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Award-winning Director, Writer & Story Consultant

Creating narratives rooted in emotion, identity and culture.

Mike Buonaiuto Director Writer Story Consultant
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CREDENCE

FILM

Redefining how LGBTQ+ people are portrayed on screen, Credence follows a family torn apart during Earth’s final evacuation. The film was fully funded via Indiegogo, premiering at London’s Leicester Square in partnership with Wired.

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NESPRESSO SOUTH SUDAN

FILM

Voiced by George Clooney, Nespresso’s A Positive Cup documentary follows his support for South Sudan’s transition to independence and efforts to help regenerate the country’s coffee farming sector.

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#FirstChristmas

VIRAL CAMPAIGN

Shooting Star Chase’s “alternative Christmas advert” gained millions of online views and led to thousands of donations, along with a significant increase in regular giving sign-ups.

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LoveAlwaysWins

VIRAL CAMPAIGN

All Out’s #LoveAlwaysWins campaign, produced and launched in partnership with BuzzFeed, contributed to the International Olympic Committee updating its future host city bid rules to require stronger commitments to LGBT+ rights.

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Aleppo's Child

VIRAL CAMPAIGN

A powerful, cinematic film which brings to life the true story of a Syrian refugee child, to draw awareness, shift sentiment and build support with UK and US audiences. In partnership with Care4Calais and Refugee Support.

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Homecoming

VIRAL CAMPAIGN

Homecoming led the UK’s Marriage Equality campaign, co-founded by Mike in 2012. Backed by high-profile supporters including Richard Branson, Hugh Grant & then Home Secretary Theresa May, the project helped secure a change in the law the following year. See the project results here.

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UN Free & Equal

VIRAL CAMPAIGN

The United Nations’ first global LGBT campaign launched in 2013 in New York with Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and in Cape Town with Desmond Tutu. Mike served as Creative Director as part of the founding team.

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Trans Youth

VIRAL CAMPAIGN

Trans Youth, launched in partnership with the UK’s Daily Mail, brought the lived experiences of young trans people to life, capturing their response to ongoing attacks in the mainstream media.

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About Mike Buonaiuto

For over two decades, Mike has crafted stories and built companies and studios at the intersection of culture, identity and power.

He understands how stories move people - creating resonant narratives with emotional depth and commercial reach that don’t just entertain, but define and drive cultural conversation and social impact.

 

Working across advertising, film and games, Mike is an award-winning director, writer and story consultant, helping teams and crews create work rooted in emotion, identity and culture that keeps pace with evolving audience behaviours.

Mike Buonaiuto Director Writer Portrait
Mike Buonaiuto Shape History Agency

An Impact-Driven Career

In 2015, Mike founded, scaled and has since exited Shape History, the award-winning social impact communications agency, working globally alongside institutions including the United Nations, Atlantic Council, and WHO, and locally with organisations such as The Big Give, My Life My Say, and Amnesty International UK.

He served the agency as its CEO & Creative Director from 2015-2022, remaining a Non-Executive Director until 2024.

 

Previously, he served as a Creative Director for the UN’s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and built the creative studio within Weber Shandwick’s (IPG, Omnicom) EMEA offering.  

Read more...

Mike's first book Founder Therapy, published June 2023 reaching best-seller status.

Our ‘high-performance’ generation has a problem with burnout. Depression and anxiety are now at record levels amongst founders and leaders. In Founder Therapy, Mike Buonaiuto uncovers why and offers a radical new approach, presenting 50 lessons to start, scale and sell without wounding our wellbeing.

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Olivia Coleman Mike Buonaiuto Director Writer Story Consultant
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Where shall we start?

From ideation, concept and design through to delivery, refinement and final execution, Mike can join your project at any stage - supporting your creative team to sharpen pitches, shape story worlds, strengthen narrative cohesion, and elevate emotional, cultural and commercial impact across development and production.

Mike Buonaiuto In Prince Charles Cinema London

Want to work together?

Leave your details and we’ll get in touch with you.

"How do we create stories that connect deeply, feel culturally relevant and stand out in a saturated market?"

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