Joseph Ogunmokun, Super Person

Producer at Mother

Joseph Ogunmokun’s advertising career began in the summer of 2012, the same year as the London Olympics and a time he jokingly describes as “the peak of our powers”. But work for Joseph – who’s now a Producer at Mother – started long before this. He landed his first job in his teens, after his mum was sectioned and he was kicked out of school and forced to fend for himself – an experience he’s reflected on more as time goes by. “I defaulted to autopilot in order to survive for me, my mum, and my younger brother,” he says. “I don’t remember how I ate, how bills were paid… all I remember was I would go to work, go to the hospital, come home, and I repeated that for a couple of years.

“It was a lot of responsibility, but I’ve come to terms with it. It allows me to share a sense of empathy as a human being for other people and walk through life with an understanding that you don’t know what anyone else is going through, and you should treat people with kindness and consideration. It’s the lessons I was taught anyway, but when you go through these sorts of things, it gives you an even gentler way of applying that practice.”

Life had a few more twists and turns for Joseph before he was inducted into adland, including a stint on an event management degree, work experience at a boutique comms company in London, and some time spent in Cape Town, working at a friend’s family’s nightclub. Joseph left the city in 2010 and returned to find London still mired in the financial crisis. He spent a few years working as a removal man before taking a junior production role at Grey, where he learned his craft before moving onto Havas and then Mother.

“It’s incredible that there are people who are such great communicators, and tell stories within this medium of advertising,” he says. “As a Producer, and therefore their facilitator, I’m always impressed by what they’re able to do, particularly at Mother. There’s a sincerity in terms of how we bring things to life, and weave real life into what could be the mundanity of advertising. That’s where the real skill and craft comes, because it’s very easy to make an ad and just say, “Hey, I’m going to sell you x, y and z, and you should buy it. It’s how you elevate that into something that’s emotive.”

Emotion and connection is all-important for Joseph, who believes wholeheartedly in the way storytelling can celebrate interconnectedness. “It’s that energy, the spirituality – in the non-religious way – of our day-to-day interactions,” he explains. It’s something that carries deep personal resonance for him, having been the only person of colour in the production department at the start of his career. He says things have definitely improved since then, but explains that he often felt he was lacking “invisible skills” – for example the ability to understand and navigate the secret politics of things. “I think I’d always been quite observant and aware of situations, and going through my life experiences gave me an immediate sense of maturity,” he says. “When one is dealing with hierarchies, particularly when you’re young and inexperienced, that maturity, and challenging your peers and superiors, can land you in a bit of trouble and at times it did.”

Now, Joseph is keen to help the next generation of creatives thrive, and he wants to do so with as much empathy as possible. “I truly believe that my attitude in terms of being kind and sincere has allowed me to move through this industry. What I would like to do in some shape or form is cast that energetic field onto future generations. I see myself as a facilitator, and I will always do my utmost to help create and facilitate stories and ideas.”

Interview by: Emma Tucker

PITCH SUPER ALUMNI 2023