With over twenty-five years of experience leading creative operations for industry giants such as PROACTIV, IT COSMETICS and SEROVITAL, Mike Thomas is well-known for his deep knowledge and expertise in creative ideation, direction and brand innovation. Currently the Vice President of Creative Development at Meaningful Beauty, LLC, Mike’s career spans across entertainment, beauty, and consumer goods, where he has consistently delivered innovative and compelling creative solutions that consistently exceed organizational goals.
In his current role, Mike has managed an in-house team of 8 and an external team of 20+, including designers, creative directors, art directors, photographers, copywriters, video directors, digital asset managers and project managers. He has led his company through a comprehensive brand refresh, including a full end-to-end redesign of the brand’s identity, product packaging, multi-channel ad campaign, e-commerce website and a fully re-imagined Amazon retail experience.
Mike is a strong leader who believes in building high-performance, best-in-class teams through trust, mentorship and recognition. He has been sought out by CEOs repeatedly to come lead their internal creative teams due to his vast creative skill set, his insight and acuity in identifying creative gaps in brand platforms, his ability to work alongside the C-suite and understand the strategic goals of the organization, his ability to deliver highly effective creative campaigns and assets to propel brands to elevated levels of success as well as his incredible work ethic.
Mike’s journey began at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations. His career kicked off in the entertainment industry as a Theatrical Public & Talent Relations Coordinator at Dennis Davidson and Associates, managing talent and publicity for international film campaigns. Building on this foundation in entertainment, Mike later transitioned to digital photography at Disney, where he took on directing the studio’s digital photography needs including all set and location photo shoots and on-air promotional campaigns for the company’s television series.
In 2000, Mike joined Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment as an in-house graphic designer where he designed key art and collateral for all of Fox’s new releases and their extensive catalog of feature films. In 2006, he was promoted to Creative Director, Acquisitions and in 2008, Executive Creative Director, International New Release. In this capacity, he spearheaded the development of creative materials, managed branding initiatives, directed dynamic key art and packaging and played a pivotal role in securing major licensing agreements. His leadership extended to campaign management, event coordination, and guiding large creative teams.
Mike entered the beauty and direct-to-consumer space in 2012 when he joined Guthy-Renker. There, he managed daily creative operations for over 20 brands, including Proactiv, WEN Haircare, and Cindy Crawford’s Meaningful Beauty. Leading a team of more than 25 creative professionals, Mike drove high-profile initiatives and contributed to significant departmental growth.
In 2015, Mike relocated to Salt Lake City to lead creative operations at Cricut. Overseeing a multidisciplinary team, he guided the development of digital, print, and handmade creative elements, while managing cross-functional projects spanning retail, product marketing, and content creation.
In 2017, eager to return to the beauty industry, Mike joined the marketing team at Basic Research. He played a key role in evolving the company’s strategy from traditional infomercial tactics to modern brand-building, customer engagement, and digital media approaches. His creative direction touched everything from branding and packaging to broadcast television.
After returning to Los Angeles in 2019, Mike took on a leadership role at Scale Media, managing a portfolio of over 80 health and beauty products. Just eight days into his new role, the world went into lockdown. Despite the challenges of the pandemic, Mike continued to provide freelance services through his LLC, MTCD, until the CEO of Cindy Crawford’s Meaningful Beauty invited him to come join the executive team and lead all creative exclusively for the brand in 2022.
Mike’s career has been defined by a passion for innovative design, consumer-focused experiences, and a deep understanding of evolving markets. His expertise across print, broadcast, and digital mediums makes him a sought-after creative leader in fast-paced, ever-changing industries.
“Michael Thomas is one of the strongest creative directors I know. He thoroughly understands the objective of any project and with effective communication and detail-oriented management guides his team and agencies to outstanding results. He has vision, he is articulate, he is thorough, and he is a true pleasure to work with. He is an asset to any team he chooses to join.”
