Mike has been a leader in advertising, marketing and public relations since 1976 and has helped craft marketing campaigns for many clients engaged in tourism, economic development, real estate and government. He has been honored as Volusia County Communicator of the Year.
Q: What brought you to the business?
A: My father was a Kodak executive, so I grew up with an appreciation of photography, composition and creativity. Since I ‘knew it all’, I was a caustic critic of bad advertising, so I paid more attention to advertising than most. After working as a newspaper sports photographer in high school, I got my degree in advertising at the University of Missouri School of Journalism, which led me to a career in advertising, first on the client side and eventually in the agency business.
Q: What’s the best ad you ever created?
A: In college, I created a magazine ad for Nissan promoting a high-mileage, light-duty truck during an earlier gas crisis. Headline: “Hauls ass. Saves gas.” This was before Photoshop® —getting the donkey up on that truck bed was a Herculean task.
A: My father. The guy was really something. Only on my very best days am I him, but I try.
Q: Hoot?
A: Passing private pilot flight exam on my 40th birthday.
Q: What do you like?
A: Creativity, anywhere I can find it, but it’s most fun when it emanates from my own head. The University of Notre Dame. Not an alum, but the place is really something special. Sometimes the football is pretty good, too.
