The Platinum Egg 2003: Carl Lewenhaupt.
For the young Carl Lewenhaupt in Sparreholm, the alphabet is a collection of fractious curlicues that show very little interest in forming themselves into words. He can’t be bothered to decode any long books. He is however inspired by the lyrics on LP jackets: short, pithy narratives by Dylan, Costello and Mitchell. Calle ends up writing for the school paper and eventually for the local paper, where a big scoop might concern a capercaillie chasing the local priest down the Katrineholm highway.... In 1984, after two years’ training in copywriting through an initiative called the Copy Project, Carl joins the United ad agency. Here he meets art director Olle Mattson for the first time. Here he wins his first Golden Egg at the age of 26. After a stint at Hall & Cederquist, Calle ends up at Rönnberg & Co, which opens the door to a fast-moving, rebellious new period. A kerfuffle ensues when, prior to an election, TV rental company Thorn HyrTV runs full-page ads with photos of the various party leaders accompanied by the ominous headline, “You could be stuck with this one for three years” – unlike your rented television, see, which you can have replaced within 24 hours. The Post Office’s “Love 2:50” campaign (where 2:50 is the price of a stamp in kronor and öre) is the biggest award-winner in the world in 1991. Other award-winners include work for McDonald’s, Swedish State Railways, Aftonbladet, H&M and Viking Line. IKEA’s nude-bottom campaign escapes nobody’s notice and sells sofas like nobody’s business. In 1999, at the height of the dot-com boom, Calle helps found the Harry agency. The same year, he writes an ad for the Swedish Cancer Society based on his own father’s battle with the disease. It brings in record donations and eventually earns him a Golden Writing Award. Olle Mattson provides a harmonious visual solution. This is the first act of the Calle & Olle solo show. They rent a pair of chairs at ÅkestamHolst and work with clients like Viking Line, the Red Cross, Betsson, Mariestads beer and Dagens Nyheter. They stick with the dyslexic’s (and Dylan’s) recipe for success: everything superfluous is cut away until they reach the innermost core.
After the Platinum Egg: Currently writing a book about his grandfather, who was an officer in the English Parachute Regiment and jumped on D-Day.