"Dave pre-arranged our relationship," explains Toosey as she and Long giggle hysterically. "We get our best ideas when laughing like drains," she continues.

With Saatchi London since February of this year, the 30-year-old duo collectively boasts both diverse and international agency backgrounds. After leaving university, Toosey "dossed about" and did some illustration before embarking on a round-the-world trip to find out what to do next. Her first stop was Johannesburg, but she fell in love with the country and decided to stay and work as an assistant art director at TBWA Network. After two years with the agency, she moved to Bates Singapore as a copywriter. "I switched to writing because I think very visually and sway more towards conceptual thinking," she explains.

After 18 months, Toosey left to join Saatchi & Saatchi Hong Kong under the auspices of Droga, who was then the agency's creative chief for Asia, where she stayed for two and a half years producing campaigns for Ikea and Peninsula Hotels. This was followed by a yearlong stint at TBWA Hong Kong, until she decided it was time to come home. "Working in different markets has taught me the importance of simple ideas, how to take inspiration from your environment and not to rely on your own language as a tool."

Florida-born and -bred Long studied graphics and photography before joining Leo Burnett Chicago. After three years with the shop, Long grew impatient with the size of the organisation and left to join Burnett Warsaw with the aim of building a "creative shop in a new market" under creative director Jonathan Hoffman and Kerry Keenan. Leo Burnett Warsaw won Agency of the Year for Central Europe in 1998 and 1999, and Long won Poland's first Gold Lion at Cannes in 2000 for his stunt for Ikea, which consisted of 150 'actors' demonstrating in the street against a 'planned' closure of Ikea. Says Long: "Protest is a normal thing in Poland, and I like the idea of using different mediums and modes to get a message across.

"After the success of Warsaw, I wanted to work in a more challenging market," Long continues. "Everyone tried to talk me out of London as they said it was a tough market for a creative, especially an American one."

Despite being English, Toosey had a similar reaction on her return to the UK. "One head-hunter told me that I wouldn't find work because my book was too international and the London community was too sexist. Too be fair, the majority of the responses I got went along with that until I met up with Dave."

Although the pair has yet to produce, there is a buzz about the team. They are just about to film a new ad for Carlsberg Export that will be directed by Jeff Stark and have sold a new campaign for Telewest that will be shot over the next 12 months. The buzz around them comes from their humour, enthusiasm and dedication to their chosen craft. "We like to bring human insights into a simple idea by taking a reality and twisting it," explains Toosey. "We also like ideas that don't conform to a

particular medium like out-of-home strategy. A poster, for example, doesn't have to be a piece of paper, the message could be written on the ground or living."

Adds Long: "One of the best aspects of having worked internationally is that we have a different perspective on everything. It has also encouraged us to find the best people, in whatever market, to work collaboratively with."