“There’s No Such Thing as a Boring Brief, Just a Lazy Copywriter”

At six-years-old, Antonia Minutolo sold her first story for $1 to her aunt -- a tale about a fashion designer living in a spaceship with eight children and a swimming pool.

Two decades later, she’s still crafting worlds with words -- now as a senior copywriter at MIK Studio.

“There’s no such thing as a boring brief,” she says. “Just a lazy copywriter.”

For Antonia, the key to great advertising lies in channelling the boundless creativity of her six-year-old self while navigating the demands of a fast-paced industry.

Her journey began with a love for storytelling that never wavered. After studying a Bachelor of Communication at UTS, Antonia started her career in PR, writing press releases and pitching for clients like Westpac, Menulog, and Fujifilm instax.

But it wasn’t enough to scratch her creative itch. So, she enrolled in AWARD School, a six-month programme that she describes as the “final push” she needed to transition into copywriting.

“PR is just as much about storytelling as copywriting is,” she explains. “Both depend on understanding human behaviour, cultural nuances, and the ability to tell stories that resonate.”

Today, Antonia leads the copywriting department at creative agency MIK Studio. She urges her team to seek inspiration in the world around them, whether it’s listening to loud music at a concert, trying unfamiliar foods in new cities, or conversing with people whose lives are vastly different from their own.

“Creativity isn’t fostered behind a desk -- it happens out there,” she says.

Antonia believes the biggest challenge in advertising today is advertising itself.

“We are constantly bombarded with ads, so much so that we’ve developed a kind of ad fatigue,” she says.

But she sees this as an opportunity rather than a setback.

“It pushes us to be more strategic -- to understand people on a deeper level by interrogating their interests, behaviour, and values.

“We can’t get away with just selling a product anymore. We need to create an experience that feels unique and relevant to the individual.”

Outside of work, Antonia finds inspiration in her love for reading and cooking.

“Cooking is not that different from writing,” she says.

“In the same way that I work with words to tell a story, I play with flavours to create a dish. Add an aggressive adjective, throw in a pinch of salt, shift to a more informal tone, stir in some chopped almonds for texture -- it’s all about trusting your creative instincts and knowing when to let things simmer.”

Her favourite dish, her Nonna’s pasta parmigiana, is more than just a meal -- it’s a connection to her culture and the people she loves. If she could create a campaign inspired by it, she says it would centre around connection, drawing on the warmth of home and tradition to create a sense of belonging.

“I think to continue evolving as a creative, you need to keep creating. Just making stuff – learning from the bad, and enjoying the good for a second, then pushing it a bit further.”