Home ↗Projects ↗Info ↗Scrapbook ↗
Hey there, my name is Michael. I’m a hands on, award-winning Creative Director, driven by craft, curiosity & effectiveness.

London 2012 Olympic & Paralympic Games 
Games Makers

earned
branding
print
Agency: McCann LondonRole: Creative Creative: Chloe Grindle Photographer: Peter Marlow

The Brief: recruit 70,000 volunteers who'll commit to working throughout the Olympic Games, with 5am starts and midnight finishes, never seeing a single game themselves. At the same time, change the perception of volunteering in the UK. The solution was not to call them volunteers; that's what old people do in charity shops; we inspired a generation by calling them Games Makers. 

Cannes Lions
Better than Redundancy

film
print

Agency: McCann LondonRole: Head of Art + Creative Creative: Carl + Jess Director: Dan Burn-Forti

Why should being a Cannes Lions delegate be the preserve of the already excellent? If we want a more creative world, as we all profess, we should also encourage the not-so-excellent performers to be inspired by Cannes Lions. What started as a print campaign turned into something more when we saw Dan had a rotating plinth in his studio; so much love to Dan and the client for entertaining our request during a hectic shoot day.

The Financial Times
Lead Without Example

film
print

Agency: The Brooklyn Brothers x FTRole: CD + Director Designer: Oreoluwa AyoadeProduction: Peep Films

As the pandemic took hold, the world turned to their leaders, but who could they turn to? Who else? In this unprecedented time, there was no history to learn from or rule book to follow; it was simply a matter of listening, adapting, and trusting your sources. Working closely with FT's in-house team, we pushed this campaign out over a weekend with a shoestring budget and dozens of calls to governments worldwide. 

Xbox Destiny
Destiny Pour Gamers

OOH
 
SOCIAL
print

Agency: McCann LondonRole: Creative + Head of ArtDesigner: Jim + JacobDesigner: Carl Warren

How do you advertise a game when your competitors have sole marketing rights? You don't. We turned a game that sounded deceptively like a fragrance and marketed it like one. Did we step into a legal grey area? Maybe. Did we get the gaming world's attention for a fraction of the cost that PlayStation paid for exclusivity? Absolutely.

Inspired by Iceland
Academy of Iceland

earned
film
Agency: The Brooklyn BrothersRole: CD Creative: Esin CitoneProduction: Islenska

Iceland has a problem. It's too god-damn pretty, and tourists flock to its beauty in their tens of thousands. Sure, it's good for the economy, but not for the environment or the locals. So, we created an educational academy to help tourists get the most out of their visit without damaging the beauty that drew them to it. In a short period, we enlisted over 20,000 students from 75 countries with zero media spend.

Xbox Tomb Raider
Survival Billboard

OOH
 
SOCIAL
print

Agency: McCann LondonRole: Creative + Head of ArtDesigner: Jim + JacobDesigner: Carl Warren

The new Tomb Raider game reimagined heroine Lara Croft as a gritty survivalist. So, rather than doing a regular outdoor campaign, we turned an advertising channel into an entertainment channel. Survival Billboard was a billboard on which eight gamers stood in a test of grit and inner strength. The last fan standing would win. The contestants faced blizzards, downpours, wind and heat, controlled by the public via a live stream. We launched the campaign with a ‘Terms of horrible, horrible conditions print campaign..

Direct Line
This is Not a Van

earned
film
Agency: Saatchi & SaatchiRole: CD Creative: Hernan + Tobias Director: The Glue Society

Iceland has a problem. It's too god-damn pretty, and tourists flock to its beauty in their tens of thousands. Sure, it's good for the economy, but not for the environment or the locals. So, we created an educational academy to help tourists get the most out of their visit without damaging the beauty that drew them to it. In a short period, we enlisted over 20,000 students from 75 countries with zero media spend.

Sony Xperia
Best of Sony

film
print

Agency: McCann LondonRole: Creative LeadCreative: Thomas Illum + Zoe SysDirector: Tarsem Singh

We launched a global campaign for Sony's flagship phone, which promised to be the best of Sony in a smartphone. After finally getting all 20 markets to sign off on the idea, we hopped across several continents with Hollywood Director Tarsem Sign to bring it to life and remixed a David Bowie track. After he finished calling everybody that worked on the project a 'cunt', he decided to release the track due to popular demand. I've never been so confused.

Fridge Raiders
Get the Day Done

film
print

Agency: McCann LondonRole: Creative Creative: Katy + AlicePhotographer: Peter Marlow

That feeling when you need to write a project description of your favourite chicken snack brand. You don't want to do it… it's exhausting… your head retracts into your body. No. It's too much. I can't… until the aforementioned chicken snack gives you the boost you need to get it done! Magic.