2 Minutes With … Allan Gungormez, CSO at MOCEAN

Allan provides strategic oversight as he heads the social and strategic disciplines at MOCEAN/O2. He joined the company after 13 years at agencies including hi5, Laundry Service and The Marketing Arm. His work spans campaigns for Beats by Dre, Spotify, Cisco, Netflix, Converse, Amazon, Hotels.com, Frito Lay and Pepsi. 

We spent two minutes with Allan to learn more about his background, his creative inspirations and recent work he’s admired.

Allan, tell us …

Where you grew up, and where you live now. 

I grew up in Chatsworth, a suburb of Los Angeles, and I now live in Studio City.

A person you idolized creatively early on.

Dominik Hasek, the NHL goaltender. I remember watching him play and being in awe of how he approached the position. He was doing things nobody else was, and that solidified him as one of the greatest ever. It made me feel like doing things a different way was an option.

A moment from high school or college that changed your life.

In high school I somehow convinced my mother to let me hop on a plane and fly to Sarasota, Fla., to try out for a semi-professional paintball team. It was the start of an adventure that introduced me to people and places I would never have encountered otherwise. It helped me expand where I could draw experiences from.

Someone or something worth following on social media.

Faris Yakob has a great Twitter account to follow and an even better newsletter, Genius Steals.

One of your favorite creative projects you’ve ever worked on. 

Ryan Bucci is one of the most talented creatives I’ve worked with and one of my favorite people in general. When we worked at the social AOR for Beats by Dre in 2016, he and I flew to London to meet with the team (shoutout to Charlie White) and develop Beats’ campaign for the 2016 Euro Cup. I’ll never forget making it happen in real time and laughing our way through the pressure. The best place to see this work is at the Bucci site.

A recent project you’re proud of.

We helped launch the latest installment of the God of War franchise with PlayStation. Seeing the spot so well received and ultimately helping the game shatter sales records made me feel proud of the entire team.

Someone else’s work that inspired you years ago. 

Dos Equis’ “The Most Interesting Man in the World.” It was a perfect example of creating a character that draws from so many different iconic figures that already have a place in our minds. The copywriting was flawless. I still recall the line “his organ donation card also lists his beard” as being one of my favorites.

Someone else’s work you admired lately. 

I enjoyed all of the Taco Bell Mexican pizza madness (shoutout to Lauren Murphy). Doja Cat was the main celebrity driver…

…and the work eventually landed with a musical featuring Dolly Parton:

What you’d be doing if you weren’t in advertising.

I’d either be an architect or creating the perfect sandwich. Which I guess could be described as a sandwich architect.