TBWAMedia Arts Lab (MAL), the bespoke advertising agency dedicated to Apple, has hired Pedro Prado to serve as executive creative director, Miami.
Prado joins from Leo Burnett Brazil where he held the title of creative executive VP. He has lived and worked in both the U.S. and his native Brazil, and has contributed to a wide range of brands, including Nike, Google, Fiat, Anheuser-Busch InBev, Mondelez, Leica and Honda.
Prior to Leo Burnett, Prado spent almost 15 years at F/Nazca Saatchi & Saatchi–working his way from copywriter to creative director–and McCann Erickson before that. He began his creative advertising career as a copywriter and has been widely recognized for his work at major global advertising awards competitions, including D&AD, Clios and The One Show.
Prado said, ”Craft, simplicity, impacting culture, surrounding yourself with talented and extremely nice people…Media Arts Lab believes in the same things I do. I couldn’t be more excited to join MAL, and I look forward to helping create and produce iconic work for Apple.”
Claudia Machado, managing director for Media Arts Lab, Miami, described Prado as “a unique craftsmen” who will help expand the shop’s footprint in Latin America.
Brent Anderson, global chief creative officer for Media Arts Lab, commented: “Pedro’s intense passion for crafting lasting breakthrough work and his endearing presence as a leader uniquely position him to help vault Media Arts Lab forward into exciting and uncharted spaces. He is a team builder with impeccable taste and energy.”
Eleanor Adds Director Candice Vernon To Its Roster For Spots and Branded Content
Director Candice Vernon has joined production house Eleanor for U.S. representation spanning commercials and branded content. She has already wrapped several jobs at Eleanor, which waited to announce her until they had a body of work together.
Via Eleanor, Vernon made history as the first Black director on a Febreze commercial. The “Small Spaces” campaign marks a major departure from Febreze’s typical blue-and-white world. The home of the “Revolving Door” commercial is a beautiful array of bold sunset hues, African prints, and African art.
Vernon said, “I asked myself, what feels right to me? What feels new? I wanted to bring an essence of not just Black Americans but the full diaspora. I wanted to make a statement that we’re not a monolith.”
Following the success of the “Small Spaces” campaign, Febreze brought Vernon back for a comedy-infused trifecta exploring the hilarious situations that call for an air freshening hero.
Febreze Brand VP Angelica Matthews said, “About two years ago, we realized the consumers that were the most loyal to Febreze were the African American consumers. And the more we learned, the more we realized the richness that we were really missing. So we said we have to go beyond just Black casting, we need to get Black directors that truly understand the culture that truly understand how to bring authentic performances out on screen. We really looked around the industry and noticed there’s actually a shortage of African American directors who have experience doing commercials. When we all saw Candice’s reel, we could all tell the passion for the craft, passion for really trying to help us from where we are to where we’re trying to go.”
Vernon brings a unique lens to... Read More