give one anyway. He is the face of ‘Always’ men-strual pads: a trailblazing advertising campaign that celebrates male empowerment and de-constructs traditional notions of gender and sexuality, period. Furthermore, he is also the author of The Tortoise Eunuch, an all-ages fable based on his journey of self-discovery as a misogynistic poetry-loving sigma male. At JackOff, Mike will explain how he makes gains at the gym and in cryptocurrency simultaneously – and why masculinity is essential for lifting pianos and the continuation of the human race. Mike’s talk will be streamed live on TikTok, by his boyfriend. #JackOff2Rotch
Jenny
Swift
CHIEF AMAZEMENT OFFICER
Jenny Swift cut her teeth as Account Director at K-Y when she slipped in the stunning reception area. Today she is Chief Amazement Officer of AnalogDigital, a social first creative agency that pushes boundaries, creates culture and is disruptive, whatever that means. On JackOff’s Main Stage, Jenny will share some of the pants-on-head crazy ideas that her team of creatives, in oversized knitted sweaters, manage to sell to the world’s most gullible companies. She’ll talk about the multi-award winning ‘Black Pints Matter’ campaign, a collaboration with Guinness, where white-beer drinkers could turn their beer into a virtual pint of Guinness using an Instagram filter. With this initiative Guinness gave anyone on social the opportunity to share the Black Stuff and contribute towards a sense of belonging.
Surprise
Speaker
–
We will soon be announcing our final Keynote Speaker. Expect someone who ticks all the woke boxes and won’t cost an arm and a leg.
Alex
Smith
CHIEF VIRTUOSO SIGNALLER
Alex Smith is head honcho at boutique advertising agency Snowflake, and the most talented art director in Amsterdam. If you don’t believe us, just ask him. He is often described as brave, purposeful and the bloke with the woolly hat. In 2021, Alex co-founded #ChanceForAll, an inclusive platform dedicated to supporting indigenous creatives who, like him, are overlooked at international award shows such as D&AD and Cannes. According to Alex: “We aspire for an award show that is truly diverse in quality and accessible to all. We want everyone, regardless of talent or ability, to win a golden gong.” On the JackOff stage, Alex will talk about his support for the current thing, and his selfless dedication to updating his social profile picture.
Lee
Why
TRENDY TREND FORECASTER
Lee Why is a globally renowned trend forecaster and a highly successful nun impersonator. Fashion trends and weather predictions are eagerly awaited by followers all over the world. Why’s pioneering book ‘Green is the New Black’ was met with acclaim from Leprechauns, and kick-started her campaigns for other monochromatic minority groups such as the Oompa-Loompas and the Double Denim tribe. On the Main Stage, Lee Why will enlighten us with her thoughts on the WEF’s 2030 Vision that will force everyone to live in 50 shades of Greige. She proposes to whitewash these plans with Digital Lavender, a medium-purple that supposedly evokes feelings of calmness and serenity.
Dan
David
GCCO, DREAM ALCHEMIST
Dan David is the Galactic Chief Creative Officer for XY&Z which is the most talked about and awarded agency in the universe, with a run of game-changing campaigns such as Cannes Grand Prix winning ‘#NoVax’. Dan penned the slogan ‘Believe in something, even if it means losing everything.’ after admiring Novak Djokovic’s brave stance on the so-called Covid vaccine. According to Dan “Just like me, Djokovic is a serial winner and one of the most inspirational people of all time. One day both of us will be compared to athletes like Muhammad Ali, Tommie Smith and Bono in using their profile to draw attention to wider social issues.” Taking centre stage, as always, Dan will share the stories that inspired the award-winning work that he had nothing to do with creating. One thing is for certain: Dan already came up with the idea.
Ego
Moore
THOUGHT LEADER, PARADIGM BREAKER
Everything Ego Moore touches, turns into gold. After years of marketing some of the world’s biggest brands, it was time to start his own. Today, Ego Moore© is a powerhouse storyteller on the international speaker circuit and the leading user of marketing buzzwords. At the end of the day (or 17:30 to be precise), Ego will touch base offline, open the kimono and give 150 percent as he deep dives into Synergy, Edutainment and Omni-engagement. He’ll share some low-hanging fruit, along with out-of-the-box ideas for Amazon and blue sky thinking for KLM. So get your ducks in a row, leverage the opportunity and prepare to win-win from a game changer and true disruptor. Are you with us?
Russell
Gilbert
YOGI
Russell Gilbert used to be homeless, but was mistaken for someone else and is now one of London’s most famous yogis. He infuses his gravity-defying classes with yogic knowledge, banging beats and slurring. It’s no wonder Russell counts Gwyneth Paltrow and Helen Parr, aka Elastigirl, amongst his celebrity fans. In JackOff’s breakout room, Russell will invite attendees to let go of their lanyards, and participate in a group chair yoga and meditation session. On the path of self-discovery, he’ll clarify how whiskey influences creativity, rekindle your talent for swear words and make you feel like a zen inspired human pretzel. Ohmmmmmmmmm.
Stefan
Carson
DESIGNER EXTRAORDINAIRE, INTERNATIONAL SPEAKER
Stefan Carson is officially the world’s most famous graphic designer. He’s a typographic anarchist, an align-right wing extremist and a justified Comic-Sans type of guy. His stellar speeches bring listeners on a captivating tour of his lifetime achievements, which include using dingbats for body copy, cutting off his own fingers for a poster design and creating the typeface ‘Semen Sans’ for New York’s Natural History Museum. At JackOff, Stefan will share his five tips for happiness and explain how he always takes life with a grain of salt. Plus, a slice of lemon, and a shot of tequila. Known also for his west-coast German accent and talent for looking sideways, Stefan uses graphic gestures, pseudo-philosophy and home videos he found at flea markets to make his points. His talk on the Main Stage promises to be über-awesome and mega-epic, all at the same time.
“JackOff consistently delivers...
the best personalised lanyards and
swag bags full of crap.”
Séan Thorsten, Wonderperson Thompchild
Partners
JackOff creativity conference would not be possible without the generous contributions given by our partners – and an army of interns who work for free (but get valuable work experience and complimentary JackOff t-shirts).
Venue
DE GROTE KOMEDIE, AMSTERDAM
JackOff is located in the impressive De Grote Komedie, a theatre famous for its old-fashioned ambience and cheesy cabaret shows. We’re looking forward to turning the spotlight on our star-studded list of speakers, as you sit back, yawn and dose off in one of the 1,800 retractable seats.
* All our speakers will stay in an Amsterdam Hotel with a bed and an iron in each room, and windows that offer stunning views of the A10 ring road.