Editorial

Daniel Minaker and Patán Tarazaga, Latam CCOs at Wunderman Thompson

Dany Minaker and Patán Tarazaga have been creative partners for over 14 years, working hand-in-hand on regional, national and global campaigns. We recently had the opportunity to ask them some insightful questions, their answers here.

Do you think the pandemic has made Argentina a bigger location for international creative work? 

Paradoxically, the pandemic situation was a period of great growth for Wunderman Thompson in the region. Not only for Argentina but also for many WT offices. There was a growth in our business, our capabilities, our processes and our talents. I believe that this is mainly due to three important factors; 1- A macroeconomic variable that represents a competitive cost advantage. 2- A high standard of production quality, technology, creativity and design. 3- An amazing capacity of resilience and creativity facing the uncertainty and adversity.

As the pandemic continues how do you maintain agency culture and keep teams motivated?

We feel that it was impossible to maintain our old culture in the agency. Without a doubt, the pandemic and the context modified our culture. Neither in a better or worse way but in a different way: closer between the people and the company. Today in our new regional role, to encourage the culture one team is a priority in our role. We have a battery of activities that promote this.

As you have moved up in your career, what skill did you find as the most critical to be an effective leader?

I’m sure that the most important skill that we need to develop in our career is empathy. Empathy is a key skill for a leader. It’s more relevant when you have a regional or global role and you need to work with people with a very different background and culture. Another important thing is to learn how to work in a good balance between rigor and chaos.

What is the number one quality you look for in talent?

First of all, to be a nice person. We dedicate too many hours per day in this job, so you better team up with someone that has your same principles. Then, we look for someone talented, which is always thinking of doing the impossible, that is always making observations and thinking “can I use this for an ad?”.

What is the very best career advice you’ve ever received?

“Always dream ideas, 3 or 4 steps higher than what you think originally. Reality will take you 1 or 2 steps back, and that will be better than what you thought.”

By Sasha The Mensch