VCCP poaches creative director behind Grand Prix-winning Kiyan Prince

VCCP London has raided House 337, nabbing Richard Nott, one half of the creative duo behind the Cannes Titanium Grand Prix-winning "Long live the Prince".

The House 337 creative director joins VCCP in the same position, and will work on creative for clients including Mondelez/Cadbury and Virgin Media O2. He reports to Jonny Parker and Chris Birch, VCCP London's executive creative directors.

As well as conceiving the Kiyan Prince Foundation/EA Sports campaign, Nott has led creative projects including the rebrand of Churchill Insurance under its "Chill" positioning and work for Eurostar.

"Long live the Prince", a collaboration between Kiyan Prince Foundation, EA Sports and then-Engine Creative, was an anti-knife ad that acted as a powerful reminder of how 15-year-old footballer Prince was stabbed and killed outside his school in London in 2006. The campaign brought him back to virtual life, imagining what the football prodigy would have been like at the age of 30. He also became a playable character in EA's Fifa 21 video game.

As well as picking up a Titanium Grand Prix at Cannes Lions 2022 – one of a total five awarded – and gongs at other awards, including the D&ADs, British Arrows and Campaign's Big Awards, "Long live the Prince" was a Campaign Pick of the Week, in which it was described as standing apart for its "craft and powerful storytelling".

Created by Nott and David Dearlove, the latter also directed the ad. Nott and Dearlove joined then-WCRS in 2012 from Dare, where they were a creative team.

Parker and Birch said in a joint statement that Nott was a "big time global award winner", adding: "Lovely human (that's important). 'Long Live the Prince' is one of our favourite ideas of the last few years. We're absolutely chuffed to have such a brilliant, accomplished and hugely ambitious creative talent join our gang."

Nott said: "From my very first conversations with Chris and Jonny, and with Darren, it felt like the perfect fit. Ambitious creatives, ambitious clients – who wouldn't want to be a part of that?"