About Ken

SEARCHING FOR FORM

Born of Irish lineage in Scotland late one August in the fog, Ken Mullen has been searching for well-defined form and substance most of his subsequent waking days. After a childhood prolonged by many years in boarding institutions, Mullen finally found himself at Oxford, in those halcyon days when students were still ‘paid by the Government to read books’.

Armed with two highly inappropriate English degrees, he then, for no quantifiable reason, embarked on a career as a copywriter. After thirty-odd years chipping manfully away at the advertising coal-face, he finally fell back exhausted, straight into the arms of his first love, letters, wherein he has languished, quietly undetermined, ever since.

KEN’S BACKGROUND

Animal Verses Human constitutes the first signs of continuing life. But, in all his years as a copywriter (32!), Mullen harboured a secret. He was also a singer / songwriter. Kenneth Mullen in Irish is Kinnaid O’Meaillain and Kinnaid has chosen to recognize his connection to Donegal. Kinnaid’s grandfather, Hugh Gallagher, finding no work in Letterkenny, his home town, left Donegal when he was 18 to work in the coalmines just outside Glasgow.

LOVE FOR MUSIC

Kinnaid’s grandmother (a Doyle) was a very good opera singer and was persuaded to leave her contract in New York to get married to Hugh Gallagher. Needless to say, it was Hugh who did the persuading, going off to the States for the express purpose of bringing her back.

And this gives you a picture of Katherine, their first child and Kinnaid’s mother, the “Darling Ma” of one of Kinnaid’s finest songs. There are currently 52 songs in the Kinnaid songbook. Most of his earlier songs are sad songs and feature on his first album, Songs of Mullencholy.

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Kinnaid has spent years persuading his audience that Johnny Cash didn’t die but emigrated incognito to Kentish Town. His second album Kentish Town & Country provides some ammunition for conspiracy theorists who believe the story might just be true, particularly if you listen to The Path of Love and I Feel A Sentence Coming which re-routes Cash’s classic Folsom Prison Blues. Kinnaid’s third album, Songs In The K Of Life, are all one-offs and indicate Kinnaid’s highly original take on life as he has known it.

ACHIEVEMENTS

1979 Penguin Book of Modern Quotations

Five entries for The Times posters:
No pomp. Just the circumstances.
Even if it’s grim, we’ll bare it.
Prose without the con.
Our readers are blessed with fine features.
Our sages know their onions.

Gold Award From Broadcast Magazine for Times Radio ad

Ken’s radio ad for the Times was accepted in 1972 by the D & AD gong committee to go into that year’s Annual.

Punch Magazine Silver Award

A Punch magazine Award for Humour In Advertising for Ken’s work for Alka-Seltzer.

Gold Lion at Cannes for Alka-Seltzer

Hungover salesman performs the Zorba the Greek dance on the table during a sales conference.

Gold Lion at Cannes for the Electricity Council

What would we do without electricity?

A floodlit football match played in the dark shows how indispensable electricity is.

American Art Directors’ Annual (1974 & 1975)

Posters for The Times and for Cadbury’s Bournville chocolate go down big with the American juries.

Three D & AD Silver Awards

Ken is particularly proud of his work for Hirondelle Wine, WFLA (for the Milk Marketing Board) and, above all, for the SFAS (Solid Fuel Advisory Service), which won for copy.

More Achievements
Clio Gold Lion in New York - TV Ad

Clio Gold Lion in New York – TV Ad for “Have you ever thought what floodlit football would be like without the floodlights?” ”Can’t see ‘em winning this one, can you?”

D & AD entry-winning Ads

Land Rover: (“Tower Bridge”) – awarded for copy
Land Rover: “Rhino” (“We all have our dreams”)
2 for Johnnie Walker Black Label (“Clans” and “Colour guide”).

The British Cinema Awards - 1981

60-second cinema for Kawasaki – commercial on the theme “Mounting Excitement”.

Design & Art Direction Annual - 1983

Design & Art Direction Annual – 1983: The WFLA campaign

Silver at the British Television Awards in 1985 and Design & Art Direction Awards in 1986

“Toys”, a 60-second commercial: “Everyone warms to a real fire”

Silver for copy (along with Beryl Bainbridge) from Design & Art Direction in 1987

Trio of ads titled “The pictures I see in my fire” and three different authors wrote essays on the theme: Frederic Raphael, Charlotte Bingham & Beryl Bainbridge.

Creative Circle (Golds and Silver)

Worthington Best Bitter;
Simple Skincare;
CC Soft Drinks Quattro

Campaign Magazine Press Silver

Battersea Leisure Station

Silver at the Business-to-Business Awards

An old crone yawning to her back tonsils with the headline, “Financial Advertising?” (Art directed by the legendary Alan Waldie)

MORE ABOUT MUSIC

Kinnaid has spent years persuading his audience that Johnny Cash didn’t die but emigrated incognito to Kentish Town. His second album Kentish Town & Country provides some ammunition for conspiracy theorists who believe the story might just be true, particularly if you listen to The Path of Love and I Feel A Sentence Coming which re-routes Cash’s classic Folsom Prison Blues. Kinnaid’s third album, Songs In The K Of Life, are all one-offs and indicate Kinnaid’s highly original take on life as he has known it.

WORK WITH ME

Ken is ready to deploy his considerable talents on your behalf, be it in the field of pithy, witty copywriting or vibrant and varied voice-over work. Needs must and this particular devil is more than happy being driven!