Meet Mike Hesse | Owner and Head of Creative at Dorothy

We had the good fortune of connecting with Mike Hesse and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Mike, what’s the most important lesson your business/career has taught you?

Hi – thanks for having me. One thing I learned over the years working in several creative agencies: If you truly want to do amazing work as a creative, work that has a lasting impact, having the best idea, the best design, the best story – unfortunately – is not enough. You’ll also have to… sell it.

Yes, I said it – you have to be a Salesperson. As you can imagine, that’s the last thing a creative wants to hear. But if you believe a thing you are working on will actually make a difference, it is almost your responsibility to bring all arguments for it to the table. And that’s what selling means. This not only forces you to step out of your comfort zone as an artist, but it requires a certain amount of courage – going against the client while trusting your instincts. And above all – you need persistence. The strongest idea will not make it through the rounds otherwise. Sure, you can ignore all of this (and believe me, I tried). But you’ll be very disappointed, very soon…

What should our readers know about your business?

“Your 5 year goals slashed in 6 months!”, “Award-winning hyper-creative innovators catapult your brand into the Metaverse!”, “One of a kind formula disrupts the industry!”

Quite a few agencies (and marketing departments for that matter) are really (really) convinced that they do wonders when selling their services or products. Having worked in both, I’m certainly guilty of writing these things.

And sure, sometimes someone actually creates something truly new. But usually – when you pull back the curtain – things are less shiny. It’s a bit like in The Wizard of Oz – for all the machinery and tricks in the world, the wizard can’t just fabricate magic. Dorothy on the other hand didn’t need smoke and mirrors. She was simply there, being human. Helping her friends with empathy and optimism, ultimately making them discover their own strengths.

This is – you noticed – where our name came from and also how we like to see our relationships with clients. Going beyond some fancy buzzwords, and putting in the work (and love) necessary to discover new things – in a collaborative way. We basically approach everything ‘human first’ – that goes for projects, brands and especially for our team. Everyone who works with us knows they aren’t just clients or employees. They’re family. And so the work that they do – the work we do – is never about proving oneself or justifying one’s worth. It’s about creating something special together. Oftentimes you see a brand or agency hollowed out because key talent or clients leave for a – supposedly – better place. We’re working hard everyday to ensure that that place is us…

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?

This actually just happened, so I’m probably over prepared for this one… Anyway, here is my perfect LA week:

Monday – start the week with soul, at the Short Stop on Sunset.

Tuesday – IF you reserved three months in advance, dine at Horses. And if not, go to TOI close by – you might have more fun anyway.

Wednesday – take the motorcycle to some dive bars – such as the cinema bar.

Thursday – begin the night with dinner at Grandmaster Recorder. Go to a bar after, at Grandmaster Recorder.  End up at the club, at Grandmaster Recorder.

Friday – listening sessions of Sheep’s Clothing Hi-Fi, often at Neue House.

Weekend – GTFO of the city and hit the Mountains around Topanga – Sundays with live music at Endless Color.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?

This might be a bit… unconventional, but I guess I have to thank KNSK, the German agency responsible for Lucky Strike’s late 80s campaign.

Other kids had rockstars or spaceships on their walls – I had Lucky ads. Their simplicity, rebellious attitude and razor sharp wit was wild, funny and above all – disturbing. That just spoke to me. Still does. It made me want to do exactly that for a living. Plus, the advertising world at the time was (comparatively) glamorous – there were awards, young creatives became mini-celebrities… All that sounded pretty cool to 12-year-old me. And as there is no Hollywood in Germany – creating TV commercials was as close as we could get.

I’m still not smoking though…

Website: www.dorothy-creative.com

Instagram: dorothy_creative.com

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-hesse-9b428012