Biography
Despite all the impressions Mike Jurkovac has scored for the many brands he’s partnered with over the years, none have been as important to him as the work he directed with will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas for Barack Obama. Their collaboration to produce the viral video sensations "YES, WE CAN" and "WE ARE THE ONES" has been widely credited with changing the course of the 2008 Presidential Election. The videos won multiple awards – including the NAACP Image Award, a Cannes Titanium Lion, multiple Clios, and an Emmy – and delivered over one billion audited media impressions globally.
In addition to his work with will.i.am for Obama, Mike's remake of “IMAGINE" for Yoko Ono and Unicef has generated over 4.2 billion audited media impressions and has helped put him in position to direct multimedia campaigns for brands featuring Alicia Keys, John Legend, Timbaland, Usher, Snoop Dogg, Shakira, Miley Cyrus, Charlie Puth, Pitbull, Lil Wayne, and Justin Timberlake, to name just a few.
Most recently, he partnered with f1® to direct will.i.am’s video "THE FORMULA" featuring Lil Wayne and an upcoming series of orchestral scores shot with the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra; the music video “HOLLA” for J Rey Soul; a remake of "SPACE ODDITY” featuring The Unlikely Candidates and Rockin100 for Sony; and a powerful psa campaign, music video, and editorial campaign featuring the band Bahari and their single “BIPOLAR" for Project Healthy Minds.
The above followed Mike's game-changing "Monday Night Football" initiative with ESPN that taped a bevy of established and emerging artists, ranging from Gwen Stefani and Flo Rida to Jessie J, Blink-182, the Chainsmokers, Ciara, Lil Yachty, Post Malone, and more to deliver 34 Jurkovac-directed halftime performances, TV spots, network cold opens, and reveal films for the Genesis Brand of luxury cars.
In addition to spots for JEEP, Dodge, Fiat, and Chrysler, Mike also directed the Ram Trucks “Thank God I’m a Country Boy” spot featuring the Tennessee Kids cover of the beloved John Denver song, which rocketed to 20 million views in less than a week and became one of the most effective spots in the history of the FCA Brand.
The “Country Boy” campaign for Ram was no accident; Mike has been directing ground-breaking work pairing artists with brands such as Apple, Intel, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), Levi’s, Victoria’s Secret, HBO, Showtime, FOX, ABC, Western Union, Under Armour, Sports Illustrated, Beats by Dre and others, for years, creating integrated, cross-platform marketing initiatives that resonate with consumers.
Most recently, he partnered with f1® to direct will.i.am’s video "THE FORMULA" featuring Lil Wayne and an upcoming series of orchestral scores shot with the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra; the music video “HOLLA” for J Rey Soul; a remake of "SPACE ODDITY” featuring The Unlikely Candidates and Rockin100 for Sony; and a powerful psa campaign, music video, and editorial campaign featuring the band Bahari and their single “BIPOLAR" for Project Healthy Minds.
The above followed Mike's game-changing "Monday Night Football" initiative with ESPN that taped a bevy of established and emerging artists, ranging from Gwen Stefani and Flo Rida to Jessie J, Blink-182, the Chainsmokers, Ciara, Lil Yachty, Post Malone, and more to deliver 34 Jurkovac-directed halftime performances, TV spots, network cold opens, and reveal films for the Genesis Brand of luxury cars.
In addition to spots for JEEP, Dodge, Fiat, and Chrysler, Mike also directed the Ram Trucks “Thank God I’m a Country Boy” spot featuring the Tennessee Kids cover of the beloved John Denver song, which rocketed to 20 million views in less than a week and became one of the most effective spots in the history of the FCA Brand.
The “Country Boy” campaign for Ram was no accident; Mike has been directing ground-breaking work pairing artists with brands such as Apple, Intel, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), Levi’s, Victoria’s Secret, HBO, Showtime, FOX, ABC, Western Union, Under Armour, Sports Illustrated, Beats by Dre and others, for years, creating integrated, cross-platform marketing initiatives that resonate with consumers.