Schmoozing the veritable royalty of Australian radio, Hamish Blake and Andy Lee, requires creativity: you can’t Peggy Olson it. You can’t Don Draper it. You can’t even Roger Sterling it.
Making like Angry Dad, and signing off on all your executive decisions from the glorious comfort of a sizzling tub? That’ll do it.
Such was the tale of Southern Cross Austereo and golden couple/funniest humans alive Hamish and Andy’s exclusive $4 million deal (that’s a cheeky $2M each) to return to the afternoon airways, according to Hit Network‘s content director in Melbourne and Adelaide, David Cameron.
Melbourne-based Cameron told Mediaweek that the landmark deal went down last year, during filming for the TV special Hamish and Andy’s Gap Year South America.
“We had a four hour meeting in a hot tub in South America when they were on their South American Gap Year,” Cameron said. “I’m not even sure where it was, but some bizarre little place. We talked about what it would look like if they came back and the look and feel of the show.”
Media speculation over the pair’s contract lasting only six months was described as a “load of rubbish” by Cameron. “Hamish and Andy have a long-term deal with us and I hope that it becomes an even longer-term deal.”
The rest – locking down one of the most well-received, highly-rated radio shows in the country, and shooting each other out of canons to celebrate – is history.
Here’s the closest thing you’ll find to photographic evidence of the deal’s legendary sign-off:
Image via Instagram
