Mike Myers
Managing Director and Founder, Cross & Wild
Managing Director and Partner, CrowdPharm
Changing How Agencies Operate
In 2014, when Mike Myers founded Cross & Wild, an independent advertising and strategic consultancy agency, he aimed to address two inherent flaws found in traditional agencies: scope creep and bait and switch. Designed to be agile, Cross & Wild’s novel approach is unlike that of any agency in healthcare marketing today. The client-focused team builds customized commercial strategies that accelerate brand success.
Mike fully embraces and explores the innovations inherent in technology and his determination to “bear down” has never been more evident than in the creation of CrowdPharm, an independent agency that takes a unique spin on crowdsourcing. CrowdPharm’s proprietary healthcare talent network, with 3,200+ members across 50 states, 81 countries, 32 time zones, and 12 specialty hubs across North America, Europe, and Asia, is built to work directly with pharma and biotech companies, as well as with healthcare advertising agencies to boost their creative departments with white label support. The result: Clients are rethinking how they approach their marketing partnerships by working with flexible teams that maximize efficiency, shorten timelines, and deliver global perspectives and high-quality work.
But Mike is no stranger to disrupting the agency model. As the president and one of the co-founders of Palio, he grew the agency from a handful of employees around card tables above an Eddie Bauer to a $40M+ global force recognized for launching numerous brands and earning more than 800 awards for vision, leadership, and creative work. He was one of the first leaders to build and integrate key services, including meetings and events; a full-scale on-site broadcast production unit; one of the largest (at the time) integrated brand teams in the industry comprising medical strategy, consumer insight, and research and analytics; and market access—all to better serve clients and their brands.
Mike is also dedicated to shaping the next generation of healthcare leaders—both in the workplace and in the classroom. As an adjunct lecturer and Associate Director of the Center for Management Innovations in Healthcare at the University of Arizona’s Eller College of Management, Mike inspires graduate-level students by teaching healthcare consulting with practical industry engagement across a variety of areas.
