Kevin is the first beautiful thinker I’ve interviewed twice. I first met him in Chicago when he was at Energy BBDO. He moved to Shanghai to establish their presence and now is in Malmö, Sweden as a Creative Director with Oatly! I can honestly say that Kevin is one of the most original, adventurous humans I’ve met. He celebrates being a work in progress and makes us laugh in the process. I can’t imagine a better human (or brand) to launch Season 4 and its theme: “Mother”.

An outdoor ad placement in the Netherlands. “The description of our brand’s voice that I hear internally a lot is “oat punk.” I think probably the most distinctive thing about the brand’s voice is bravery, being sort of transparent about our intent. We made this poster because we’re trying to sell you oat drink.”

A two-billboard ad in New Zealand. “There’s such a passion for fulfilling the mission of the company, but there’s also a passion for doing it in their own way and making sure that people are changing through laughter and not lecture. It’s easy to kind of get into this education mode, and they do a really lovely job of avoiding that and going, ‘Hey, if you’re not smiling first, you’re probably not going to be listening.’”

Another recently-launched series of ads in the Netherlands.

Before Kevin joined the team, Oatly had already aired its controversially silly Super Bowl spot starring Toni Petersson. “We absolutely expect pushback. And I think if no one was pushing back then either our vision is not bold enough or how we're executing isn't effective enough. It’s better to be debated than ignored.”

Oatly's newest ad (which was, obviously, posted on Instagram).

Oatly’s headquarters in Malmö, Sweden. “The Oatly Department of Mind Control (aka creative department)— and I wouldn't call it a department, I would literally say it's sort of like the creative DNA of the company— was really enhanced when Toni Petersson joined in late 2012 and brought on board John Schoolcraft and company. They don't look at creative as a department, it really is thinking that’s infused in everything they do, from packaging to distribution to product development. I think it really is what makes the place special and what makes the culture hard to duplicate.”

The Turning Torso building and City Hall in Malmö, Sweden. “One of the first things that I learned about Malmö is that the bridge connecting Malmö to Copenhagen only opened about 15 years ago. And prior to that, it was just ferries. Now when you come over the first thing you see is the Turning Torso, the very first twisted twisting tower in the world. It says so much about the sort of transformation of Malmö. It’s so welcoming from the outside.”

Highlights from Kevin’s Yearbnb blog, where he stayed at an Airbnb in a different neighborhood during each of his visits to Hong Kong, attracted national media attention. “Abandoned theaters, life-sized Noah’s Arks, buffalo that follow you into bars… just a few of your average Airbnb adventures in Hong Kong.”

Hanging Bed – “What? The bed’s suspended from the ceiling above a glass table? What a wonderful idea. I’m sure I’ll sleep just great…”

BBC – “Pro tip: If you are lucky enough to get interviewed on the BBC, try and keep your eyes open.”