Mike Lee

Group Strategy Director

As Group Strategy Director, Mike is driven by creating new tools for users without an instructional manual. He loves creating intuitive, seamless, and minimal products using a mixture of insights and research coupled with the minds of a diverse group of craftspeople. He believes some of the best user experiences today are the ones you don’t notice or remember. He is an avid learner – and even though the information he consumes may not always be relevant or important, he enjoys Googling random things during his downtime.

Mike has been in the online world since 1999. Before joining AREA 17, he created websites, campaigns, and products for a mix of digital media companies, including Time Inc., Condé Nast, and Sullivan. At FOUR32C, he fell in love with the entire strategic process from RFP to QA as a Partner and Design Director, to which he credits his entire career.

Some of his projects have won Webby’s (SAG-AFTRA, Style.com), Apple's App of the Week (Vera Wang), and a James Beard Award (Epicurious.com). Mike has worked with a wide array of clients, from fashion, beauty, and food (Vera Wang, Vogue, Epicurious.com, Bon Appétit, Weight Watchers), to finance and higher education (JP Morgan Chase, Capital Group, Columbia Law School, Yale School of Music, Manhattan School of Music).

Mike has a diploma in Culinary Arts from the Natural Gourmet Institute and enjoys cooking in his spare time. Even at work, he enjoys making cooking analogies. He also loves to run; he aims to complete five half marathons a year and the occasional full marathon. Most importantly, Mike is a husband and a father to two young boys.