Advancer spotlight: Morten Olsen
Advancer spotlight: Morten Olsen
When walking through the Advance office, it’s never a mystery where Morten Olsen has spent his day working. The giveaway—meeting room walls covered from floor to ceiling with sketches, storyboards, and visualisations—is a surefire sign that the Art Director and Concept Developer has been hard at work together with his team to bring their creative ideas to fruition.
It’s no wonder that Morten’s nickname is “the man with the crayons” (although he does admit that the crayons tend to be digital nowadays). What’s more impressive, though, is to watch these sketches evolve into full-fledged visual identities for successful global campaigns. It’s a process that takes both creativity and a collaborative mindset—two of the key traits that recently led Morten to be nominated as Advancer of the Year.
“The Advancer of the Year award is our way of celebrating a colleague who has done a standout job of contributing to their teams and keeping up the Advance culture,” says Co-CEO Ann-Louise. “One of our core values is collaboration, and Morten goes above and beyond to collaborate with team members and clients alike to achieve great results. His creativity and open-mindedness are a great source of inspiration for many of us at the agency, so his nomination this year is very well-deserved!”
We sat down for a quick Q&A with Morten to hear what teamwork means to him and what fuels his creative flame.
First, a bit of background: when did you discover your passion for art direction?
I’ve been working in the industry for 23 years now, but I can honestly trace it way back to when I was a teenager. In the 9th grade, our teacher asked us where we could see ourselves in 10 years, and I answered with "reklametegner". There’s no English equivalent for the word, but it directly translates to "drawer of ads", so I guess I already knew at that point that I wanted to be a part of the industry.
You work mostly with MedTech clients. How did this become your area of expertise?
I started off my career working in MedTech and Pharma communication, but after a few years I wanted to try something different, so I switched to FMCG (Fast-Moving Consumer Goods) clients. I quickly began missing MedTech, though. When working with clients like Coloplast, I love the challenge of turning difficult or complex topics into something that makes sense for, and resonates with, the audience. It’s also an industry that feels meaningful to work with, so when I got the chance to switch back to MedTech, I jumped on it. It felt like coming home.
“I love the challenge of turning difficult or complex topics into something that makes sense for, and resonates with, the audience.”
How do you go about carrying out these projects with your team?
We’re always working to translate complex ideas into universal storylines, and that requires a team of great minds. I cover the visual side of things, but it’s equally important to get the wording just right, to make sure that the production aligns with our vision, and, of course to stay on course with what’s requested and when it needs to be delivered. It takes teamwork to turn sketches into realities!
What part of the Advance culture nurtures this teamwork?
After more than 20 years in the industry, I can truly say that the culture at Advance is unique. It’s hard to put into words, but I guess you could say it boils down to having a shared attitude and mindset. People are always working hard, but they’re not working just to check the boxes. Sure, things can get hectic when there’s deadlines to meet, but even at the busiest times I get the feeling that we’re working together towards a common goal. That’s really motivating.
What’s your go-to source of creative inspiration?
Music. I’ve got my headphones on most of the time and mostly listen to heavy metal, but I love exploring different styles of music. According to Spotify, I listened to 250 different genres last year! Also, since I’m a visual guy, I find music videos and movie trailers very inspiring. There’s always an interesting angle to discover when someone only has a few minutes to create a story arc.
“There’s always an interesting angle to discover when someone only has a few minutes to create a story arc.”
If you look at your phone right now, what’s the last song you listened to?
Oh, it’s a great one! It’s the song Drop by a band called L'Entourloop, and it’s a mixture of reggae and electronic music. It’s fantastic.
One final question: what’s the most recent thing that inspired you?
It is essential for me to start my day with coffee, and there’s been a recent trend at the office where a few colleagues—including myself—have started brewing filter coffee in the mornings. We have an espresso machine in the canteen too, but the fresh coffee is gaining popularity. It’s become a bit of a subculture: colleagues take a moment to say good morning, have a chat, and it’s an inspiring way to start the day.
For an extra dose of inspiration, check out one of Morten’s all-time favorite music videos here.