Paul Foster of Atomic Matter on Reading the Room

Supporting health equity with heightened creativity

A specialist in healthcare advertising since 2010, Paul has led creative departments in Milan and London. This includes senior roles at Sudler (now VML), Saatchi Wellness and BBH, before he co-founded and became ECD of Atomic Matter. Originally a copywriter on household consumer brands, Paul fell into healthcare after taking a branding brief for a medical device.

We spent two minutes with Paul to learn more about his background, his creative inspirations and recent work he’s admired. 

Paul, tell us …

Where you grew up, and where you live now.

I grew up in the Lake District in the North West of England. I now live and work in London, where I also started my career. But I lived in Milan for five years in between.

How you first got interested in health.

Entirely by accident. I was working for creative agency Large, famous at the time for brands like Bang & Olufsen and Agent Provocateur. Large won two pitches to launch medical devices from Johnson & Johnson and Medtronic. With no history in healthcare, founders Jim Boulton and Lars Hemming Jorgensen approached the assignments exactly as they would’ve approached consumer electronics brands. It proved to be a masterstroke and the work was both gorgeous and hugely effective. Twenty years later, I still try to hold onto the lesson learned at Large: Healthcare brands can be as beautiful, surprising and desirable as anything in the consumer space.

One of your favorite projects you’ve ever worked on.

The first project we took at Atomic Matter after launching in May 2024. It was a disease education brief for Roche. We took care of the strategy, creative and execution of a global campaign and eye-catching exhibition, engaging pulmonologists on the nuanced role of inflammation in COPD. The fact that our first campaign won a Gold, two Silvers and a Bronze at the PM Society Awards in London was the icing on the cake. It allowed us to start our journey on a high and set the standard for everything we do.

One thing about how health is evolving that you’re excited about.

The shocking lack of diversity in clinical trials over the years has had profound implications, including gaps in understanding how different populations respond to treatments. At Atomic Matter, we’re working on a clinical trial recruitment program and it’s encouraging to see how much more attention is now paid to addressing harmful health disparities at this critical phase in understanding how a drug works.

Someone else’s work, in health or beyond, that you admired lately.

I was impressed with “The Plastic Forecast” from Minderoo Foundation and M&C Saatchi. Brilliant insight, beautiful execution—data visualization at its very best.

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A book, movie, TV show, or podcast you recently found inspiring.

Orbital, the short novel by Samantha Harvey. It’s a poetic reverie, unlike anything else I’ve read. A stunning achievement.

A visual artist or band/musician you admire.

It is, and always has been, Blur. Seeing them live at Wembley in 2023 was a reminder of just how good (and often unusual) so much of their music has been over the years.

Your favorite fictional character.

Saul Goodman

Someone worth following on social media.

Rob Mayhew (represented by my Atomic colleague Raf McDonnell). Painfully good observations about the day-to-day realities of working in advertising.

Your main strength as a marketer/creative.

Reading the room.

Your biggest weakness.

Taking things personally.

Something people would find surprising about you.

I was once offered a job playing piano on a cruise ship.

What you’d be doing if you weren’t in health.

Playing piano on a cruise ship.