The Mystery of Mike Middleton… Head of Creative at Dentsu Mobius Singapore.

​What is your position and how long you have been there?

I’m Head of Creative at Dentsu Mobius in Singapore and I’ve been here for 4 months now.

Describe your role at Mobius?

I have a very talented young creative team, and it’s my job to remove as many obstacles in their way so they can do their job: producing great work.

How did you get into advertising?

I fell into it! I studied graphic design at Art College, after completing this I went for a role as graphic designer at an ad agency, didn’t get it but they hired me as a Junior Art Director instead!

What's a typical day for you?

Typical I sleep in through my alarm, rush to get showered and get to work on time. Check emails, have a daily creative meeting with the team, quick brainstorm, another meeting, talk to the team individually and see what they’re working on and see if they need any help. Quick break for lunch and then it’s on to more meetings, PowerPoint presentations, more meetings, cat videos on the internet, keynotes and then home. Interspersed with lots of coffee.

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What do you love about your job?

I really love my team, they’re a fun talented bunch. They make incremental progress on a day to day level, not just the big wins which is great. I love the benefits at the company, free cereal, fruit and beer! There’s lots of break out areas for creatives and big walls for post- it notes which creates an open and collaborative atmosphere.

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What challenges do you see in this market compared to other markets you have worked?

On an agency level, overcoming the challenges of Face and hierarchy. Encouraging young creatives to speak up and know they won’t get into trouble. To embrace and report mistakes. And to GO HOME ON TIME! On a local level, the bewildering array of media and differing levels of sophistication of local markets compared to regional.

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What are the advantages you see in this market compared to other markets you have worked?

Huge growth and enthusiasm. There’s quite a lot of cynicism in Europe at the moment, which I don’t find so much in asia. And it’s nice and sunny most of the time :)

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What do you look for in team members?

Collaborative, enthusiastic, talented, opinionated, fun people that care about work and treat each other with respect. And a decent taste in music helps!

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If you could work for any client/brand in the world, who would it be and why?

Well, I’m currently pitching for pretty much my dream client so I’ll tell you when we win! Aside from that, I wouldn’t mind a nice client in the drinks industry, someone with attitude like Brewdog brewery, or a nice malt whisky would be ideal.