Senior STRATEGIC
& Creative Partner
The ad industry is in flux. If you're looking for stable, direct access to senior expertise without navigating agency politics or uncertainty, that's exactly what I offer. I’ve work with government agencies like NZTA, Te Puni Kōkiri, and NZ Human Rights Commission to create campaigns that change behaviour and save lives. You get proven cultural competency with Māori and Pasifika communities, Wellington-based collaboration, and 20+ years of senior strategic and creative expertise directly applied to your problem—no account managers, no junior teams, no merger chaos. With over 100 international awards, I bring the expertise government agencies need without the overhead they're tired of paying for.
THE CAMPAIGN THAT SAVED LIVES AND BECOME CULTURAL CURRENCY
Awareness: The ad achieved 90% prompted awareness across the entire New Zealand population, far exceeding the typical reach for a government safety campaign..
Viral Reach: It received over 100,000 YouTube views in its first six days and hit 1 million views within two weeks—at the time, the fastest-growing New Zealand ad ever.
Road Safety Impact: While direct attribution is difficult, the campaign was credited as a major factor in a 50% drop in the number of teenagers caught drink-driving in the five years surrounding the campaign (2008–2013).
Engagement: A study by NZTA found that 75% of those who saw the ad said it was "likely to prevent them from driving drunk."
You can still buy Ghost Chips merch a decade on. That is some serious longevity and cultural resonance.
The Campaign That Turned Listeners Into Lifesavers
Sometimes the smartest strategy is getting out of the way and letting people speak for themselves. Radio Legends flipped the script – instead of broadcasting at audiences, they gave listeners a toll-free number to record personalised anti-drink driving messages for their own mates and family. Over 270 messages came in, 30 played on-air when callers chose, creating a user-generated campaign that felt real because it was. Result: alcohol-related deaths and serious injuries dropped to their lowest level since 2007, plus a Lion at Cannes.
Two Approaches, Same Goal: Keeping People Safe
Road safety campaigns live or die on whether people actually change their behaviour. "Don't Bail Out Just Yet" took a humorous approach, using wit to convince parents to stay involved during those critical 120 supervised hours. But "Donna Time" showed serious messaging works brilliantly when the stakes demand it – targeting families to stop drunk drivers, acknowledging messy reality (they might drink-drive themselves) while pushing them to break the cycle. The trick isn't picking humour versus serious. It's knowing your audience, understanding the behaviour you're trying to change, and choosing the tone that'll actually make them act.
SUPPORT CAMPAIGN TO STOP FAMILIES DRIVING DRUNK
AND IT’S NOT ALL SERIOUS:
Winning the internet for THE day
WITH 2 MILLION UNIQUE
VIEWS ON AN ORGANIC POST
“I worked with Mitch when he was the Creative Director at Red Engine. Mitch had a straight up approach I really appreciated. His work was always strategically sound and his creative direction ensured some of our work literally ‘broke the internet’. For example, his work on a simple April Fools post got over 2 million unique reach.”
— Renaud Frise
