A past pupil savouring the sweet taste of success

Award-winning global creative director Mark Carolan confesses he was ‘troublesome’ at school, but his passion for art, at which he excelled, took him all over the world, working for famous agencies such as Ogilvy and Saatchi & Saatchi. Now creative director of Godiva Chocolatier, his advice to current students is: ‘Be brave, be stupid, be wild in your thinking’

Q: When did you leave RGS and what did you go on to do immediately after leaving school?

A: I bypassed A-levels entirely. I had an early inkling that my future lay in the arts, so I departed after my O-levels to enrol at Harrogate Art College. This was back in 1985, shortly after the world transitioned from black and white into colour.

Q: Where has your career path taken you since then - up to what you are doing now?

A: FollowingHarrogate, I spent two years at Bournemouth Art College. I was eventually ‘invited to leave’ after a fundamental disagreement with my illustration tutor. This proved to be a blessing in disguise, providing me with a significant head start when I relocated to London.

My career began on the graveyard shift, rendering story boards for London’s best advertising agencies.After a stint at a boutique graphic design firm, I spent a decade in the agency world before ‘upping sticks’ to travel the globe. I’ve been fortunate enough to work in some of the world’s most remarkable locations - from Sydney and Barcelona to Bali, LA, Amsterdam, and Taipei. Currently, I am the global brand and creative director for Godiva Chocolate, based in London, while maintaining a dual career as a photographer and director.

Q: What was it that inspired you to follow this path?

A: A pure obsession with the craft from an early age. I spent my Latin lessons doodling incessantly, yearning to escape the confines of the traditional classroom for the sanctuary of the art block.

Q: What have been the highlights of your career to date?

A: Rebranding and relaunching a century-old heritage brand like Godiva is a significant milestone. However, my role as creative director for Saatchi & Saatchi Los Angeles remains a particular highlight. We created and launched Toyota’s first-ever global marketing campaign for their Olympic and Paralympic sponsorship, with a dedicated mission to elevate the profile of the Paralympic Games. Documenting the stories of individuals overcoming profound physical challenges was a deeply humbling experience. Specifically, filming a Super Bowl commercial with an athlete who won eight gold medals despite being born with no legs and one arm was an absolute career pinnacle.

Q: Can you outline a typical day?

A: I oversee every creative touchpoint for the Godiva brand.This spans the spectrum from product design and packaging to store architecture in Shanghai, brand activations in Dubai, NYC shoots, and marketing launches in Istanbul.

A ‘typical’ day begins with early morning calls with the APAC team to refine our design frameworks. My afternoons are a whirlwind: collaborating with the design team on upcoming packaging, synchronising with Middle Eastern colleagues on social assets, and consulting with the global research and development team in London on product innovation. I usually conclude the day in sessions with my US colleagues.

Q: What’s the best bit about your job?

A: The fact that I’m actually paid to generate absurd ideas.

Q: And the worst?

A: The occasional, terrifying absence of those ideas. Creativity isn't a 9-to-5 role you can simply toggle on; you have to cultivate a certain level of trust that the spark will eventually ignite.

Q: What has been your greatest success?

A: Sustaining a successful career in marketing and advertising for over three decades is a substantial feat in itself. During my years in the US, I was fortunate to be among the most awarded creative directors, garnering over 120 international awards. And wearing one of my other creative caps, being flown to China byAdidastophotographtheglobalkitlaunchforManchesterUnitedwasaparticularlycoolmomentinthe sun.

Q: And biggest disaster?

A: Leaving the lens cap on during the global kit launch for Manchester United. I didn’t really. Thankfully I haven’t had any big disasters, but I’ll be back in touch when I do.

Q: What was the most important thing you learnt at RGS?

A: I wasn’t exactly a poster child for academic excellence - my old school friends will endorse this. I didn’t quite mesh with the system; at the time, RGS wasn’t necessarily tailored for ‘creative types’. I drifted through my five years there -it was enjoyable, but in hindsight, I regret not applying myself to languages.I feel like the quintessential and ignorant ‘cliché Brit’ when I’m travelling the globe.

Q: What extra-curricular activities were you involved in while at RGS, and how valuable were they?

A: Approximately fifteen minutes after the final bell, I usually found myself in detention. To be fair, most were entirely earned; I suspect I was a persistent thorn in the side of RGS.

I played football for Ripon City FC and was a reasonably capable player. However, once the RGS games teachers caught wind of this, I was promptly assigned to the linesman role for the rugby 1st team. This involved the ‘pleasure’ of returning to school on weekends - in full uniform - simply to run the touchline. It cost me many of my own football matches and did very little to dampen my rebellious streak at school.

Q: What do you wish you’d known back then?

A: I wish I’d possessed even a modicum of chat with the girls; I was pretty crap at it. Beyond that, I wish I hadn’t been quite so defiant. I gravitated toward the ‘troublemakers’ - and they to me - which made my time there more turbulent than it perhaps needed to be.

Q: What didyouwant todo whenyouwere at school?

A: Something in the arts. I was good at it back then and thankfully still am now.

Q: What is the one piece of advice you’d give students interested in a similar career?

A: I hope a career in the creative world is viewed with more aspiration today. It isn't a path for everyone, and it isn't something that can be entirely manufactured through learning. You do need an inherent ‘gift' as a foundation, but once you identify it, your job is to nurture it relentlessly. Consume everything: watch films, read widely, take photographs, haunt obscure art galleries, see live theatrer egardless of the subject matter. Become the biggest sponge possible. Then be brave, be stupid, be wild in your thinking.

Q: Who was your favourite teacher and why?

A: Unquestionably the two MrSmiths in the art department. They stood in a league of their own.

Q: What are your hopes for the future?

A: That the world doesn’t get blown up or overheat. That people around the world start to love each other a little more.That my family and I stay happy and healthy. That my numbers come in and I can buy a posh villa in Mallorca. That I continue to love what I do, constantly creating until my last breath. Other than these, I don’t have much hope.

Q: What do you miss most about Ripon?

A: After many years abroad, I’ve only recently returned. Although I work in London, I’ve settled in Knaresborough, so I still visit Ripon from time to time. I do miss the historical vibrancy - the bustling pubs and the marketplace teeming with independent retailers. And, of course, I hold a certain nostalgic affection for the revolving dance floor at Sly’s. As I’m sure most folk my age do.

Q: Anything you’d like to add?

A: I trust you aren’t currently questioning the wisdom of reaching out to me for this! RGS is undoubtedly a wonderful institution, but it isn’t a universal fit - and it certainly wasn’t for me. For a long time, I carried a twinge of guilt, feeling as though I’d occupied a seat that might have been better utilised by someone more academically inclined. However, I consider myself incredibly fortunate to have emerged with lifelong friendships that I still hold very close to my heart.And for that alone, I’m eternally grateful to RGS.