Executive Creative Director Mike John Otto

I HELP FORWARD THINKING BRANDS TO STAY AHEAD OF CULTURE BY CREATING NARRATIVE EXPERIENCES THAT ATTRACT & CONVERT HUMANS INTRO FOLLOWERS.

HI, I’M M/KE

Executive Creative Director and Creative Lead, AI Consultant and AI-Artist based in Hamburg and Berlin.

My artistic practice often blurs the boundaries between commercial work and artistic innovation projects, always at the intersection of people and society. I am a designer, storyteller and creative technologist – I work at the intersection of brands, culture and technology. What interests me: How can we combine narratives with new technologies to create brand-relevant innovations – with real impact for customers and business.

CULTURE-DRIVEN NARRATIVE EXPERIENCES

I believe in the power of the image. It is the great narratives and images that stay with us. Epic images are as powerful as ever, despite all the floods of information. The power of the image plays just as big a role in politics as it does in pop culture, advertising or art. I call this type of creation Culture -Driven Creativity.
It incorporates artistic thinking and references from all conceivable sub & pop – cultural inputs to develop the unseen and as yet untold or re-mix it in a total new narrative experience.

The focus of my work lies in the triage of Design, Narrative Brand Experiences with a strong (pop)-cultural input and newest Technologies. I believe in the power of the image. It is the great narratives and images that stay with us. Epic images are as powerful as ever, despite all the floods of information. The power of the image plays just as big a role in politics as it does in pop culture, advertising or art.

No matter for which client I am working, I believe that everybody should have it’s own purpose, a north star to follow. Mine is to help forward thinking brands to change by creating culture driven narrative brand experiences that convert humans into brand fans.

NARRATIVE EXPERIENCES IN THE AGE OF AI


I work a lot with AI Tools and do AI Consultancy to advise clients on using AI not just for speed, but for real value — helping them unlock innovation & transformation and deliver meaningful, lasting results. The most valuable skill won’t be fast producing — it will be choosing what goes into production and the final result. Choosing the idea that matters. Choosing the detail that transforms. Choosing the story that resonates. AI without direction is just noise.

I do AI Consultancy and advise clients on using AI not just for speed, but for real value — helping them unlock deeper creativity, drive innovation, and deliver meaningful, lasting results. The most valuable skill won’t be fast producing — it will be choosing what goes into production and the final result.

ART & TECH

Besides being a Creative I am an Artist. In my creative tech inspire Art I transform fragments of design, moodboards, styleframes and layouts I do into analog Art Pieces. Most of the Work is a mixed media between sketches, painting and using a drawing robot that is controlled with processing scripts and feeded with assets of my commercial work. Each piece is a unique work. I do exhibitions across europe. I believe in „Freiheit statt Freizeit“ (a quote by Joseph Beuys). That is why I see my studio and commercial work as one part of my story and my Art as the other part. Both are able to survive and co-influence side by side. Follow the work @mikejohnotto

GET IN TOUCH

Download my Deck for additional information.

Deck as PDF.

CLIENTS I WORKED FOR

adidas / Audi / AMG / Armed Angels / Astra / BMW / BMW Motorrad / Bundesliga / Bentley / Bacardi / Chanel / Cupra / DFB / Diesel / GotBag / Fossil / Fc Chelsea / Fc St Pauli / Gucci / iF Design / Hyundai / Jägermeister / MINI / Montblanc / Neom / Opel / O2 / Polestar / Pringles / Rimowa / Real Madrid / Sennheiser / Suse / Seat / Siemens / smart / Telekom / Telefonica / Y-3 /

What previous COLLEAGUES and clients say
Martin Gassner – Managing Director at Accenture Song
Uwe Greunke – Global Brand Manager at Sennheiser Electronics.
Katy Kelsey – Global Marketing Manager at Fossil Group.
Kai Stöcker – Business Director Production at Media Monks.
Jessika Petrusch – Director Global Brand at Sennheiser.
Uwe Cremering – CEO at iF Design.
CAREER

2023-2025 Partner & ECD, Artificial Rome

2019-2023 CCO, Deloitte Digital

2019-2022 ECD, ACNE

2018-now Founder, Blackbeltmonkey Collective

2014-2018 MD & ECD, Philipp und Keuntje

2011-2013 MD & ECD, Hi-ReS!

2008-2011 Founder & ECD, Blackbeltmonkey Studio

2004 -2008 Creative Director, Interone (BBDO)

2003 AD, elephant seven (Springer & Jacoby)

2000-2002 Art Director, razorfish

In addition to my work in agencies, I also worked as a lecturer at:

2011-2017 Münster School of Design
(FH Design Münster)
2013 Brand Academy Hamburg.
2007-2009 Design Factory International

Awards & JURY MEMBER

During my Career I won over 200 awards such as Cannes Lions, ADC, D&AD, LIAA, Epica, Eurobest, iF Design Awards, Red Dot, DDA, FWA, and many more.

I judged several times at Cannes Lions Mobile, Cannes Lions Cyber, Eurobest, ADC, iF Design Awards and Deutscher Digital Award.

Art EXHIBITIONS

26 – 28.09.2025 HAAM Art Exhibition, Hamburg

15.12.2022 Part of Markenfilm Art Exhibition, Markenfilm Hamburg

30.11.2018 Part of Tabula Rasa, Oberfett Gallery Hamburg

01.12.2017 Part of Tabula Rasa, Oberfett Gallery Hamburg

28.09.2017 Bots and Cars Exhibition, Island Gallery Hamburg

06.04.2017 Mike | Bot, Oberfett Gallery Hamburg

09/10.07.2015 The Extra Hour Cube XH Collective Hamburg

MY SKILLS & OFFERING


Creative Lead
Creative & Art Direction
AI Supervison
Prompt Artist
Creative Consultancy
Brand Strategy
Immersive Experiences
AR/VR Concepts
Web 3 & Metaverses Concepts
Brand Building/Shaping
Purpose Based Marketing
Narrative Brand Experiences
Digital Campaigns
Styleframes & Epic Looks
Ideation and Workshops
Purpose Based Branding
Product Development
(pop) -Culture Driven Stories
Brand Experiences
Branded Content


CONTACT


+49 173 62 12172
motto (at) mikejohnotto.com
Follow me @mikejohnotto

Hamburg:
Mike John Otto
Bismarckstrasse 60
20259 Hamburg, Germany

Berlin:
Mike John Otto
Yorckstrasse 82
10965 Berlin, Germany

VISIT ME ON SOCIAL PLATFORMS

Linkedin
Instagram

OTHER LINKS WORTH A VISIT

Please visit the Blackbeltmonkey- Book a Coach, Me on Linkedin on Behance or Vimeo