Denton: ‘Gruen’s power is it’s a show about us’

The creator of Gruen, the ABC’s long running show on the advertising and marketing world, has told how the success of the show lay in the fact that it’s show “about us”.

Speaking at the National Radio Conference in Melbourne today, Andrew Denton described how the former CEO of both Seven and Nine, David Leckie, had told him before the show launch that the idea “was fucking boring” but argued that Leckie “could only see what was already there which was World’s wackiest commercials.”

“But what he didn’t see was what wasn’t there,” said Denton. “And the reason the show worked, beyond the fact we got incredibly lucky with our talent, is that (Gruen) is a show about us. It is about how persuadable we all are.”

In a wide ranging keynote speech, Denton talked openly about his career successes and failures and told the audience the idea for Gruen, which is currently on hiatus before a 2015 return, came from a visit to the supermarket.