David Reid
I first met Adrian whilst I was at art college trying to get a job in advertising. He was a writer at Halls and because his art director was shooting in London I was able to sit opposite him and see how the business worked.

I was deeply impressed that he was tasked with creating John Menzies headlines to sell Flock of Seagulls LPs. I was even more impressed that his art director had flown to London as, at the time, I'd never been on a plane before.

My break came six months later when The Leith Agency hired me for £30 a week. There were seven of us, not in the creative department, in the whole company. John Denholm used to get sent out for fish suppers if we were working late. I worked with someone, who, although talented, didn't have any drive to get on. Shamefully, I must admit I conspired to create his downfall. I told the creative directors I wanted to work with Adrian, who was as ambitious as me and had four times the experience.

We've now worked together since 1988, with a short break when Adrian was at Faulds. Even during that time we had a freelance empire together, the money going into the pot that helped fund 1576.We've stayed together because we are both determined to come up with fresh and original thinking, whatever the brief. I think we always manage to come up with a good solution, no matter the day, or the hour. Adrian's a reassuring person to work with because he won't allow a problem to beat him.

In truth, we're quite different people. At work Adrian is fiercely passionate about creative work; but outside work he's a quiet, private person. I get sucked into management things a lot of the time, I'm probably less hands-on in the creative department and more so in the agency in general. (I have a library stuffed with autobiographies of world dictators given to me by the staff.) We don't spend time in each other's pockets, which is important. The partners here don't really socialise together, and some might find it strange that the partners and their wives have never had a meal together.1576 is my job, not my life.There are incredible highs and lows in this industry - you never know what's coming next. My happiest moment in advertising has nothing to do with awards or foreign shoots. It was 1 September 1994 when myself, Adrian and Mark (dressed in his y-fronts) were painting our original office on 1576's first day. I said to the guys it would never get better than that "day one", pioneering feeling, and it hasn't. That said, I feel as optimistic for 1576 today as I did then. Everything to play for.

Adrian Jeffery
David is good at the art of persuasion. Very good. He must be since he convinced me to leave Scotland's biggest and best agency, Halls, where the MD had a chauffeur, and move to The Leith Agency, where the MD had a second-hand Astra. (Which used to smell of fish suppers.)Actually, I didn't take a lot of persuading, David already had an award-winning track record and The Leith obviously had a lot of potential, otherwise Gerry Farrell and Guy Gum, the country's best creative team, wouldn't have moved there a few months earlier. I moved for the same money as I was on at Halls because basically they couldn't afford any more at the time and to be honest I've always played the long ball game. I knew that if the move worked out we'd produce award-winning work, win more business and then earn more money. Luckily, the plan did work out and very early on David and I, along with a fresh-faced and giant-bespectacled Mark Gorman, pitched and won the Bass Ireland account, which was Leith's foot in the door for future Bass work.

That was in 1988 and David and I have worked together ever since. Even when I moved to Faulds, that wasn't the end of our working relationship. It just meant we did a lot of night shifts together. You see, David and I have always had a thriving freelance career. And from day one we talked about starting our own agency. So it was only a matter of timing really.

Starting your own agency however, isn't something I'd recommended, unless you are absolutely convinced you\'re doing it with the right partner. David is definitely the right partner for me.We have the same attitude, desire to succeed and aims. Which is handy. And we have very different styles when it comes to achieving these aims, which is essential.

David likes to tackle a problem head-on with a very large sledgehammer whereas I like to sneak up and put it in an armlock.There are lots of other things I admire about David. He puts in the hours despite us both having young families. He knows a good ad when he sees one and he's very magnanimous too. He also writes excellent headlines. And I'd say every single day we find something to laugh about (despite the constant hourly nightmares that arise when you run your own business).

When I really need cheering up I just get him to show me one of his layouts, they truly are hilarious, especially if you like monkeys. And I can honestly say that in the 13 years I've known him he's never failed to find the best restaurant in any city we've ever shot in.What more could you ask for in a partner?