Google Pixel 2 Felix Richter

Felix Richter on his journey through adland

Droga5 New York’s former CCO discusses moving both agencies and countries for his new role at Mother London, and the lessons he’s learned along the way

“I’m originally from the north of Germany, from a little town that translates as ‘Sadfield’. It’s not actually that sad, but it’s a place that feels like the real world is far away,” says Felix Richter, as he reflects on his journey to landing one of advertising’s most coveted jobs: chief creative officer at Mother.

Growing up, Richter was always into art but felt limited by the expectations often placed on creative pursuits in his home country. “If you’re not absolutely obsessed with painting 15 hours a day, or composing music by age six, people think of you as a bit of a bullshitter. As a result, I didn’t have the confidence to go into something creative right after school, so I studied law at and did some creative things on the side. Then I felt at a certain point that I had to prove myself,” he tells CR.

Felix Richter Mother
Top: Still from Google Pixel 2 launch campaign by Droga5. Above: Felix Richter

Richter’s introduction to the world of advertising came courtesy of two of his cousins, one of whom was working at an agency and the other was a director. Their experiences in the industry inspired him to enroll in Miami Ad School’s Hamburg offshoot, after which he and his partner, Alexander Nowak, landed at Y&R (now known as VMLY&R) in New York. “New York at that time was the place where everyone wanted to go to,” says Richter.