Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Mina Mikhael. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Mina, thanks for joining us today. Let’s start big picture – what are some of biggest trends you are seeing in your industry?

It’s all about a return to entertainment and craft.

Working in advertising, we’re a the service of brands who’ve been blinded by their need to maximize social media views in the name of brand recognizability, but aren’t taking into account what they’ll be recognized for. Simply mirror people’s feeds— either through influencers or low budget campaigns to mimic the look and feel of the “real” world— can actually harm a brand as they become part of the noise rather than sharing a clear message that breaks through that.

With my work, I’ve been very fortunate to partner with brands who appreciate the power of storytelling. We’ve all heard it or said it: people hate ads. But my challenge to that is that people hate BAD ads. Audiences are craving good stories— for every person who installs ad blocker and skips bad commercials is an audience who will stop for three minutes to watch a movie trailer. My push with each brand we work with is to ensure we make the thirty seconds or so we have an audience’s attention worth their time— tell a story in a way they’ve never considered and use craft to make it feel like something they’ve never seen before or won’t see from someone else. Enough with the bullet points and talking down to people— create entertainment so that people sees this brand as a company or idea worth being a part of.

Super Bowl ads are talked about and shared because of the level of craft that goes into them, but agencies and brands have realized this doesn’t need to be a once-a-year occurrence. An investment in the talent, an investment in the work, and a commitment to being entertaining versus listing off selling points is what can not just lead to brand recognition, but an appreciation for that brand. My film work has been largely in sports advertising— creating ads for games or teams who do not need advertising. But we’ve found success because we’ve pushed to show audiences their players, their games, their storylines in a whole new light, rooted in deep truths so that audiences feel “seen” as fans in our work.

Mina, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

An Egyptian creative living in Brooklyn, NY, I am a Creative Director specializing in sports and sports film advertising. I’ve spent the last ten years working at a wide range of agencies, from Wieden + Kennedy New York (Fox Sports), Johannes Leonardo (leading adidas and EA Sports), and now currently am the Group Creative Lead for the NBA group at Translation, winning multiple awards in sports film and design.

From helping announce Kobe’s retirement to having Deadpool rag on David Beckham for the World Cup, using Danny Trejo to lift up caregivers or giving Kermit a platform to speak to a greener adidas future, or giving Michael (B.) Jordan the keys to a Hoop Bus driving past the 75 greatest players on the fantastical NBA Lane, I have spent over a decade mashing pop culture into sports storytelling.

The main purpose of my role is to help brands share their stories through advertising in a way that breaks from the norms of what commercials can be. Within the agency, I work with a wealth of talented creatives— teams of art directors and copywriters— as well as the best in class producers, strategists, and account directors who work together to ensure we can attack any needs of our clients. Where I’m most proud is how we’ve been able to create memorable films and campaigns without compromise: many times agencies feel they need to get “theirs” while working around the client, but I firmly believe if you aren’t both happy, then you’re not performing the best service for either side.

I pride myself in maximizing output for the client. When a brand invest in advertising, why are we limiting ourselves to thirty seconds? It takes as much effort to shoot short films as it does to make a commercial— it’s on us to deliver the best work we can and make as much work as we can.

When we created NBA Lane (https://vimeo.com/629475552), we were able to guide the NBA away from the comfort zone in order to share a short film that fans would truly feel connected with. Where any other brand or league would have balked at the idea of displaying their greatest athletes away from the court and on some fictional street (mowing the lawn, gardening, in their bathrobes?!), the NBA leaned all the way in to help create something unforgettable, and embraced our long format to ensure no one was left out. By showing fans we understand why they loved these players outside of their athletic abilities, we demonstrated an awareness that fans don’t normally associate with the major leagues.

During the 2018 World Cup, it wasn’t enough to make one film (https://vimeo.com/269780675); we needed to share other points of view, talk to different audiences, build excitement no matter why you watch. If you were a fan of big stars, Beckham and Deadpool were there (https://vimeo.com/269783513). You liked the best players, we had something for you (https://vimeo.com/271122664).

As lucky as I’ve been to be part of these large scale campaigns, I’m also proud of how we create a big impact with smaller stories. When we recruited Kermit the Frog to discuss adidas’ green initiative, we knew we couldn’t sit on the treasure trove of outtakes and scripts we captured. We released them all, (https://vimeo.com/527505957) (https://vimeo.com/527505874) (https://vimeo.com/527505756) with nearly nothing to say about the shoe. Again, it takes a brave client to allow this be released, but adidas understood the impact of just having entertaining work to share.

Any advice for managing a team?

Encourage excitement.

Whether as instructor or as an agency lead, there’s nothing more effective at keeping creatives motivated than their own excitement. We work in a vulnerable state as creatives, sharing ideas we’ve obsessed over for days in our brains only to hope there’s no dream killer along the way. Who am I to say someone’s idea doesn’t work, or isn’t right? It’s subjective, and my role as a manager or teacher is to help shape that idea to wherever it needs to go get created and be most effective.

I’d rather have twelve ideas off brief than one that fits the ask if the creatives feel proud and excited about that dozen; I guarantee you they’ll be more inclined to do whatever it takes to get one of those twelve made versus the one they felt they “had” to share.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect is seeing everyone come together to bring it to life. The collection of extremely talented people that is made over every project is another chance to share in something we all love. The end product is always satisfying, but it’s the hours and weeks and months you spend with your team that becomes the reason you do the job every day.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://minamikhael.com/

Image Credits
Andrew Mikhael and Emily Change