Alejandro Lopez, former McCann Worldgroup Japan chief creative officer, will serve as U.S. head of Interpublic’s newest creative practice, Mediabrands Content Studio (MBCS), effective immediately. Launched in November 2020 by Mediabrands global chief content officer Brendan Gaul, MBCS is designed to network and grow the content capabilities within Mediabrands’ agencies–UM, Initiative, Reprise, Rapport, MAGNA and Orion–around the world.
In his new role, Lopez will oversee the development and deployment of specialized content and creative teams across Mediabrands offices and clients in the U.S. Through data-fueled content experiences–which MBCS defines as content that is built from the same high-value audience that media is planned and executed–MBCS develops powerful stories for clients in branded content, performance content, campaign content, original content and entertainment solutions.
Lopez, who has over 20 years of global creative and entertainment content experience, returns to Interpublic after spending the last year co-founding HYPHN, a young-adult mentorship program that supports and pairs up-and-coming racially and ethnically diverse creative voices with leaders in their fields. Previously, Lopez was CCO of McCann Worldgroup Japan. Based out of McCann’s Tokyo offices, Lopez managed and expanded McCann Japan’s national creative output, led content and creative development for UM Studios Japan, and oversaw content series development and execution for company clients.
Lopez came to McCann from an award-winning independent branded content and distribution company, Brand Programming Studios, he co-founded and for which he served as chief creative officer. During that time, he helped pioneer and became a leader in the development of brand-funded web and television series adjacent content. The company executive-produced and created original shows like What’s Good for PBS and Nutella’s Spread the Happy series.
Before launching his own business, Lopez was executive creative director at Troika where he expanded the agency’s offerings from traditional television brand packaging into consumer facing advertising campaigns for major television networks, studios, and organizations like CNN, hulu, Amazon Studios, Univision, Sony Pictures Television, AMC, Redbull and the Sundance Institute during which time he reported directly to Keri Putnam and Robert Redford. Lopez also spent nearly 15 years at Leo Burnett, first as executive creative director in their Tokyo, Paris, Frankfurt and Caracas offices, working his way up to managing director, representative director.
“Alejandro’s deep expertise in data-fueled creative and media will provide invaluable support to our content creation arm, UM Studios,” said UM U.S. CEO Lynn Lewis. “We’re excited to collaborate with Alejandro and the MBCS teams to continue to futureproof our clients’ businesses through impactful storytelling.”
Stacy DeRiso, U.S. CEO of Initiative, added, “Alejandro’s breadth of experience and knowledge around how today’s audiences are consuming content is unparalleled. Great content creates culture, and culture connects brands with the audiences that grow business.”
Lopez’s helming of MBCS reflects a paradigm shift towards a more holistic approach to content through the reunification of creative and media. “Alejandro keenly understands how data and audience media behavior can make creative work more insightful, powerful and perform better,” said Gaul. “Having him oversee MBCS in the U.S. means we are now able to ensure that all of our clients’ end-to-end data-fueled content and media needs can be cohesively created, planned, and served across the entirety of a plan. He brings a diverse perspective to storytelling and an understanding of content trends outside the U.S. that are only beginning to be realized here.”
Ever a consummate artist and contributor, when the multi-cultural executive is not creating award-winning content for clients, Lopez spends his time painting socially driven and humanitarian Expressionist and portraiture art. Lopez–who speaks five languages–is also a dedicated philanthropist who has devoted his time to a host of important international causes like the Arts High Foundation (LACHSA), Refugees International (Japan), and National Food Bank (Japan).
Lopez will report to Gaul out of Mediabrands’ Los Angeles office.
Changes Afoot For Cannes Lions 2025, Including Increasing Festival Access For Underserved Communities
The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity is putting plans in motion for its 72nd edition, set to take place from June 16-20, 2025 in Cannes, France. The Festival has announced that it will double funding to provide €2m (some $2,150,000) worth of complimentary passes to underrepresented talent and underserved communities through its Equity, Representation and Accessibility (ERA) Pass, returning for a second year.
Frank Starling, chief DEI officer, Lions, said the increased investment was “crucial to continue to drive progress for both Cannes Lions and the industry.” Starling added, “The ERA pass plays an important role in fostering a global representation of talent within the creative communications industry at Cannes Lions, and to date our funded opportunities have reached creatives in 46 countries globally. With the Festival being the destination for everyone in the business of creativity, we recognize the importance of creating equitable access to it, and this is why we’re prioritizing increased representation from the Global South to support a greater range of voices and perspectives from the region at the Festival.” Applications for the ERA pass are open now and close on December 5, 2025. More details can be found here.
With submissions into the Cannes Lions Awards opening on January 16, 2025, innovations to the Awards have also been announced today. Glass: The Lion for Change celebrates 10 years since its introduction. The Glass Lion was launched to champion work that used creativity to drive a shift towards more positive, progressive and gender-aware communication, and Marian Brannelly, global... Read More