Getting to know... Ollie Patterson

In the latest instalment of Bdaily’s Then and now... series, Ollie Patterson, managing director at Leicester-based creative agency Mynt, reveals how he has moved from recreating television adverts as a child to making brand campaigns, learning the value of hard work in a Michelin-starred kitchen and why human input will remain incredibly valuable in a technology-led world.

You’re managing director at Mynt. What does your role entail?

My role covers everything.

One minute, I’m pitching to a potential client, the next I’m checking in with our team, reviewing creative work, looking at forecasts, interviewing or getting involved in our own marketing.

Only a few days ago, for example, I was handwriting notes to businesses I’d love us to work with.

The next day, we were pitching to a global brand.

Shortly afterwards, I was informed the office toaster had broken – naturally, that became my problem too.

Did you always want to work in the design and advertising sector? Or did you have other ambitions when you were growing up?

I was certain I was going to play for Leicester City until I had to confront the fact I wasn’t particularly good at football.

But creativity was always there.

When my sister and I were kids, we used to recreate TV adverts.

This was way before social media or the internet, so I like to think we were very early content creators, albeit with an audience consisting exclusively of our parents.

Now we genuinely do make TV campaigns, along with brands, content and advertising that get seen around the world.

The fundamental motivation hasn’t changed, the audience has just got bigger.

What was your first job – and did you enjoy it?

My uncle is a Michelin-starred chef; when I was 16, I went to work with him in the kitchen for the summer. 

Naively, I thought this sounded glamorous, but I quickly realised my role involved washing an endless supply of pots.

It was genuinely back-breaking and gave me an early understanding of what hard work entails.

Were there any mentors or individuals that helped shape your career? And are you still applying lessons you learned then to your workforce of today?

I’ve worked with my dad since 2009 and watched him build Mynt into the agency it is today.

I’ve learned persistence, hard work and agility from him.

Our chief creative officer Bill Warren has influenced me in a completely different way.

He’s taught me not to react immediately, giving people space and sleeping on a decision.

I’ve probably ended up somewhere between the two: my dad’s commercial drive and refusal to give up, tempered by Bill’s ability to remain calm.

What attracted you to the design and advertising sector?

The Coca-Cola Christmas truck advert – it is the epitome of Christmas excitement.

The ridiculous thing is, though, that I don’t even really like Coke – I drink Pepsi Max.

Yet every Christmas, I see that truck and suddenly I quite fancy a Coca-Cola.

If you can make somebody emotionally attached to a product they don’t even normally choose, that’s good advertising.

How do you feel you’ve changed as a person over the years? Have career roles brought new dimensions to your personality?

I started at Mynt as the part-time cleaner and, 17 years later, I’m the managing director.

I’ve quite literally worked my way from the ground up.

There aren’t many parts of the agency to which I haven’t been exposed.

I understand the creative side, but I also understand the commercial realities and the important elements to keep an independent company alive and growing.

You’ve seen many changes to the employment world across your career – how do you see the workplace evolving in years to come?

One of the most interesting things is the value of experienced people coming back into focus.

Their judgement, attention to detail and ability to spot a problem before it becomes a problem are incredibly valuable.

At the other end of the spectrum, we’ve got young people desperate to get into the industry who are finding it incredibly difficult. 

The future workplace needs both: young people being given a genuine route in and experienced people being reminded their knowledge hasn’t suddenly expired because somebody invented ChatGPT. 

Technology will keep changing.

Good judgement, curiosity, experience and people skills are going to be much harder to automate.

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