Brendan Seery has been in the news business for most of his life, covering coups, wars, famines - and some funny stories - across Africa; getting detained, sworn at and shot at, not to mention having three ribs broken by irate right-wingers in the Free State.

This has all prepared him rather well for dealing with the enormous egos and dangerous arrogance, which riddles the ad and marketing business.

But it does not blind him to the fact that, in among the profoundly dim and professionally lazy within the industry, there are still amazing and amusing people and a deep well of creative talent, which should be a South African national treasure.