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John Singleton (Australian entrepreneur)

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This article is about the Australian entrepreneur. For other uses, seeJohn Singleton (disambiguation).
John Singleton
AM
Singleton in 2010
Born(1941-11-09)9 November 1941(age 82)
Enfield,New South Wales,Australia
EducationFort Street High School
OccupationEntrepreneur
Years active1958–present
Spouses
Children8
Awards

John Desmond SingletonAM(born 9 November 1941) is an Australianentrepreneur.He built his success and wealth in the advertising business in Australia in the 1970s and 1980s, and later also had diverse investment interests in radio broadcasting, publishing and thoroughbred breeding and racing.

Early life

Singleton was born in theSydneysuburb ofEnfieldand educated atFort Street High School.

Advertising career

Singleton commenced a career in advertising in 1958 as a mail boy in the Sydney office ofJ. Walter Thompson.In 1963, he took a creative role at Berry Currie Advertising, and later attaining the role of Creative Director. In 1968 together with his Art Director partner Dunc McAllan, he started his own agency in Sydney and the pair soon teamed-up with Rob Palmer and Mike Strauss who had an existing small Melbourne shop with media buying accreditation to start Singleton, Palmer and Strauss, McAllan (SPASM) which opened with offices in Sydney andMelbourne.

Life-size bronze statue of John Singleton bysculptor Linda Klarfeld

SPASM (and Singleton in particular) are notable in the history of Australian advertising for embracing anockervoice in their communications at a time when multi-national agency groups were making their presence felt with the advent of strategic planning and British or American-imitating tones of voice.[1]SPASM's clients were largely local Sydney retailers and rather than using polished voices, Singleton's ads embraced the tone of working-class man. A successful campaign was created for the wholesalers David Holdings. The voice-over screamed the retailer's prices before the irritating catchphrase "Where do you get it?". Similar "low-brow" approaches were taken forJax Tyres"Jax the ripper Tyremen with the deals" and for Hudsons Timber and Hardware using a toothless old handyman spruiking "udsons with a haitch". Critics derided this style as ocker advertising[2]but it would pave the way for the later success of the laconic and self-deprecating style of local Australian advertising such as that created byMojoin the 1980s.

In 1973, Singleton and his partners sold SPASM toDoyle Dane Bernbachand Singleton for a time was managing director of DDB's Australian operations. Working for a large multi-national with overseas owners was a challenge for Singleton and he left the business in 1977, triggering a long non-compete provision in his contract. In 1985 Singleton started up again on his own with "John Singleton Advertising". Sydney stockbrokerRene Rivkinbought a silent-holding in the agency during its development in the 1980s. Singleton developed close ties with theAustralian Labor Partyand created the advertising forBob Hawke's successful1987 electioncampaign.[3]In 1995 Singleton Group Limited was listed on theAustralian Securities Exchange.[4]In February 2002, it was renamed STW Communications Group.[5]

Along the way, Singleton acquired personal stakes in ventures including the 1990 buy-out of theTen Group TV networkfrom receivership and an acquisition in 2000 of Indonesia's No 3 networkSCTV.These personal holdings in addition to the success and growth STW Group interests enabled Singleton to amass a massive personal fortune.[6]

In 1994, Singleton purchased2CHfromAWAfollowed in 1996 by2GBfrom theWesley Mission.[7][8]Having been merged intoMacquarie Radio,in 2019 Singleton sold his shareholding toNine Entertainment.[9]

Honours and awards

In 1994, Singleton was appointed as aMember of the Order of Australiafor service to the community through his own personal support and fundraising activities more broadly.[10]In 2000 Singleton was awarded theAustralian Sports Medal.[11]In 2009 Singleton was included in the inaugural twelve inductees toAd Newsmagazine's, Australian Advertising Hall of Fame.[12]

Personal life

Singleton (right) and Australian Olympic swimmerGeoff Huegill(left) in 2010

Singleton has eight children from seven marriages. He has been married to Margaret Wall, Maggie Eckardt,Belinda Green,Liz Hayes,Jennifer Murrant - de facto, Julie Martin,[13]and Sarah Warry.[14]His daughter Dawn was killed in April 2024 during themass knife attackatWestfield Bondi Junctionshopping mall.[15]

Net worth

Year Financial Review
Rich List 		Forbes
Australia's 50 Richest
Rank Net worth(A$) Rank Net worth(US$)
2010[16] $230 million
2011
2012
2013[17] $355 million
2014
2015
2016[18] 155 $416 million
2017[19][20] $450 millionIncrease
2018[21][22] 161Increase $534 millionIncrease
2019[23] 145Increase $670 millionIncrease
2020[24] 142Increase $728 millionIncrease
2021[25] 147Decrease $731 millionIncrease
2022 170Decrease $768 millionIncrease
2023[26] 171Decrease $820 millionIncrease
Legend
Icon Description
Steady Has not changed from the previous year
Increase Has increased from the previous year
Decrease Has decreased from the previous year

References

  1. ^Blackman."Post War Advertising in Australia".Australian Public Intellectual Network.
  2. ^Crawford, Robert (2008)."History of Sydney Advertising".The Dictionary of Sydney.
  3. ^How the winners got the accountsAustralian Financial Review12 February 1993
  4. ^End of an era: WPP AUNZ to exit ASX at end of business todayMumbrella21 May 2019
  5. ^Results of EGMSingleton Group Limited 8 February 2002
  6. ^Singleton, John (1941-)Ad Age15 September 2003
  7. ^Singleton short circuits 2CH NewsSydney Morning Herald20 April 1994
  8. ^Singleton's media dreams and schemesAustralian Financial Review13 March 2004
  9. ^"Singo sells out of radio".The Australian.23 September 2019.Retrieved22 September2019.
  10. ^"Member of the Order of Australia (AM) entry for John Desmond SINGLETON".Australian Honours Database.Canberra, Australia:Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.10 June 1994.Retrieved12 November2020.AM/FOR SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY THROUGH PERSONAL SUPPORT AND FUNDRAISING ACTIVITIES FOR CHARITABLE, SPORTING AND RESEARCH ORGANISATIONS. QUEEN'S B'DAY 1994
  11. ^"Australian Sports Medal entry for John Desmond SINGLETON".Australian Honours Database.Canberra, Australia:Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.25 October 2000.Retrieved12 November2020.Outstanding supporter
  12. ^"Australian Advertising Hall of Fame".Ad News Hall of Fame.2009. Archived fromthe originalon 13 February 2011.Retrieved30 January2011.
  13. ^[https://web.archive.org/web/20021202094846/http:// smh.au/articles/2002/07/26/1027497411076.htmlOriginal SingoSydney Morning Herald27 July 2002
  14. ^John Singleton, 82, on to his seventh wife after ditching his carer exNews.au11 December 2023
  15. ^Josefine Ganko, Sarah McPhee, Daniella White (14 April 2024)."Bondi Junction stabbing live updates: NSW Police identify Joel Cauchi as attacker; John Singleton's daughter among multiple dead in Sydney's eastern suburbs".The Sydney Morning Herald.Retrieved14 April2024.{{cite news}}:CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  16. ^Mayne, Stephen(2 November 2020)."The Mayne Report Rich List".The Mayne Report.Retrieved11 November2020.
  17. ^Mobbs, Adam (31 October 2013)."Racing's super-rich owners in a race for Melbourne Cup glory".Herald Sun.Melbourne.Retrieved12 November2020.
  18. ^"Radio millionaires in BRW Rich List".Radio Info.27 May 2016.Retrieved12 November2020.
  19. ^Stensholt, John, ed. (25 May 2017)."Financial Review Rich List 2017".Australian Financial Review.Retrieved8 June2017.
  20. ^Mayne, Stephen(26 May 2017)."Mayne's take: The top 25 Australian billionaires, as claimed by Fairfax".Crikey.Retrieved10 October2019.
  21. ^Stensholt, John, ed. (25 May 2018)."2018 AFR Rich List: Who are Australia's richest people?".Australian Financial Review.Retrieved26 May2018.
  22. ^Young, Andy (25 May 2018)."Industry big guns named on AFR's Rich List".The Shout.Retrieved12 November2020.
  23. ^Bailey, Michael (30 May 2019)."Australia's 200 richest people revealed".Australian Financial Review.Nine Publishing.Retrieved31 May2019.
  24. ^Bailey, Michael; Sprague, Julie-anne (30 October 2020)."The full list: Australia's wealthiest 200 revealed".Australian Financial Review.Nine Publishing.Retrieved31 October2020.
  25. ^Bailey, Michael; Sprague, Julie-anne (27 May 2021)."The 200 richest people in Australia revealed".Australian Financial Review.Retrieved28 May2021.
  26. ^Bailey, Michael; Sprague, Julie-anne (26 May 2023)."The 200 richest people in Australia revealed".Australian Financial Review.Retrieved6 June2023.

Further reading

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