This week, our guest on the 'Creative Legends' podcast is Mike Mathieson, CEO and founder of brand entertainment agency Cake.

Building Cake into a legendary and award-winning creative agency.

Mike started out working with bands as a record plugger and expanding into PR for music festivals where I met brands and realised it was a better outlet for creativity and the bottom line. Along with Mark Whelan and Ben Jones he founded Cake and Brand Entertainment was born. Joined by Adrian Pettett he built the agency working with global brands in PR, Experiential, Social Media and content creation.

In 2008 Cake was acquired by Havas and in 2009 a second Cake office was launched in New York. The business continued to build and in 2012 was heavily involved in high-profile campaigns for Coca-Cola, British Airways, and Eurostar at the London Olympics. 

Mike and Graham talk about:

3.05 Mike's beginning in the music industry as a plugger and the story behind his first-ever business call.

5.11 Mike talks about his move to Virgin Records and what he learned working with Janet Jackson, Soul2Soul, Cutting Crew and Paula Abdul.

6.01 How Mike took an unconventional path to working in PR and the creative tactics getting the bands noticed.

7.30 Mike recounts stories of stunts that worked including the Power of Love and a vibrator.

8.26 How Richard Branson was the master of the stunts including abseiling down a newly opening store 

9.38 Where the name Cake came from

10.20 When Mike left Virgin and started FFI - For Further Information and its alternative name known to pluggers

11.20 When Mike decided to start out on his own

12.27 How Mike started working on music festivals and learning about the process, sponsors and the importance of the brands

13.27 Mike's eureka moment!

14.02 Met Mark Whelan and Ben Jones and was working with Jim Dowling, and decided to set up Cake in 1999 all about youth culture and marketing

15.37 Brand entertainment was born! The more entertaining the sale of a product, the more successful it would be.

16.07 Mike talks about 'creativity rooted in truth', translating to the notion of 'transparency' today

17.20 Mike talks about Orange and it's creative. GLASTONBURY / TENT / LOST.