Brand partnerships agency Miai+ is expanding into the U.S., opening its first stateside office in Seattle and appointing former Xbox global brand marketing general manager Taylor Smith, as VP and managing director, U.S.
Founded in the U.K., 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 on Starfield + Tempur’s “Dream Chair” and Krispy Kreme + Xbox’s 20th Anniversary activation.
At Xbox, 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 honors–the only creative leader to achieve this distinction twice in a decade.
Miai’s first U.S. office launches during a major sporting year in the U.S., headlined by the FIFA World Cup, and marks a natural next step for the well-established agency, supporting global clients including Xbox, Amazon Games, and Hasbro, with operations across both the U.K and North America.
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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 leverage Miai’s expertise in brand collaborations and sports sponsorship negotiations. The U.S. team will mirror the successful U.K. model led by CEO Claudine Harris and COO Bolu Akindoyin, scaling as demand grows.
Founded in 2011, Miai built its reputation connecting brands across gaming and youth culture–the name comes from the Japanese concept of intentional matchmaking, in this case sparking the kind of brand partnerships that create genuine brand love affairs.
Harris said, “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 U.S. 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 U.K.–idea-led, partnership-powered, culturally sharp – and we’ll scale it as demand grows.”
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 U.S. with even greater creativity.”
