Insights

If you could attribute one other person or life event to your success, who or what would it be?Besides my mother, I would say it was my high school ROTC instructor, Sergeant Mitchell.One afternoon he asked our unit a simple question: “What is leadership?” One eager cadet shot his hand up and said, “Getting people to do what you want them to do.” Sergeant Mitchell replied. “That’s only half right.” He said, “Leadership is getting people to do what you want them to do because they want to do it. And the ‘because they want to do it’ part? That’s…

What is the number one quality you look for in talent? It’s hard to single out just one quality, but if I had to choose, I’d say interest—interest in world events, in learning, in the profession, and in becoming better. To me, interest combines curiosity with the energy to pursue and fulfil that curiosity. What is the very best career advice you’ve ever received? From incredible people I’ve had the privilege to work with— Dr.Stephan Vogel, Liz Taylor, Juggi Ramakrishnan, Monica Moro, and many others — the advice has always been the same: never lose focus on the work, on…

What is something the industry isn’t paying attention to that they should? The industry is so busy debating what AI means for creativity that we’re ignoring the bigger question: what does it mean for talent? Advertising is a people industry, and AI is quietly erasing the rungs of the ladder. The early roles (with the hands-on experiences that trained generations of strategists, creatives, and account leaders) are increasingly being automated by AI. If AI is doing the work, who’s doing the learning? Where will the next generation of advertising leaders come from if they never get to sharpen their teeth…

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…

Mexico boasts a rich tradition of arts, culture, and gastronomy that is loved and respected worldwide. But the country has long been overlooked as a source of talent for the advertising industry and, even worse, as a dynamic and diverse consumer market. But a confluence of events seems to be driving Mexico to become a bigger and bigger player in the advertising industry and as a target audience for global marketing opportunities. On the talent side, more agencies are opening offices in Mexico, including Gut, Isla, Wieden + Kennedy, We Believers, Circus Marketing/Media Monks and David. They join global agencies,…

If you could attribute your success to one other person or life event, who or what would it be and why? Hunter: Being a “Hunter S.” and partnering with a “Thompson” to become ‘Hunter S. & Thompson’ was almost a cosmic level coincidence. The only better naming would have been if we were Samuel and Jackson. Creative partnerships are like a marriage—if you find the right one, stick with them. Thompson: Same answer, but reversed. Borrowing from “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” we’re the advertising version of Leon finding his Mary Ferguson. Although, I’m not sure if I’m Leon or Mary? Probably…

Hace unos años, trabajé con un Director de Comunicaciones (CCO) muy exitoso. Al buscar a un Director Creativo Ejecutivo (ECD), noté que cada vez que le presentaban a un candidato fuera de su red de contactos, comenzaba cada conservación enfocándose en por qué esa persona no sería adecuada para el puesto. Predominaban las percepciones negativas por sobre las positivas, impulsadas por el temor a lo desconocido. Finalmente, la empresa contrató a alguien dentro de la red del CCO. Encontrar personas con las que disfrutas trabajar es difícil, por lo que, cuando lo consigues, tiene sentido que quieras aferrarte tanto como…

If you could attribute one other person or life event to your success, who or what would it be and why? I could name people that have been pivotal in my career in a direct or indirect way: The Gaston Bigios, the Fede Garcias, the Josh Steins of the world and even my 10 year-long copywriter partner Ignacio Jardon… but I think my “success” has been mostly fueled by starting from the very bottom of the food chain. My very first ad ever was a real estate ad with multiple office listings. I personally took the CD-Rom and the signed…