1. Describe what you do in 3 words.
M: I am the Creative Director and co-founder of RXM Creative, a boutique agency based in New York.
2. Your hobby?
M: Writing. Puns, articles, lyrics, captions, funny texts. I like to write. It clears my head and cleanses my soul.
3. Your background: where did you grow up, school, formation.
M: I am born in Bucharest, Romania. I went to the Gheorghe Lazar high school and then to SNSPA – Advertising & PR. I also went to the University of Philosophy for 1 year.
4. What is your daily trigger?
M: Coffee I suppose. I make myself go to the gym by tricking myself that I will get a super good coffee on the way.
5. What do you think design management stands for?
M: I am not sure what that means. I manage people – creative teams and the rest of the team, but never quite use the term Design Management. I supposed it refers to managing the process of designing something. Which I somehow do, just call it differently or nothing at all.
6. How important do you think design is in business?
M: Design is everything. Apple, for instance, is all design. So many new brands and startups are succeeding because they nail design – they have a hipster, contemporary, intuitive design. Design is aesthetic and functional at the same time. It’s such a subtle and crucial discipline in pretty much everything. From designing a brand, a business or one’s life.
7. Coffee or tea? Beer or Wine?
M: Coffee and wine, of course.
8. Why do you think the world and all companies needs design for?
M: The image of the company is design. It tells you everything you need to know about the company from the first second you enter the website or see a logo or a business card. The structure of a company is also a design piece. An intentional mechanism deisgned to be efficient, functional and profitable. The culture of the agency is design. It shapes the feeling of the agency and a lot of times it dictates its future.
9. Your biggest achievement yet?
M: I don’t feel I’ve yet achieved anything truly significant. And that keeps me going.
10. If you could have one dinner with anyone in the world, who would it be and why?
M: Bill Murray, because he seems so intelligent that it makes him sad.
11. The first 3 things you notice about a person in a meeting?
M: The charisma – is that person charming or not. If not, every meeting feels long. Is that person genuine or not. We all have a bullshit radar, and mine was perfected in all kinds of meetings. Is that person good-looking – well dressed, well kept, naturally attractive.
12. What would you tell your 10-years-ago self?
M: You won’t be a millionaire 10 years from now so you might as well make sure you only do what you love.
13. If you wrote a book, what would be the title?
M: Might as well.
14. Five things you couldn’t live without.
M: Family, friends, Romania, writing, nature.
15. The most important quality of yours that brought you where you are right now.
M: The ability to bullshit my way through life.
16. I couldn’t have done it without…
M: Dan Moldovan, aka Pilu. My first Creative Director at Ogilvy Bucharest who gave me a chance despite my pathetic job application. The most passionate, compassionate and lovely person I’ve yet to meet. He sadly passed away a few years ago. He was only in his mid thirties.