“May your soul rest in peace.” a tribute to James Selva by Omar Shaari, was first published in MARKETING WEEKENDER Issue 337
I first met James Selva when I joined Spencer Azizul back in its heydays in 1992. James was the Media Director and head of the media department then. I joined as an Account Director, straight out after a good 7 year run at The Ball Partnership/Euro RSCG.
Those were the good old days, working for Azizul Kallahan and Spencer Wing, alongside Bruce Bendry, Veno Chornalingam (founder of Wizard’s Room), Chun Wan, Mohammed Iqbal, Prabha Nayar (founder of EpicWorks) and Azman Zainal (cofounder of DNAComms), to name a few. Yes, you can say we all went on to make our own mark in the rough and tough world of advertising.
James was no exception. He went on to establish Perception Media where he published a series of magazines and directories related to our industry. One of his notable achievements was to publish the Media Planning Guide annually, the only one of its kind in Malaysia.
James also held various positions in other non-profit organizations and NGOs, including as Secretary, Asian Federation of Advertising Associations (AFAA).
The James Selva as I know was knowledgeable with a strong business acumen, a religious man, a family man and a good friend.
I still recall when I first started OT Advertising in 1997, a two-man show with another ex-colleague from the Ball Partnership days, Thomas Low. James was among the first to jump in to help me gain my footing in the dog-eat-dog business world. And he did all these without even me asking for it. As it was said, you will know who your real friends are, when you start out on your own. For that alone, I am indebted to this man.
May your soul rest in peace.
Omar Shaari
Vice-President
IAA Malaysia
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The APPIES is an annual event that presents a rare opportunity for creative, media, digital and marketing agencies or brands to present their best campaigns to the industry.
This is the only event where Live Presentations meets Live Judging.
Similar to TED Talks, The APPIES is the chance for great presenters with outstanding work to show it off to some of the industry’s most important industry leaders.
This year’s winners will receive Gold, Silver or Bronze trophies for 21 categories, and 6 special Best of Best categories (red trophies) that require no submissions!
Campaign entries must have run between June 2023 to May 2024
Submissions Deadline
30th June 2024
APPIES Festival – Judging & Presentations
11th – 12th July 2024 (Malaysia)
