Mikhail Rakov

Hi! I’m a Creative Director, Creator+Copywriter and Storyteller, who makes brand communication at the intersection of art and drama with 10+ years of experience. I lead projects from concept to the final execution of each part of a project. However, for the last 12 years, I have been leading different creative teams and developed dozens of advertising campaigns and branding and design projects.

My responsibilities are:

• Lead creative work on projects for the clients;
• Team lead & facilitator;
• Campaign ideas, creative concepts and stories;
• Building a working process;
• Manage the creative team (copy&art);
• Inspire and revealing young talents;
• Work in constant connection with account teams to ensure a campaign meets clients' needs, timing and budget;
• Oversee campaigns from production to completion including director’s bidding, storyboarding, casting, locations, mise-en-scene, video editing, CG and sound design;
• Present, or oversee presentation of final concepts to clients.

I launched campaigns for MasterCard, T-Systems, UniCredit Bank, DHL, Auchan, Scania, Mitch&Me, Orange and dozens others companies.

My works have been awarded at many International Festivals, such as Cannes Lions (1xSilver, 1xBronze, 1xShortlist), Epica Awards (2xBronze for Copywriting&Storytelling), PHNX, Red Dot Awards, ADCR, KIAF, Red Apple, White Square, Idea, SREDA, (100+ others).

Awards

Cannes Lions 2023 — 1xBronze (Radio&Audio), 1xShortlist (Radio&Audio)

Cannes Lions 2017 — 1xSilver (Design&Craft)

Epica Awards, RedDot, Lürzer's Archive, Kiev International Ads Festival, ADCR, White Square, Red Apple, Idea, PHNX, Sreda Desing Festival, (100+ others)

Clients

MasterCard, T-Systems, UniCredit Bank, Burger King, Carl's Jr., Coca Cola, DHL, Auchan, Scania, Orange, Rostelecom, Tecno, Volvo, Avionero, Ocean, Megafon, etc.

What I do

Creative Direction

Copywriting

Art Direction

Screenwriting (Drama)

Brand Strategy

Creative management

Education

2009 − 2013 | Saint Petersburg State University (Bachelor's and Master’s degree in the field of Journalism)

2004 — 2010 | Saint Petersburg State University of Culture and Art (Bachelor's and Master’s degree in the field of Arts, Graduated with High Honor)

2019 — 2020 | Mads Advertising School (Concepting)

1999 — 2004 | Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering (Bachelor of Architecture)

Work Experience

Judging

Audio & Radio > Public Interest | After the beginning of the Russian aggression against Ukraine, Russian journalists, officials, diplomats and even the President himself daily threaten to use nuclear weapons against Kyiv, Washington, London, Warsaw, Berlin and others. Last year alone, there were at least 218 such threats. In this regard, our main task was to show the Russians that when the Russian authorities threaten to launch nuclear strikes on other countries, they also threaten the Russians themselves.

(made by Tastes like Blue agency)

Role: Creative Director/Film Director/Copywriter/Screenwriter/Producer

Branding & Packaging for Ocean brand | In order to demonstrate the freshness of the product we decided to show that the consumer buys almost live fish. (made by Jekyll & Hyde agency)

Role: Creative Director/Creator/Art Director/Producer/Copywriter

Digital | Due to quarantine, all theaters in Russia were forced to close and cancel all their plays and premieres. Instead of canceling the play, the "Masterskaya" theater decided to play it, no matter what.(made by Jekyll & Hyde agency).

Role: Creative Director/Creator/Copywriter/Producer/Content maker

Print&Outdoor | An advertising campaign for Moscow international short film festival Short Shot Fest. Specially for this we wrote a couple of short unexpected stories in mini-saga style and after made them look like screenplays.(made by Jekyll & Hyde agency).

Role: Copywriter/Creative Director/Creator

TV Commercial | The dog shampoo brand Mitch&Me decided to pay tribute to all animals that suffered in the name of science. We are not able to help animals that have already died. But we can remind people of those to whom they owe their achievements. (made by Jekyll & Hyde agency).

Role: Film Director/Screenwriter/Creative Director/Copywriter/Producer

Digital & Guerrilla | Our advertising agency was looking for a Russian-speaking art director who could create cool packagings. We had no money for big ads. So, this is what we did.(made by Jekyll & Hyde agency).

Role: Creative Director/Creator/Copywriter/Art Director

Digital & Guerrilla | CGI promo for TECNO (Chinese brand of smartphones and electronics) as a part of global rebranding. (made by Jekyll & Hyde agency).

Role: Creative Director/Creator/Art Director

TV Commercial | Triazavirin Cold and Flu Medicine. The brand’s primary mission is "to help people take care of their loved ones." And in our new campaign, we show what Triazavirin means by real care. (made by Jekyll&Hyde agency).

Role: Creative Director/Copywriter/Creator

Ads campaign for UniCredit Bank | Unicredit Bank and Mastercard have a brand new product, Work&Travel business card. The main point is that the card can be used to pay all business costs and expenses and accrue "miles" in return. (made by Jekyll & Hyde agency).

Role: Creative Director/Copywriter/Creator

Branding & Communication & Packaging for Mitch & Me | In each new edition of dogs shampoos, the Mitch&Me uses only amateur photos belonging to real consumers on its packaging signed on its Instagram. And each new edition on the label there are new and new users, regardless of the pedigree of their favorites, professional images and everything else. And so again and again. And again. And again. (made by Jekyll & Hyde agency).

Role: Creative Director/Creator/Copywriter/Art Director

Digital&Print | This Halloween Mitch&Me (dog's shampoo brand) wanted to show people the real advantage of having scary big black adult "bully" breed dog. If you have one, you are lucky because no one and nothing are able to scare you anymore. Even in 2020. (made by Jekyll & Hyde agency).

Role: Creative Director/Creator/Copywriter

Advertising campaign for Mitch & Me | Mitch&Me is a brand of dog’s shampoo who in each new edition of shampoos uses amateur photos belonging to real consumers on its packaging signed on its Instagram. Now we made a limited edition package on Valentine’s day, where dogs "loves" everything they can catch — your leg, Pippi Longstocking and even a car tire. All photos of course is real and belong to real customers. (made by Jekyll & Hyde agency).

Role: Creative Director/Creator/Art Director/Copywriter

Advertising campaign for Jekyll & Hyde | Have you known that in the 1970s, people saw and heard about 500 advertisements every day? In 2005, this number increased to 5 thousand. And even then it seemed to people that this was overkill. But according to Forbes statistics for 2017, we are daily attacked now by more than 10,000 ads, and there appear more of them every day. (made by Jekyll & Hyde agency).

Role: Creative Director/Copywriter/Creator

Packaging & Naming | Concept | The base of idea is naming and play of words. We shorted the name of product from the one letter "Й", that sounds like "caviar" in Russian language. (made by Jekyll & Hyde agency).

Role: Creative Director/Creator/Art Director/Copywriter/Industrial Design

OOH & Press advertising campaign for Avionero, an online flight search service from Sweden. We needed to remind people about scheduling their summer vacations. (made by Jekyll & Hyde agency).

Role: Creative Director/Creator/Art Director/Copywriter

Packaging design for kid's sausage | The idea itself is easily read and more than obvious: sausages are very similar to inflatable balloons, from which clowns twist different animals. (made by Jekyll & Hyde agency).

Role: Creative Director/Creator/Art Director/Copywriter/Industrial Design

Advertising campaign for Nictech | Nictech Trotyl is a non-tobacco product with the extremely high level of nicotine. The idea stems from a very common Russian aphorism: "One drop of nicotine kills a horse and tears up a hamster to shreds". (made by Jekyll & Hyde agency).

Role: Creative Director/Creator/Copywriter

A concept of advertising campaign for Nictech | Not published (made by Jekyll & Hyde agency).

Role: Creative Director/Creator/Art Director/Copywriter

A brand’s joke on First April | 2019 | made by Jekyll & Hyde agency.

Role: Creative Director/Copywriter