Insights

Creative Talent

Tori Nygren, Co-Founder, Executive Creative Director at Hogwash Studios

If you could attribute one other person or life event to your success, who or what would it be and why? Tara LaWall Straight was one of my first mentors in advertising. She is an incredible creative leader who I’ve known for 10+ years. I started my career at Droga5 where Tara was my copywriting mentor (and life coach). Tara pushed me to believe in creativity, to take risks, and always encouraged us to have fun at the office. Both a jokester and confidante, she always pushed us to make funnier, quirkier, and more truthful work; and she believed in…

May 15, 2025
5 min read

W. Joe DeMiero, VP of Marketing at Sam’s Club

If you could attribute one other person or life event to your success, who or what would it be and why? Without question, my dad, Frank DeMiero, who passed away on February 19th. His influence on my life and leadership philosophy has been profound. As a renowned music educator, he didn’t just teach music — he built communities, nurtured talent, and created spaces where people felt seen and valued. My dad showed me the power of leadership that’s rooted in authenticity, passion, and an unwavering belief in people. His ability to elevate others and create opportunities where none existed has…

April 17, 2025
3 min read

Roya Partovi, Creative Leader at One Collective

If you could attribute one life event to your success, what would it be and why? Moving to New York has completely transformed my perspective on life, career, and personal growth. As a refugee, I spent much of my life searching for a place where I could truly belong—a country or city to call home. Today, New York is that home. The opportunities it has given me for my career growth, and the incredible people I’ve met along the way, have far exceeded anything I could have imagined. It’s also where I met my husband and started a family. What…

March 27, 2025
2 min read

Frederik Clarysse, Associate Creative Director at FCB Chicago

What is the very best career advice you’ve ever received? When one of my first CD’s left the agency, he left me a little card that said: “stay who you are, and no one can really be mad at you”. That quote really stayed with me. If you stay true to yourself, you’ll get surrounded with people like you. And as you grow, your personality will also shine through in your work, making it more authentic.  What part of your role as a leader do you find most rewarding? I’ve always felt that the most talented people in an agency are not…

January 30, 2025
2 min read

Ola Abayomi, Freelance Group Account Director at nice&frank

What is the very best career advice you’ve ever received? At my very first job at Digitas as a marketing associate, my manager at the time told me “As account people, we are constantly juggling multiple things on less than ideal timelines; some things are made of glass others are made of rubber. Mistakes are inevitable but it’s imperative we know which ones will break if dropped and which will bounce back.”  I can’t remember what prompted this conversation but I would guess I probably had gone to her to confess I’d done something terribly wrong (the fact I can’t…

November 7, 2024
3 min read

Elena Knox, Executive Creative Director

If you could attribute one other person or life event to your success, who or what would it be and why? When I graduated from university with an advertising degree (yes, those exist) and a few copywriting internships under my belt, I thought securing a job would take a matter of weeks.  After all, I had, what I thought, was the single most important quality to get into a creative department: passion. We all know how this story goes; the ingredient to get into a creative department does start with “P” but it isn’t passion, it’s portfolio school. And after…

September 11, 2024
5 min read

La hora de México

México cuenta con una rica tradición en artes, cultura y gastronomía que es amada y respetada en todo el mundo. Sin embargo, durante mucho tiempo el país ha sido pasado por alto como fuente de talento para la industria publicitaria y, lo que es aún peor, como un mercado de consumo dinámico y diverso. No obstante, una confluencia de factores parece estar impulsando a México a convertirse en un jugador cada vez más relevante en la industria publicitaria y como un público objetivo para las oportunidades de marketing global. En cuanto al talento, cada vez más agencias están abriendo oficinas…

August 29, 2024
6 min read