29 Rising Agency Stars Who Are Keeping Advertising Relevant, Fresh and Fascinating

Unafraid and unintimidated by change, today's emerging creative superstars reflect everything the ad industry aspires to be: diverse, principled, restlessly innovative and personally interwoven with the complex cultures marketers have consistently struggled to understand. These are the faces of a new creative class, and they're ready to bulldoze every obstacle and outdated institution that gets in their way. [kickout id="1" label="Kako Mendez and Robbin Ingvarsson"] Kako Mendez and Robbin Ingvarsson Associate Creative Directors, TBWA\Media Arts Lab When it comes to the emotional power of film, Kako Mendez is a true believer—so much so that he created an app called Feelm that helps you find the right movie for your current mood rather than your favorite genre. But the film buff can create just as well as he can curate, as proven by the masterpiece Mendez and TBWA\Media Arts Lab partner Robbin Ingvarsson dreamed up this year: Apple HomePod's "Welcome Home," directed by (fellow Creative 100 honoree) Spike Jonze and starring dancer FKA twigs. The longform spot is a stunning piece of craft that combines surreal practical effects with mind-bending visuals, and it was a labor of love for the two associate creative directors. [kickout id="21"] "It gave us the opportunity to be on a set full of world-class artists," Mendez says. "There’s no better learning and inspiring experience than that. And the reward was obvious—we got to make a piece that blew people’s minds and hearts away. It was wonderful to see your crazy little dream on a paper become real." The duo also led a 2017 visual rebrand of Apple Music and created dramatic spots for the MacBook Pro and Apple Watch. Ingvarsson, who describes his home country of Sweden as "a culture that doesn't pay an exaggerated respect to titles," says a key to creative innovation is finding the balance between respecting those who've come before you and carving out your own path. "Learn from people, collaborate with them," he says, "but don't shy away from questioning their 'truths'—in the nicest of ways." —David Griner [kickout id="2" label="Kelly McCormick"] Kelly McCormick Creative Director, CP+B What can a pizza chain do? Oh sure, it can make pizza, but in 2018 that's nowhere near enough. Can it fill the potholes in your town to help get your pizza home with maximum speed and minimal jostling? Can it create a wedding registry that'll keep the happy couple in cheesy, saucy bliss? Can it give Ferris Bueller another day off? For Domino's, the answer to all of the above is yes, and the person we have to thank is Kelly McCormick. One of CP+B's most prolific creatives since joining the Boulder office in 2010, she was promoted to creative director and lead on the Domino's account in 2016, ushering in a new era of bizarrely charming innovations. While most of the ideas—such as the Domino's Wedding Registry and the modern recreation of Bueller's run home, this time with Stranger Things' Joe Keery—are silly, social media-savvy fun, her team's newest idea for the brand shows that advertising can sometimes do more than just sell pizza. With "Paving for Pizza," Domino's pays to repair damaged neighborhood roads, making it easier to get carry-out pizzas home unscathed but also cooking up some goodwill among all residents. "I’m really proud of our latest Domino’s campaign in which we actually pave potholes and repair roads all over the country to help customers get their carryout pizza home in as pristine condition as possible," McCormick says. "It’s a bold action for a pizza company to take, but something that really telegraphs how much Domino’s genuinely cares—both about their customer and about the sanctity of their product." —David Griner [kickout id="3" label="Nicole Michels McDonagh and Shawn Herron"] Nicole Michels McDonagh and Shawn Herron Group Creative Director and Creative Technology Director, Possible Seattle If you've noticed (and hopefully appreciated) the lack of disposable straws in beachside cocktails recently, you've got Nicole Michels McDonagh and Shawn Herron to thank for it. The creative duo at Possible Seattle led the charge on Lonely Whale's #StopSucking campaign encouraging businesses and consumers to avoid plastic straws, which have become a widespread source of pollution and a danger to wildlife. A celebrity-packed PSA, shareable pledge and catchy hashtag fueled the movement, which helped reduce the number of straws used by 100 million in 2017. [kickout id="23"] It's only one of several high-profile campaigns the two have worked on, including several others aimed at making the world a better place. "I’m most proud of WeCounterHate, the anti-hate speech AI platform we built at the beginning of 2018 to stop the spread of hate on Twitter," Herron says. "It was one of those rare projects that you somehow sell into your agency that people just rallied around. Long nights, weekends, and an army of freelancers tossing their skills to make it happen—and then to watch it work, that was the magic we had all hoped for, seeing it stop the spread of hate speech up to 50 percent on the tweets we countered." For Coca-Cola, McDonagh also created a "Red Bench" campaign that helped revitalize and celebrate community parks in Los Angeles and Atlanta. "We created a film and poster campaign," she says, "and one of my favorite lines was: 'Lines on a map make a neighborhood. Love makes a community.' No matter where you live or where you come from, that’s what it’s all about." —David Griner [kickout id="4" label="Mike Van Linda and Fabiano “Tatu” de Queiroz"] Mike Van Linda and Fabiano “Tatu” de Queiroz Creative Directors, RPA For children with cancer, the experience can be especially upsetting because, in addition to the pain and disorientation, there's an overwhelming sense of confusion about what's happening. Thanks to an RPA team led by creative directors Mike Van Linda and Fabiano “Tatu” de Queiroz, kids now have an incredible resource that speaks their language: the Imaginary Friend Society. Working with the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation and animators around the world, the team created 22 films, with characters inspired by real kids' imaginary friends, to help children understand how cancer works and how it's treated. An AR app even brings the campaign's vibrant characters to life right in the hospital room. "The Imaginary Friend Society is the most important project we’ve ever been a part of," Van Linda says. "The utility of the campaign makes us incredibly proud, as does its longevity. It will be around long after we’re gone. However, while we love the campaign and the tremendous impact it’s had, we look forward to the day it’s no longer needed." [kickout id="22"] Outside of work, the two find inspiration in different pursuits. De Queiroz tries to paint at least one hour a day and immerses himself in the culture of his home country, Brazil, to discover new writers, artists and musicians. When Van Linda isn't surfing or running, he's recharging with his family or making up bedtime stories for his 2-year-old. "Recently, my son started telling his own stories, which has been amazing to witness," he says. "His narrative structure is so free. He doesn’t know it, but he’s the one inspiring me." —David Griner [kickout id="5" label="Bex Karnofski"] Bex Karnofski Senior Designer, Must Be Something The sense of community is a big deal in the Pacific Northwest, where creatives often take the most pride in work that represents principles and purpose. Bex Karnofski embodies this spirit at Must Be Something in Portland and counts her creative work for Urban Gleaners—a longstanding nonprofit that collects fresh food for people who need it before it goes to waste—as a crucial creative moment. Taking the lead on a design project for the organization, she created an entirely new brand system. “The process of working as part of a creative team was incredibly rewarding, as was working for a company as inspirational and important as Urban Gleaners is to the city,” she says. But Karnofski’s work also extends far beyond her community, with her design chops being brought to bear on significant projects for Nike, including the "Choose Go" global campaign and “Welcome to Season 15” social media campaign for LeBron James’ signature line. [kickout id="24"] Her impact has recently touched brands like Uniqlo and Venmo. Earlier in her career, her client roster included Amazon, Swiss Army, Alaska Airlines, Indian Motorcycles and Kindercare. Very much a Pacific Northwesterner, her approach is steeped in love for nature—especially walks in the woods or on the Oregon Coast to recharge. Portland's maker culture is another catalyst that keeps Karnofski broadening her horizons. “Pursuing new skills and pushing your mind to think about things in new ways always influences creativity,” she says. —Doug Zanger [kickout id="6" label="Shannon Ross and Kenia Perez"] Shannon Ross and Kenia Perez Associate Creative Directors, R/GA Advertising's lack of diversity and inclusiveness is a complex, multifaceted problem, and many think that hiring is the only path to progress. But Shannon Ross and Kenia Perez believe there's another approach that needs to be embraced: dialogue. So the two associate creative directors created "Not So FAQ," a conversation card game and video project that grouped together their fellow R/GA employees and then had them draw questions for each to answer. Prompts included "What languages do you speak?" and "Did your family have any superstitions?" [kickout id="25"] "As women of color, we saw a need to do something about the ad industry’s ongoing struggle with diversity and inclusion," Perez says. "We’re especially proud of this project because it’s not for any client or brand; it’s for people. Too often we’ve been left outside of the recurring circles of sameness that traditionally exist in this industry solely based on our gender, race, or even our age. So we’re proud to have created a tool for people to get to know one another through personal questions and stories that have the power to reveal the remarkable humans they are outside of a job title and description." On the client side, they created a social strategy to launch eBay Fashion onto Instagram, going from zero to 11,000 followers in two months. They also created an integrated campaign to promote Verizon's NFL mobile partnership and, via nonprofit collective Papel & Caneta, developed a campaign urging New York's governor to restrict plastic bags. —David Griner [kickout id="7" label="Max Stinson"] Max Stinson Creative Director, Wieden + Kennedy Portland It stands to reason that Max Stinson was destined to make his way to Portland, one of the world’s most exciting music meccas. The Rose City's independent spirit has long kept it brimming with artists of every conceivable stripe. Originally intending to focus his career on music production, Stinson instead landed in advertising, first at Element 79 in his hometown of Chicago and now at Wieden + Kennedy Portland, where he's brought a deft touch and fresh voice to brands including Nike, Old Spice, Dodge Chrysler, Facebook, TurboTax and Powerade. “Music has always been an escape from the demands of creativity as well as a major influence and inspiration for creativity,” says Stinson. “It always reminds me that there are levels to how much an idea can move people.” One particular brand that Stinson connects deeply with is Powerade. "I have a real connection with the brand," he says. "I see myself in the kids that we market to. So whether we're trying to inspire them or give them a good laugh I'm always pushing to deliver something special with every project." Though he didn’t end up in the music business, he still makes time to compose beats and DJ from time to time—creative oxygen that keeps him current and lets him create on his own terms: "It's nice to just be able to create something without rules or expectations." —Doug Zanger [kickout id="8" label="Alex Shulhafer and Piper Hickman"] Alex Shulhafer and Piper Hickman Group Creative Directors, 360i "It’s not often in advertising that you’re able to be a part of something with such real-world impact." Most creatives spend their careers hoping to find opportunities that could be described that way, and for Alex Shulhafer, the project was a truly special one. Bravo Tango Brain Training, a voice-activated app on the Google Assistant platform, was created by the agency and National Geographic to help veterans cope with the lingering emotional toll of their time in the military. Released the weekend of Veterans Day 2017, the app was inspired by the client's scripted miniseries The Long Road Home. Bravo Tango asked users to describe their current emotions, and then provided guided meditation and other calming techniques to help sooth nerves or alleviate anxiety. It was designed with an Air Force psychologist. "The stories told throughout the series inspired us to help real soldiers," Shulhafer says. "Our exit interviews show that many soldiers are using Bravo Tango regularly, to help with falling asleep, meditation and other life needs." Her partner, fellow GCD Piper Hickman, has straightforward advice for young ad pros looking to create opportunities for rewarding work: First put in the work. "Find your own voice and own your own process," she says. "Study the Greeks. And Joseph Campbell. Chat up the C-suites in the elevator. Learn how to present. Show up. Listen. Don’t be afraid to ask for help, especially when you’re young; no one expects you to know what you’re doing." —David Griner [kickout id="9" label="Gus Johnston"] Gus Johnston Associate Creative Director, Venables Bell and Partners Whether creating cinematic ads with heart, helping a client turn waste into warmth for needy children or advocating for LGBT acceptance in sports, Gus Johnston is a creative who brings both passion and purpose to everything he does. Much of his most notable work at VB&P has been in the hotel space, a category not typically known for soul-lifting ideas. As part of launching the Go Beyond campaign for Sheraton Hotels, he created the visually compelling spot "The Deep" about the lengths that hotel employees would go to for guests. [kickout id="27"] For sister brand Westin Hotels, Johnston helped launch the new global brand platform "Let's Rise," but best of all, he conceived and led ThreadForward, a first-of-its-kind program that collects, processes and reweaves hotel bed linens into pajamas for children in need. "Around 30,000 pounds of bed linen from 50 Westin hotel properties around the world were collected, processed and then rewoven into children’s pajamas," he says. "From concept to design and collaborating with a raft of specialized manufacturers, this project required an extraordinary commitment from a wide range of partners. Being part of a collaborative effort to bring something genuinely meaningful into the world made this project extra special for me." A longtime hockey player, Johnston has been a vocal advocate for better gender balance and LGBT acceptance in sports, in his native Australia and around the world. —David Griner [kickout id="10" label="Bryan Espiritu"] Bryan Espiritu Creative Catalyst, Anomaly There's no simple professional box in which you can put Bryan Espiritu. An artist whose work conveys pain and resilience, a streetwear entrepreneur, a mentor for at-risk youth, a charitable advocate—and, for Anomaly, a "creative catalyst" who sparks big ideas and creates bold visual identities for clients like UFC and Nike. "Bryan is true creative superstar doing amazing work, prolific art, successful business and impacting young lives across North America," says Franke Rodriguez, CEO of Anomaly NYC and Toronto. It was Rodriguez who approached Espiritu, founder of TheLegendsLeague, about collaborating with Anomaly after the two met via the multi-talented artist's extensive involvement in the Toronto creative scene. In addition to his copious visual creations, Espiritu has also launched an effort to provide household essentials—such as basic silverware, cooking supplies and bed linens—to young people setting out on their own after stints in foster care or times of homelessness, an effort supported by his social audiences and Ikea. Espiritu says one key to balancing all these roles and responsibilities has been making time for meditation. "Much of my creative inspiration comes from reconciling pain from my past, depicting messages of mental health awareness, as well as leaving my emotions out in the open in my art and design," he says. "In recent months, meditation has played the biggest role in my daily re-energizing, as it reminds me to immerse myself in my current space and not consider past or future. It’s allowed me to graduate my creative outputs to being depictions of my truths rather than forcing me to re-experience past pain just for the sake of creating." —David Griner [kickout id="11" label="Caroline Cappelli and Ryan Tovani"] Caroline Cappelli and Ryan Tovani Associate Creative Directors, Goodby Silverstein and Partners Most ads that feature two completely different products, which happen to be owned by the same parent company, come across as a creative jumble in the name of pinching pennies on paid media. So why was PepsiCo's lip-sync battle of a Super Bowl ad featuring Doritos and Mountain Dew so incredibly, flawlessly good? While there's plenty of credit to go around (including to actors Peter Dinklage and Morgan Freeman for pulling off their performances), one team whose contributions can't be overlooked is Caroline Cappelli and Ryan Tovani of agency GS&P. [kickout id="26"] Cappelli is relatively fresh to the industry, with Goodby being her first and only employer since graduating ad school five years ago, while Tovani joined the agency two years ago after a nearly decade-long stint as an art director at Venables Bell. Together they've been a creative powerhouse, not only orchestrating the brand-combo Super Bowl alongside director (and fellow 2018 Creative 100 honoree) Nabil Elderkin, but also winning the agency's pitch to Stacy's Pita Chips, for which they created the empowering "Stacy Stands With You" campaign. "This was our first big push for the brand," Cappelli says. "Stacy’s Pita Chips was originally founded by a female entrepreneur named Stacy Madison, and in the wake of the historic 2017 Women’s March, we felt it was our responsibility to help women take action during this critical time. After witnessing the power of the march first hand, we came up with the idea to take those vibrant, powerful, handwritten signs and transform them into packaging. We then worked with Snapchat to create custom Snapcodes that used geotargeting technology to let people call their local congressional representatives just by snapping a photo of any bag." —David Griner [kickout id="12" label="Blake Winfree"] Blake Winfree Vp and Creative Director, MullenLowe "Baby, sometimes it’s better to be misunderstood.” That was advice Blake Winfree's grandmother gave him when he was a teenager, and it's stuck with him as he's risen through advertising's ranks without surrendering his conscience or his openness to new ideas, no matter where they come from. "I’ve never had a go-to source of inspiration," says the Boston-based creative, who got his start at Fallon in Minneapolis. "I try as best I can to live with my eyes open, and every once in a while, by happenstance, I stumble across things that make me feel something—that leave an impression on me, and that’s dope. It could be an old record, a book, an old drunk with a colorful past who can tell great lies, a stranger. I don’t know, I’m attracted to humanity and authenticity and all its various permutations." Winfree has been behind award-winning client work for clients like American Greetings, but most recently he's also found a receptive audience as a passionate advocate for diversity and political change. He and colleague Erin Swenson Gorrall created the 25Forty Project, which connects agencies with high school students who might otherwise not learn about the career potential of advertising and creativity. Winfree also led the creation of posters and other creative assets for the March for Our Lives, with his work—2,500 posters and 10,000 stickers—being handed out at and proudly displayed at marches in multiple cities. "The feedback from the marchers as well as our employees was much more than I anticipated," he says. "It was incredibly moving." —David Griner [kickout id="13" label="Nat Resende"] Nat Resende Creative Director, 22squared Some projects leave an indelible mark on the creatives who lead them, but Nat Resende's in-house campaign for 2017's International Women’s Day also had an impact on the rest of the 22squared office. “We created a website that asked all of our female employees, ‘What's the one thing you hate being called at work?’ The data collected from the website was then used to design a series of posters meant to make everyone stop and reflect on the words they've often used when speaking to or about women," she says. "Now, a year later, if you walk around 22squared, you still see those empowerment messages sprinkled throughout the office.” Resende began her career at Brazil's AlmapBBDO, followed by gigs at The Martin Agency in Richmond, 22squared Atlanta and Havas Atlanta, until she rejoined 22squared in 2017 as creative director. There, she's worked on a wide array of projects for clients like The Home Depot, including its Built-In Pins campaign that packs entire home improvement projects into Pinterest pins. She recently debuted Gaynimation, a side project on Instagram where she creates LGBTQA-inspired content. “Being part of the LBGTQA community myself, I’ve often felt a lack of artistic representation when it comes to GIF animations and expressions of queer lifestyle on social media, she says. "I feel curating the Gaynimation content is increasingly beneficial to my creativity at work.” To quench her thirst for knowledge and inspiration, Resende likes to hit the road. “I take solo road trips across the U.S. and travel to new places whenever possible. Traveling as a source of inspiration is as cliche as it gets, but this cliche only exists for one reason: It works every time.” —Amy Corr [kickout id="14" label="Sinan Dagli"] Sinan Dagli Creative Director, BSSP In describing a career in advertising, Sinan Dagli likens it to a nonstop roller-coaster ride: “Whenever you think the ride slows down, it always picks back up again. And to me, that’s fun. I think understanding that aspect of our industry is important. When you start enjoying the ride, you don’t want to get off.” He joined BSSP in 2009 as a junior interactive designer, climbing the ranks to creative director on NBA2K and Mitsubishi Motors. His recent work includes an NBA2K campaign starring Kevin Garnett and Michael Rapaport; a Super Bowl spot for mobile game Evony with Aaron Eckhart; and a campaign with Ryan Lochte for PowerBar. It’s Dagli’s 2016 Super Bowl ad for automaker Mini that he's most proud to look back on. “I take pride in the Defy Labels platform BSSP created for Mini," he says. "We created multiple executions that shared a common goal and started a conversation about equality while confronting stereotypes, LGBTQ issues, and labels in general. The insight not only applied to the Mini brand, but with anyone who was dealing with being labeled.” One experience that helped shape Dagli's mindset was his decision in 2010 to step away for a few months to launch “Momento,” a gift and reward platform in Turkey. “Being your own client is illuminating. Sometimes creatives can work in silos without taking the business side of things into account, so the entire process made me much more aware," he says. "It helped me see the bigger picture and establish trust with my clients. In the end, that trust leads to better work.” —Amy Corr [kickout id="15" label="Christine Gratton"] Christine Gratton Creative Director, Big Spaceship The annual Starbucks holiday cup design has become a lightning rod for criticism, and while some might be wary of working on such a project, Christine Gratton relishes every moment. “We took the ‘blank canvas’ design as a metaphor for inclusivity: There’s room for everyone, no matter how you celebrate. Let’s focus on what really matters, the holidays —and the people you celebrate them with," she recalls. "The animated film for the cup’s launch told that story. Modern families. Different races, religions and traditions. A same-sex couple leaning in for a kiss. When the media got wind of that scene in particular, it blew up. I didn’t think I would get that much satisfaction from making that many people that angry. Because it means we got the message across.” Gratton joined Big Spaceship at the end of 2015, following more than four years at MRY. Her work since joining the agency has ranged from social causes to social innovation. Her work for YouTube’s International Women’s Day Campaign, #HerVoiceIsMyVoice, turned brief snippets from famous women into a powerful rallying cry. [kickout id="28"] A lighter campaign for Converse, #FirstDayFeels, starred actress Millie Bobby Brown enacting more than a few emotions—32 were turned into GIFs—felt on the first day of school. DIY projects keeps Gratton’s creativity sharp when she’s not at the office. “The tactile stuff, using my hands. Building, painting, power tools," she says. "Spatial thinking becomes meditative. It’s fulfilling creating something you can see every day. It reminds you why you create. That feeling is everything.” —Amy Corr [kickout id="16" label="Kevin Weir and Chris Colliton"] Kevin Weir and Chris Colliton Creative Directors, Droga5 The lines of reality get blurred a lot when Kevin Weir and Chris Colliton are involved. The creative director duo at Droga5 pulled together a fake movie that was a real promotion for Tourism Australia, and the process around the impressively believable Dundee reboot was so baffling, even star Chris Hemsworth was unsure what was happening: "I kept asking the director, ‘Hang on. So I know it’s a movie, but it’s not a movie but a commercial," Hemsworth told Adweek in the lead-up to the tourism stunt's Super Bowl reveal. "And I’m playing a—wait … at which point am I playing a character or playing me?” [kickout id="29"] The head-fake campaign required a complex, global effort, sparking global speculation about what was really going on, and the final Super Bowl ad was fulfilling for everyone involved. "It feels good knowing that the late nights, stressful meetings and 17-hour flights were worth it," Colliton says. "We made something that got noticed and that the people of Australia are proud of—David Droga being one of them." Weir and Colliton, who joined Droga5 about six years ago as junior creatives and then rapidly advanced to CDs, have also turned imaginary ideas for Johnsonville ads into actual Johnsonville ads as part of the sausage brand's ongoing "Made the Johnsonville Way" campaign. They've also worked on high-profile projects for Dwayne Johnson, Under Armour, Newcastle, Coke Zero and Trident. Outside of work, Colliton turns to both yoga and improv comedy to help improve his focus, while Weir has a more digitally specific hobby: GIFs. His Flux Machine project eerily animates photos from the Library of Congress archives, while Sassy Birds is his collection of, well, sassy birds. "I’ve been learning a lot of animation over the past few years," Weir says. "It’s really nice to sink in and lose myself in After Effects after a long day of Google Docs and emails. I’m also designing a board game where you’re a battle-hungry clam and you have to fight everything else in the ocean. It’s called BattleClams, and it’s pretty dumb. I get bored if I’m not making something." [kickout id="17" label="Jeph Burton and Hunter Hampton"] Jeph Burton and Hunter Hampton Senior Creatives, Johannes Leonardo Few marketers live up to their brand name as well as Adidas Originals, which has remained hyper-relevant on both the product and advertising fronts. The two creatives behind much of the brand's ad artistry are Jeph Burton and Hunter Hampton, who scored a coveted Grand Prix at last year's Cannes Lions for their integration of music in 2017's "Original Is Never Finished." The spot was a celebration of how creativity is often built and rebuilt in layers—such as via sampling, remixing or covers, including the ad's interpreation of Frank Sinatra's "My Way." [kickout id="30"] True to form, the ad was itself rebooted and reimagined for 2018. "'Original Is Never Finished,' in its totality, is easily the work we’re most proud to be a part of," Burton says. "The three unique films launched in 2017—each a remake of the last—made the year feel incredibly creatively charged, while bucking a real tension all creative people feel every now and then, that you have to have done something first for it to be called 'original.' If it’s possible for something to be both cathartic, enjoyable, and wildly painful all at once, this is the campaign that did it." Prior to their meeting, Hampton was a designer at Droga5, and Burton a writer for Ogilvy. They became a team at short-lived agency The Bull-White House before moving to their current home base, Johannes Leonardo. Their work there on the Adidas Originals account has gone far beyond advertising, with the duo leading up an activation called "The Last Encore" that resurrected NYC's legendary hip hop venue The Tunnel for one night only, along with a streetsmart zine that mocked the fashion media's September Issue institution. The name? The September Non-Issue. —David Griner [kickout id="18" label="Gabriel Ferrer and Gabriel Reyes"] Gabriel Ferrer and Gabriel Reyes Creative Directors, Alma "We never eat at our desks." That, Gabriel Ferrer says, is one of the secrets to his strong collaboration and output alongside fellow Alma creative director Gabriel Reyes. It's a view that succinctly captures the creative joy the two bring to their process. "There’s nothing so pressing that you have to eat spaghetti next to your laptop," Ferrer says. "Breaks are key." The contagious enthusiasm for life that "Gabe and Gabe" bring to their agency have rapidly made them one of the Miami-based shop's go-to teams, leading all work on the Sol Beer account and also creating campaigns for clients like Tobacco Free Florida, Netflix and McDonald’s. For Netflix, the duo created a counterintuitive "Spoiler Alert" campaign in advance of Narcos Season 2 that announced Pablo Escobar's pending death on the show—but then created an interactive puzzle for fans to solve about how it all went down. [kickout id="31"] More recently, Ferrer and Reyes created a video campaign starring puppets as evil tobacco executives. The team says the campaign, "Funny Guys," required "over 25 calls with lawyers" to ensure the biting depiction wouldn't spark legal backlash. Outside of work, the two have so many other passions and projects, you'd wonder where they find the hours to do it all. Reyes is a DJ and father who loves to "disconnect and act like a kid again," while Ferrer's interests seem to have no limits: "I love editing travel videos, writing raps, designing T-shirts, playing basketball and recently taking a Masterclass every month in a topic completely out of my comfort zone. One year, I celebrated a holiday every day of the year. ... I want people to be confused when they introduce me to someone because I do so much stuff. One hobby I should probably do more of is sleeping." —David Griner [kickout id="19" label="Kate Lummus"] Kate Lummus Creative Director, Y&R New York When Kate Lummus isn’t creating campaigns for clients Special Olympics, All Nippon Airlines or AlticeUSA, she’s speechwriting. “I love speeches because they cannot be self-indulgent,” says Lummus, who primarily works with local NYC politicians. “Is the room cramped? Cut it in half. Is this the fourth speech of the day? Skip to the fiery part. Understanding the audience is as crucial to the success of the speech as the words.” Lummus began her career as a freelancer for McGarryBowen and McCann before joining the digital agency world at the now defunct Publicis Modem, followed by Atmosphere BBDO (now Atmosphere Proximity). Memorable projects include the "Nice vs. Kind" campaign for Kind snacks, which profiled volunteers arrested for leaving water in the desert for illegal immigrants. [kickout id="32"] On a lighter note (but still with a serious message), she created MTV’s "Food Porn" PSA campaign that turned sexting emojis into a serious discussion about condom use. Stepping out of her comfort zone gives Lummus a different perspective on idea creation. “I listen to people who have nothing to do with advertising,” she said. “I read articles on new MIT discoveries that have nothing to do with my brief and listen to music I have never heard before. Ideas are all around us, we just have to collide them together in the right way and be listening for the new sound they make.” Lummus also listens to her gut for career choices, not the chatter surrounding her. “When I started in advertising, everyone told me taking a job at a digital ad agency was a dead end. And that experience has turned out to be incredibly valuable. So just remember that you make your career, it doesn’t make you.” —Amy Corr [kickout id="20" label="Carlos Murad"] Carlos Murad Creative Director, Leo Burnett Chicago Carlos Murad’s work for The Field Museum gave a voice, or 150 voices, to its “Specimens” campaign with a shoestring budget. “Since the Specimens didn’t have a voice, we went out and asked the people of Chicago to lend us theirs through a portable recording booth,” Murad says. A native of Brazil, Murad first began his stint at Leo Burnett two decades ago as an art director in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and Lisbon, Portugal, concluding as executive creative director in Bogota, Colombia. Returning to his Leo Burnett roots in 2015 as regional creative director of LAPIZ, Murad currently serves as creative director for Leo Burnett Chicago on Samsung and Field Museum accounts. Interaction with a diverse group of people gives Murad a creative boost. “Talking to people with different cultures, ages and backgrounds is refreshing. A great idea should be great for everyone,” he said. Notable work from Murad includes Samsung’s “Don’t You Die On Me,” where phone batteries are close to dead as users watch climatic near-death movie scenes; and “Doppelgänger Tourists” for Mexico Beard of Tourism, where workaholics watch video of their alter egos on a fun-filled vacation meant for them. [kickout id="33"] For Murad, running helps him keep a handle on the work chaos: “Running is great. It’s the only moment that I can organize my ideas and do my personal therapy. You are more productive after a long run in the morning.” His advice for young creatives is a simple message but one that reflects a frequent challenge for the artistically minded: They should “create ideas for people and not for themselves.” —Amy Corr Get to know the rest of Adweek’s Creative 100 for 2018: • 13 Global Agency Leaders Whose Ideas Go Beyond Borders and Transcend Boundaries • 27 Senior Agency Leaders Who Are Charting a New Course for the Creative Industry • 13 Celebrities Who Are Making Pop Culture More Innovative, Inclusive and Interesting • 15 Ad, Film and TV Directors Who Are Raising the Standard for Storytelling • 11 Branded Content Masterminds Who Are Elevating the Art of Marketing • 11 Visual Artists Who Enlighten, Inspire and Bring the Impossible to Life • 10 Writers and Editors Who Are Changing the National Conversation • Cover Story: Filmmaker Ava DuVernay on the Creative Process, and the Intersection of Art and Activism

Awards & Honors

29 Rising Agency Stars Who Are Keeping Advertising Relevant, Fresh and Fascinating

Meet the next generation of creative icons

Kako Mendez and Robbin Ingvarsson
Associate Creative Directors, TBWA\Media Arts Lab

Adweek Staff

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Kako Mendez and Robbin Ingvarsson Associate Creative Directors, TBWA\Media Arts Lab

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Kako Mendez and Robbin Ingvarsson
Associate Creative Directors, TBWA\Media Arts Lab