Mirco Pagano

I was born on July 11, 1983, in Monza, Italy, at exactly eight o’clock, laughing more than crying.
A sign, perhaps, that I hadn’t realized I was in Italy.
My life changed when I asked myself a seemingly silly question: why is the “Omino Bianco” (White Little Man) named that when he’s clearly black? No one paid attention.
In search of an answer, I ventured into the world of advertising. I found it absurd, and for that reason, I fell in love with it.
After completing a Master’s in Copywriting at the Accademia di Comunicazione in Milan, I joined Armando Testa, where I worked with clients such as Corriere della Sera, Baci Perugina, Birra Moretti.
Later, at TBWA\ITALIA, together with Moreno De Turco, I conceived and curated the Piracy exhibition, which inaugurated First Floor Under, TBWA’s event space, as well as the Smok-Ink exhibition, the most recent one to date. Thanks to these and other projects, we’ve earned more than 100 national and international awards at the most prestigious competitions. And the hunger is still there.
Over the years, I’ve worked for clients like Adidas, BNL BNP Paribas, Corriere della Sera, ENI, Beko, Iliad, McDonald’s, Nissan, Nivea, Sky, Wired and many more.
Today, I am Chief Creative Officer at TBWA, and I still haven’t solved the mystery of the Omino Bianco.
I’m terrified of flying, yet I fly all the time. Which might sound weird but is actually a pretty good summary of who I am and how I am.