Michael Fiorella has lived and worked in Japan for more than 30 years. His marketing career began in Tokyo in 1988 at Ted Bates Advertising, where he was responsible for several well-known brands, including M&M's and Snickers. He later founded Spark Productions to provide strategic planning, product localization consulting, advertising production services and Japan market entry assistance to international firms in Japan. He has worked on projects large and small for well over 100 iconic international labels.
Notably, as official marketing advisor to the CEO of COACH Japan Mike was deeply involved in the brand's strategic repositioning— including efforts to develop Japan-centric products and communications programs that contributed significantly to COACH's explosive growth in the Japanese market. He has also provided advisory services to CEOs and top leaders at Microsoft, Bruno Magli, Tory Burch and a number of private equity firms and hedge funds. Feel free to contact him regarding consulting and other engagements.
Relying on his deep appreciation for the beauty of Japanese culture, in 2010 Mike embarked on a two-fold venture, establishing both a brick-and-mortar retail space and an e-commerce platform dedicated to the world of Japanese fine and traditional arts. The first enterprise, Spark Galleries, serves as a specialized showroom, meticulously showcasing an array of museum-quality Japanese artworks, traditional crafts, home decor, rare posters, antique Buddha sculptures, and more.
Complementing this, JapaneseKokeshiDolls.com specializes in offering an expertly curated collection of kokeshi dolls, exquisite handcrafted Japanese wooden figurines. This selection encompasses not only rare vintage and antique pieces but also contemporary creations by the foremost artisans of today.
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Michael Fiorella graduated from Cornell University in 1986. He achieved Japanese language fluency through graduate studies at Cornell's FALCON program and Stanford University's Inter-University Center in Yokohama, Japan.