Creative Concepts

What’s this course about?

Now-a-days, great advertising can be anything from a TV spot to a Bus Wrap to a viral video to a smart phone app to announcing that you will be closed on Black Friday (Thanks REI). But the one thing that all great advertising has in common is that it looks at the world from a different angle. And that can be taught. That’s what this course will do.

We’ll discuss ways to think about problems from various angles, push solutions beyond the obvious and combine creativity with strategy to develop concepts that give birth to powerful, engaging, exciting ad like objects.

Each class will provide a chance to share and discuss your work with your instructors and your peers, as well as perhaps hear from occasional guest speakers from related disciplines such as digital, and social.

Classes meet once a week in the evening for two hours over a period of eight consecutive weeks. Themes that will be explored:

• How to use a creative brief
• Concepting: Getting started and keeping it going
• Refining ideas into campaign concepts
• The power of collaboration
• Putting together a solid portfolio

Who will be teaching the course?

Steve Mietelski

Managing Partner / Chief Creative Officer

The Fantastical

Steve made a name in this business by immersing himself deeply in the subject at hand, from learning the nuances of over 60 beers even though he doesn’t like beer, sitting in on customer service calls at Zappos.com, getting up at 4am to ride along with golf course superintendents to learning over 13 cultural nuances when he ran the Asia Pacific region for Hewlett-Packard.

Steve has helped shape relevant brands by being shaped by their relevant target.

He’s increased market share and won awards for clients such as Sam Adams, Society of Grownups, Zappos.com, Panera Bread, Olympus Cameras, Nextel, Boeri helmets, Eos Airlines, Fortune magazine, Levi’s, Kia, HP and Nissan to name a few. He’s also worked at tier 1 agencies like Mullen, Chiat Day and Hal Riney.

He and Michael started The Fantastical in 2012, but they have been a team for too many years to count (okay 18) and have consistently created a body of work known and respected by an entire industry.

The only thing Steve can’t write well are Bios written in the third person. He’s feels like he’s writing his obituary.

The end.

Michael Ancevic

Managing Partner / Chief Creative Officer

The Fantastical

Michael has helped shape strategy and creative, as well as the look and feel for global and regional brands for over two decades. He works to develop a deep understanding of his clients’ brands, and he then uses that knowledge to drive creativity and innovation. Michael is truly a brand curator, uniquely balancing the modern brand-building world with the ever-changing modern digital world. This highly integrated brand-building approach allows him to comfortably work across all channels from digital, social, TV and print — and has helped establish and build enduring campaigns for many brands.

Michael is both a leader and a doer, with extensive knowledge and experience across a multitude of categories. He’s led work for Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts, Google, TripAdvisor, Timberland, Olympus cameras, ’47 Brand, Sam Adams, Panera Bread, XM Satellite Radio, The International Olympic Committee, Fortune Magazine, JJill, The US Military, NPR/Car Talk, GM Credit Card, Monster.com, EOS Airlines, Ad Council’s National Buzzed Driving, GM and Nextel.

Michael has won multiple awards from every major show across all categories. Prior to co-founding the Fantastical, Michael was SVP Creative Director at Mullen Boston for over a decade. He’s also worked at McCann San Francisco and Cramer Krasselt in the Midwest.