Mo SAID

1. What was your very first job? 
My very first job was washing dishes in a cafeteria. My very first job in advertising was an internship writing ads at a small agency in Pakistan. Eventually I made my way to New York and got to work at BBDO New York. 

2. Please describe, in your own words, what your job is and what work it entails. 
I have arguably the coolest job in the world. I wake up, go to a high-rise in New York to hang out with a small family of the most interesting, smartest creative people I’ve ever come across. There, brands and artists bring us problems to solve and we come up with creative ways of solving them. We collaborate with some of the smartest people at adidas, Netflix, Savage X Fenty, Kraft Heinz, Girls Who Code and more. 

3. How did you discover that the creative world was right for you? Was there a time in your life that you credit to this discovery? What was there train of events that brought you to where you are today? 
I was a terrible student. I never did homework from 3rd grade to 12th grade. But I could spend days writing songs, making films, and designing backdrops. I was so bad at school that some teachers usually let me make mini movies in lieu of writing papers or giving presentations. Just so I would take part in class. So instead of spending an hour on a paper about Socrates, I would spend 90 hours making a film about the Socratic method. 

4. In your constantly growing and expanding industry, how do you find inspiration to keep your work fresh, innovative and relevant? 
I’m not a big ad nerd, so I don’t constantly look at award industry trades and award shows. I like getting inspiration from people, and I’m lucky that I live in a city like New York. Just a little stroll in my Chinatown neighborhood will give you about 9 different perspectives on life. There’s so much to learn about life just by watching people live it. 

5. If you had to pick one piece of work or project that you are most proud of, more for the creative work and innovation it required, rather than its recognition or industry “success,” what would it be? 
It would have to be GiveHerABreak, where we hacked the Oscars to include the female directors that were left out of the show. I loved it because we were able to see the power of an idea and the power of people coming together. We didn’t spend any money on it, and made it all in house, but still thousands of people watched our live stream and supported our campaign. It’s the perfect case study in the idea that you don’t have to pay people to watch your message, you just have to make sure the message is good.