The creative team of Sergio Takahata and Nellie Santee, formerly with DAVID Miami, has joined AMV BBDO.
Copywriter Santee teamed up with art director Sergio Takahata in 2019 after meeting at DAVID Miami. They were the main team behind the Burger King account, responsible for product launches and cornerstone creative ideas. They also worked on Budweiser, Sour Patch Kids and Heinz Ketchup, delivering famous, engaging, and award-winning ideas.
Santee was born in the U.S. and grew up in Brazil, starting her advertising career in the countryside. After finishing a master’s degree in communications, she moved to the U.S and started at DAVID Miami in 2018. In less than two years, she had won eight Cannes Lions–three of them Golds–four D&AD Pencils and six awards at One Show. She also made the top ten most awarded copywriters list in the Cannes Lions Festival in 2019–the only woman.
Takahata, a Brazilian, has won over 12 Grand Prix in major international festivals. His awards haul includes nine Cannes Lions, including one Grand Prix and four Golds, 11 D&AD Pencils, including one Black and four Yellows. He was part of the team that helped DAVID Miami to be nominated Agency of the Year at the One Show, Clios, and D&AD. According to the Cannes Global Creative Report, he ranked as the #7 most awarded art director in 2020/2021. He also ranked as the #1 most awarded art director at the One Show 2020.
A joint statement from Santee and Takahata read, “We are very excited to join AMV with all its creative history and even more with the exciting fresh leadership. It feels like the perfect time to be here and make awesome work”.
AMV BBDO chief creative officers Nadja Lossgott and Nicholas Hulley shared in a joint statement, “We are huge admirers of Nellie and Sergio’s work, so to have them join us with our other brilliant creative talent at the agency is very exciting. We look forward to more potent ideas that can add to the explosion of creativity at AMV.”
