Amos Mak: “Keep in Mind Who You’re Cooking For”

Following the recent strategic restructuring of VIRTUE Asia, including the promotion of Lesley John to CEO, Amos Mak was appointed as associate creative director. He joined after six years at BBH Singapore as senior art director, and has also held creative roles at DDB Singapore and Geometry Singapore.

With a background in activation thinking and fusing creativity with experience-driven engagement, Amos has worked with leading brands including Samsung, Riot Games, Meta, Singtel, and UOB.

Here, he tells LBB’s Sunna Coleman about where his love for creative storytelling came from, his most memorable work to date, and the good energy he lives by.

LBB> Congratulations on your appointment as associate creative director at VIRTUE Asia! What are you most excited for in this role?

Amos> So many things to be excited about – the work, the people, the culture. I’ve always seen VIRTUE as a bit of a renegade in the ad industry. There is a certain boldness to the work it does, and I’m super excited about how far we can push the work and our clients.

LBB> Where did your love of creativity come from? What or who were your major creative influences growing up?

Amos> Growing up, I was always drawn to fictional worlds – namely novels and video games. The first game that got me hooked was ‘Chrono Cross’. I spent countless hours as a kid reading every line of dialogue and figuring out the various different endings.

I also had a really good design and technology teacher back in secondary school (thank you Mr. Siraj) who led me to pursue an education in design. I eventually stumbled into the weird and wonderful world of advertising, and I’m thankful that I met great mentors along the way who are also my biggest creative influences – special shoutout to Jorge Thauby and Xander Lee.

LBB> You have a talent for turning cultural insight into innovative storytelling. Can you tell us a little bit about your creative process and how insight shapes your vision?

Amos> Honestly, I’d say it’s quite similar to cooking – sometimes you know exactly what you’re going to make, and sometimes you’re working with certain ingredients and you’re figuring it out as you go. Having clear and sharp insights is like having a recipe to follow, but ultimately, the final dish and how good it tastes is a culmination of craft, creativity and passion. It’s also important to keep in mind who you’re cooking for, and adjusting the seasoning to their flavour profile without compromising on the taste.

LBB> What have been some of your biggest learnings in your career so far?

Amos> Show up for people like how you would want them to show up for you. Good energy creates good vibes, and good vibes lead to good work.

LBB> Which projects of yours stand out to you as most memorable and why?

Amos> Definitely the global launch campaign for the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra. It took me to places I’d never imagined I would ever get to see in my lifetime. The idea of the watch being the protagonist’s trusty companion through all facets of his life, while set to a re-creation of Ricky Nelson’s iconic track ‘I Will Follow You’ was just pure cinema.

Another fond favourite of mine isn’t a big brand piece by any measure, but for Riot Games’ SEA social calendar, we drew up a bunch of comics that depicted its ‘League of Legends’ champions having supper after a long day of battling it out in the Summoner’s Rift (kinda like Netflix’s ‘Midnight Diner’). Each comic tapped into local food, traditions, festivities and was filled with Easter eggs from the game’s lore.

Of course, this list wouldn’t be complete without the first piece of work I did with VIRTUE Asia. We’ve just launched ‘Move Your World’, Toyota’s first ever regional brand campaign that marks the beginning of a transformation towards a more youthful, innovative and energetic brand that harnesses the energy, optimism and possibilities of young, creative Asia.

Moving into the second half of 2025, we will be launching the first ever music-focused cultural programme for Toyota to evolve and expand the cultural footprint of ‘Move Your World’ in Asia. Leveraging music as a medium for self-expression and collective identity, Toyota will embark on a series of collaborations with different culture shapers to create a network of community-driven initiatives across the region, tapping back into VIRTUE’s proposition of building brands inside culture.

LBB> You have a passion for nurturing younger talent. Tell us about your mentoring experience.

Amos> I had many great mentors in my career and I wouldn’t be where I am today without them. Therefore, I always strive to pay it forward to the next generation of creatives. I’ve taken in many interns throughout my career from all sorts of backgrounds, and I find joy in bringing out the best in them and helping them shine.

Some of them are currently holding full-time roles in some of the biggest agencies in Singapore, I can only hope they remember me when the time comes for them to hire me instead.

At VIRTUE, I’m part of the core team of mentors who run VIRTUE Underground, our flagship internship programme for the next generation of thinkers and creators. Created to bring culture shapers into the agency – the young people who are shaping and leading culture at the forefront, be it through social movements, emerging music genres or artistic expressions – VIRTUE Underground is a programme that facilitates cultural exchange between brands and culture, while offering young people firsthand opportunity to gain experience from some of the best in the industry and work on some of the world’s biggest brands.

LBB> What advice do you have for up and coming creatives when it comes to making it in the industry?

Amos> Stay curious. Saw a piece of work that you liked? Dig a little into it and find out who the brains and the brawn behind it are. And don’t just stop there – bookmark it, save it onto a personal deck or doc or whatever works for you. Over time, you’ll find that you’ve built up not just a collection of work, but also people you’d like to work with and partners who can make the work happen. Curiosity drives discovery, and discovery invites inspiration.

LBB> Lastly, tell us about how you like to stay inspired and creative outside of work?

Amos> I play table tennis semi-competitively, and whenever I have some spare time, I design and create content for my teams and clubs.

This actually started when I was at BBH, where a few of us started an unofficial table tennis club that we thought would be funny to ridiculously overdesign. I guess you could say that I’m on a personal crusade to make sure table tennis stays cooler than pickleball.