He's way too boisterous and enthusiastic to be described as self-effacing. But getting Mark Waites to focus on his own work and personal history is like trying to catch a bubble. Like Mother, the hot London agency where he's been creative director since its 1997 inception, he's happier to let the creative speak for itself and get everybody else talking about it.

And how they talk. From the notorious 2001 ITV Digital Monkey campaign - which starred an immensely popular knitted toy and his human sidekick (Mother had to prove copyright ownership of the monkey when ITV Digital went bust a year later) - to the love-'em-or-hate-'em Orange series, Mother has got tongues wagging.

After the monkey business, "people expected us to be small and funky, doing ads for obscure brands," Waites observes, "but we'd already wheedled our way into some big corporations." In fact, Mother's first client, Channel 5, brought in £20 million-plus. After six months the agency had Virgin, Unilever and Coca-Cola under its belt.

Defining Waites' role in these wins is practically impossible. He'll admit to leading the ITV Digital project, but says the thing about Mother is you can't really claim any piece of work as your own. It's all about collaboration and finding like minds inside the client's organization.

Now 40, Waites was born in Leeds. After three years at art school and a short stint at a local agency, he moved to London in 1984 and started work as "the world's worst art director" with BMP, moving on to Legas Delaney, Ogilvy & Mather and D'Arcy before his nomadic tendencies took him across the Atlantic in 1992.

Once in New York he spent time with Margeotes Fertitta & Partners and Amster Yard, grabbing the chance to shoot with Tony Kaye - "Underneath all the flannel and publicity, he's fucking good at what he does." Then came the call from mate Robert Saville: would he be interested in being part of a startup called Mother?

Yes, indeed. In an ideal world, Waites would spend all day writing commercials. He reckons he's half-decent at it. But the creation of Mother and its creative, talent-nurturing philosophy is something he's supremely proud of.

"Creatives aren't animals who can't communicate," he says. "They're capable of being articulate. We put creatives in front of the client, so they understand advertising won't save the world if the client has a distribution or sales problem. It's a deliberate move: we can be a better agency and do more effective work."

Effective, and controversial. Orange's fictitious spokespeople - like 'Dylan', a 13-year-old mobile-tech freak who, in the spot, trains adult Orange sales and support reps - outraged some viewers, including Orange founder Hans Snook. He publicly stated they were the worst commercials he'd ever seen.

The criticism "didn't hurt, because I didn't agree with him," says Waites. "It only hurts if you believe they're right, because you should have been able to spot the weakness yourself."

The industry is, Waites insists, a good place to be, even in tricky economic times. He's amazed at the goodwill that exists between agencies and the people who work there, and the respect for talent. But he'd like to see new blood working harder to build relationships with prospective employers. Too many students, he believes, take a casual approach to placements and don't put in the legwork anymore.

Waites' ambition is to see Mother consolidate its reputation as a "destination for people wanting to do good work". He says plans for an American office have been prematurely reported: growth is as much about the strength of the agency's brand as about geography.

"It's easy to say, 'We've done it. Now we can be dull'. But you're only as good as your next ad. To have people ask what Mother is doing this week, as an agency whose opinion, in terms of advertising creativity, counts - that's what I'd like to see."

FUN FACTS
Pet peeve: Stupidity.
Dream car: A cab. There are too many cars in London.
First ad: Can't remember, but it was for an agency in Leeds so it was embarrassing for sure. I came out of the gate at more of a stroll.
Childhood favorite ad: Heineken's Boomerang series. It was like Honda's "Cog": bold and audacious.
First record: "Ballroom Blitz", Sweet.
On movies: I'm rediscovering well-made films. I read the screenplay, watch the film, read a British Film Institute guide and break it down into image systems and subtexts. I never knew Chinatown was such a perfect script.
Gripe: Advertising is like every other creative endeavor: 95% of the results are shit. You get blamed for everybody else's bad work, which is ironic, because I don't think Michael Stipe gets blamed for the Backstreet Boys.

WEBFILES:
Mother> http://www.motherlondon.com