Indie brand partnerships agency, Miai+, is opening its first US office with former Xbox global brand marketing general manager, Taylor Smith, as vice president and managing Director, US.
Founded in the UK, Miai’s partnership expertise was behind the multi-award-winning Xbox + Oreo, Cheat Cookies, campaign, Pringles’ Meet Frank, the Gucci + Xbox Good Game collection, and, as lead creative agency, Starfield + Tempur’s Dream Chair and Krispy Kreme + Xbox’s 20th Anniversary activation. Its name comes from the Japanese concept of intentional matchmaking. Miai+ creates meaningful brand “love affairs” between brands and fans across gaming and youth culture.
At Xbox, Taylor Smith led global brand marketing across major franchises, including Halo, Gears of War, Forza Motorsport, and Minecraft, as well as the Xbox console ecosystem and Xbox Game Pass. His work has earned more than 60 Cannes Lions, with campaigns such as Halo 3’s Believe and Tomb Raider’s Survival Billboard contributing to Clio Advertiser of the Year honours – the only creative leader to achieve this distinction twice in a decade.
Miai’s first US officelaunches in the biggest sporting year in US history, headlined by the FIFA World Cup, and is a natural next step for the agency that already supports global clients including Xbox, Amazon Games, and Hasbro, with operations across both the UK and North America.
The office will be a creative agency offering, led by ideas that cut through with brand partnerships that amplify them. The new office brings 15 years of expertise in partnerships between gaming properties and brands, as well as negotiating sports sponsorship deals.
The Seattle base will operate as a hub for creative campaigns and partnerships, expanding capabilities across video, design, and content creation, while continuing to luse Miai’s expertise in brand collaborations and sports sponsorship negotiations. The US team will mirror the successful UK model led by CEO, Claudine Harris, and COO, Bolu Akindoyin, scaling as demand grows.
Claudine Harris stated, “Our reputation has been built on creativity and cultural fluency – understanding where audiences are heading and helping brands meet them there with ideas that truly connect. When brands feel natural in the world people care about, they stop feeling like marketing and start feeling like something worth paying attention to.
“Taylor is known in the industry for championing creativity, which, in today’s world, is the only way brands can truly connect with audiences. We’re delighted to welcome him to the team and can’t think of a better person to spearhead our expansion into the US. Under Taylor’s guidance, we’ll have real presence in one of the world’s most important markets, with feet on the ground and relationships close to the action. We’re bringing the same model that’s driven our success in the UK – idea-led, partnership-powered, culturally sharp – and we’ll scale it as demand grows.”
Taylor Smith added,“What excites me about Miai is the clarity of its creative ambition and the strength of its relationships. Being based in Seattle puts us close to the key decision-makers influencing the future of gaming, entertainment, and brand marketing. That proximity matters. It means we can build deeper partnerships, move faster, and create campaigns that don’t just show up in culture – they entertain it. My focus is on taking what Miai already does brilliantly and amplifying it in the US with even greater creativity.”
Cover image l-r: Bolu Akindoyin, Claudine Harris, Taylor Smith.
