Director of Newcastle-based digital creative agency, Headjam, has celebrated 50 years working in advertising.
Mike Preston became Executive Creative Director of Headjam in August 2014 and alongside a team of 13 people, continues to develop campaigns, community engagement projects, branding and digital executions for clients across the nation.
At 70, Mike is one of the industry’s most progressive. He has vast experience in social marketing and has worked on many campaigns for the private, not for profit and public sectors where he has collaborated to create ways that affect change.
Some of the campaigns he has worked on over the years includes the the launch of Optus and Hahn, which are two of Australia’s longest-running campaigns.
However, it was Mike’s family that led him to create campaigns that have not only become his personal favourites, but also, some of the most effective community awareness campaigns in Australia.
Mike’s daughter lives with schizophrenia and her first psychotic attack was in 2000. Later she was diagnosed with schizophrenia in January 2001.
It was the lack of understanding and the stigma surrounding all mental illness, but especially schizophrenia that led Mike on a path that saw him create awareness campaigns that helped change the way that mental health was discussed and supported in the community.
Searching for a new challenge outside of Sydney and seeing the opportunity for lifestyle and work in Newcastle, Mike took a Creative Director role at Peach and moved up with his family in 2007.
“Newcastle’s strong design and art community attracted me to the region. The city was changing, and the community was diversifying – a great combination for creativity,” he said.
It was a campaign in the mental health space that led him to his current role with Luke Kellett and Sarah Cook and the team at Newcastle based creative agency Headjam.
Mike was collaborating with Headjam under his own business called Creatives Co-op, where a number of discussions about shared values and a passion for the areas of health, community, education and the arts happened.
Mike’s curiousness and grace at adapting technologies means that he isn’t scared of things that are new.
“Sometimes we forget that technology doesn’t change the fundamentals of human communication, they’re all just new avenues with new bells and whistles, but the idea that reaches the audience, that resonates with them is the gold and that hasn’t changed.
“I am so excited about the future of the creative sector. We have a tremendous opportunity to lead and create real change whether it’s about our environment, health or community spirit,” he said.
IMAGE | Sarah Cook, Luke Kellett and Mike Preston (left-right)