Mike Grice is the creative officer and co-founder of Wildfire.
With a knack for strategy and brand development, after graduating from the Central Academy of Commercial Art in Cincinnati, he went to work (at 20) as an art director for J. Walter Thompson in Chicago, where he worked on numerous high-profile brands, including Oscar Mayer, Kraft Foods, Discover Card and Kellogg's. Mike later moved to another Chicago agency, upstart Bayer Bess Vanderwarker. After six years in Chicago, he joined D’Arcy Masius Benton & Bowles in St. Louis as a vice president/associate creative director and later joined LHC (now Mullen) where he served as a creative director.
Mike's 25-year career has garnered industry recognition in award shows and trade publications but his finest career achievement to date has been the success of Wildfire, which he co-founded with Brad Bennett over seven years ago and today employs 36 people.
01.12.10
Stripping Away Bad Management, Distractions and Politics
If you have a degree in what field is it? I received a degree in communication arts from the Central Academy of Commercial Arts, Cincinnati, Ohio.
If you could choose one person to work with (outside your own agency), who would it be? Call me old school but Tom McElligott, back in the day, would have been great.
Who was the client for your first advertising project? My first client was Kraft. I did this really terrible newspaper ad with floating slices of Oscar Mayer bologna.
If you were to change professions, what would you choose to do? I actually explored the idea of another profession when I got frustrated with the last agency I worked for. I looked through entrepreneur magazines for different franchise possibilities and so on, but never came up with anything that clicked with me. I also couldn’t think of many fields that challenge you to develop something new every single day. We’re extraordinarily lucky in that way when you think about it. My search helped me discover that I truly enjoy the work and the challenges that come with it—once you strip away the bad management, distractions and politics that can make it so unenjoyable.
What do you consider to be the greatest headline of all time? There have been far too many great headlines and concepts over the years to pick just one. My roots are in art direction, so I’m going to really cop-out on this one and say that I tend to like strong visual concepts that speak for themselves regardless of the headline.
From where do your best ideas originate? All around me. People, places, things. You’d be surprised at how often ideas are basically handed to you when you’re receptive and observant of your surroundings. I was with my three-year-old one morning looking out his second-story bedroom window when he blurted out, “a thermometer.” I looked around and there was no thermometer in sight. He said it again pointing out the window and I finally got it. We lived on the end of a cul-de-sac and he was referring to the shape that the road and round end of the cul-de-sac made. It blew my mind that he’d put two-and-two together at such a young age.
How do you overcome a creative block? I walk away from it for a while and focus on something entirely unrelated, while the creative challenge swims around in my subconscious. I also flip through creative publications like CA for inspiration.
If you could choose any product to create an ad for, what would it be? I’d have to say Krispy-Kreme Doughnuts. It’s a home town brand, but more importantly, it’s a great product with true marketing potential that has yet to be tapped.
Do you have creative outlets other than advertising? I honestly have to say that I do not. My company is known for its many different creative disciplines, so I don’t feel the need to fill a creative void outside of the office.
What’s your approach to balancing work and life? I can write a book on this topic. My partner and I are sticklers about efficiency and making time for our families. The inefficiencies of agencies we once worked for used to drive us nuts. We utilize every minute of the day and we have very few meetings. Combine this with a divide and conquer, decisive style of management and you end up with reasonable work hours, because we’re not wasting the time of our staff or our clients. This by no means is meant to imply that we’re a nine-to-five company—anyone worth their salt in this industry is constantly on the lookout for ways of improving their craft or discovering the next great idea, whether it’s within four walls or walking down the street.
What product/gadget can you not live without? Anything hygiene related. Especially when it has to do with my mouth. I watch the show Survivor every now and then and wonder how the heck these people go 30 days without properly brushing or flossing their teeth.
What’s your favorite quote? “The three great essentials to achieve anything worth while are, first, hard work; second, stick-to-itiveness; third, common sense.” —Thomas Alva Edison. I’m a big believer in all three, but especially common sense; I’ll take it over an Ivy League education with no common sense any day.
Do you have any advice for people just entering the profession? Lots. Too much to get into here without boring everyone to tears, but here’s a thought or two: For creative people, take time to understand the business of the business of marketing; it will save you much angst and frustration once you understand the business decisions driving the remarks being made about your work by account folks and clients. Keep in mind that you’re developing something for the masses, not just yourself; hundreds, thousands, sometimes millions, of people will ultimately need to be moved in some way, shape or form by what you create. Turn off the defensive ear and listen, truly listen, then judge for yourself whether what you’re hearing makes sense; common sense must outweigh your ego.
What’s one thing you wish you knew when you started your career? I wish I knew that I didn’t know anything right out of school. I made an ass out of myself many times over due to my blind, youthful arrogance.