‘The idea of going back into it was terrifying’: Bullfrog’s Elle Bullen reflects on leaving and returning to adland
When Bullfrog ECD Elle Bullen had to step away from adland to take care of her health, she was unsure she would ever return. Now, 18 months back in the industry, and leading Bullfrog’s creative output following leadership changes earlier this year, she chats to Mumbrella’s Lauren McNamara on the biggest challenges she and other female creatives face, and how this impacts her work.
Elle Bullen was a true leader in Australia’s advertising industry at the helm of independent creative agency SICKDOGWOLFMAN, when in 2019, a doctor’s appointment and ultrasound changed the course of her life.
When pregnant with her second child, a casual mention to her midwife of a pain in her breast turned into a serious cancer diagnosis. Under the surface, there laid a 14cm tumour.
After giving birth, a year of “every treatment under the sun” kicked off – chemotherapy, radiation therapy, surgery – all while raising the newborn, a toddler, and working at a recently launched independent agency.
