We sat down with the Director of Project Management at Pocket Hercules, Nolan Mao, who has touched nearly every single project that’s come through the creative agency since he joined in 2023, to ask about his inspirations, his approach to project management, and more.
Minnetonka, MN–As a creative agency with a famously small but mighty team, we could have the best writers, art directors, or editors in the business–but none of it matters without a strong project manager who can string all the pieces together and make a project go.
When it comes to project management, Nolan Mao, Director of Project Management at Pocket Hercules, is one of the best in the game. It’s no understatement to say he’s the gas in our engine at the Pocket.
Not only does he perform all the traditional project management duties–setting and keeping timelines, managing client relationships, communicating creative briefs, etc.–with supreme finesse, he’s also a critical source of guidance, strategic thinking, and creative inspiration for each project that comes out of Pocket Hercules. His drive to produce the best art possible keeps our team from becoming complacent when things get busy. There’s not a project he’s touched that hasn’t been made stronger because of his killer instincts and commitment to producing amazing work.
Pretty much everything Mao touches turns to gold. Here’s how he does it.
PH: How would you describe your approach to project management?
Mao: I like to be more hands-on than most folks. I like to be in the weeds with our art directors to understand how they’re approaching the work and try to offer my insights. A group effort approach works better with a smaller team like the one we have at PH. Because I’m directly communicating with the client, it allows us to find potential creative issues more quickly in the process than if I had been more hands-off. I have a lot of experience being around artists, which helps me understand what kind of hurdles they’re going through.
PH: What is some of your favorite work that you’ve helped produce at Pocket?
Mao: I would say our big efforts for Maxim throughout the year for their Annual Leadership Meeting are a pretty big deal in my court. I have a hand in every small piece of it, and so it’s a big deal when those details come together and everything is nicely done. That’s always fun for me to work on.
I loved working with Case Construction on their campaign with the musician John Pardi. It’s so interesting because John actually uses Case machines. In his free time, he does a lot of construction and side projects on his farm and his ranch.
PH: What experience did you have before coming to Pocket?
Mao: I worked at another Twin Cities creative agency as a project manager for about half a year right before joining Pocket. Before that, I was at an architectural firm called Modern Oasis, which is in partnership with Charles R. Stinsen, who is a modern architect in town. He does very expensive custom residential designs.
I’ve also been a project manager and producer with The Bureau since it was founded in 2021. We’re a multidisciplinary creative studio that was founded in response to the murder of George Floyd. We focus on building community in and around the Twin Cities. We’ve worked with clients like Red Wing Shoes, Juxtaposition Art, the Legal Rights Center. A lot of the things we do nowadays are experiential and workshops to support our community.
PH: What inspires you and your work?
Mao: Nowadays, the way that I get inspiration is honestly through the community. Specifically, the artists in Minneapolis. I’m biased because I know and have worked with most of those folks. I’m inspired by all the different ideas they’re trying to engage and everything they’re trying to bring to life from an artistic standpoint, especially this winter with ICE in the city. I feel like art’s always been a way that you can find and talk to people who have the same mindset as you.
PH: As Director of Project Management, what are your goals for project management at Pocket Hercules? If a client were to give you a review of your work, what would you hope they would say?
Mao: I would hope they would say we’re getting the job done in a quicker manner than most larger agencies could handle. That’s the beauty of working with Pocket Hercules. We have a team and a structure that’s very veteran and pretty small, which allows us to move more quickly through the creative process than most folks.
For me, I’m always wondering, how do we do better? Not to put pressure on our team, but I always ask, how do we come up with bigger ideas? Things like that are important to me. Making sure that we have a good foundation and processes in place so we can do better work.
Pocket Hercules: Small but Mighty
To learn more about Pocket Hercules, visit this page or look at samples of our work.
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To connect with Nolan, check out his LinkedIn here.