2024 Press Releases

Press Contact: Patricia Censoprano
patricia@liaawards.com
Mobile: +1 917 287 2824

For Immediate Release

 

(New York 23 April 2024) LIA created the exclusive and sought after Creative LIAisons educational program in 2012, as a way of giving back to the industry that supports us. The entire program is funded by LIA. Our mission is to develop, educate, inspire and nurture emerging talent from around the globe. That in a nutshell is the driving purpose behind the Creative LIAisons initiative.

 

LIA added this virtual mentoring/coaching program in 2021, to augment the onsite Creative LIAisons program held in Las Vegas later this year. This is part of LIA’s on-going efforts to give back to the industry by supporting and nurturing the younger generation of creatives.

 

Beginning in May and continuing through November, approximately 200 mentees will begin their Creative LIAisons Virtual Coaching journey. As part of the program, each mentee will have three one-to-one bespoke coaching sessions with three different well-known, well-awarded and well-established industry leaders from around the world.

“Challenger, cheerleader, coach, confidant. Our coaches are all of these and more to the mentees. To the 200 mentees joining this program, we urge you to make the most of your sessions. Grasp your personal sessions with both hands. It’s a rare opportunity to be mentored by not just one, but three industry greats. Push yourself (and your mentors) out of your comfort zone. Let it be your purpose to get the best out of yourself, and in time you’ll be able to pass on the lessons you’ve learnt to coming generations,” said Laurissa Levy, Creative LIAisons Director/Events Director.

On coaching Creative LIAisons, Diego Medvedocky, Global Creative Partner / President at Grey Group, Buenos Aires stated, “Being a Coach at the Creative LIAisons is a privilege to me. And being able to spend some time thinking with the new generations and also learning from them, their fresh perspectives and hunger for this game, is definitely refreshing. And if at the same time, I can give back support and some helpful feedback for them, I think it´s a win-win situation.”

This year, there are 21 coaches from LATAM. Among the list of mentors are:

ARGENTINA:
Josefina Casellas, VP ECD / General Manager SS LATAM at R/GA, Buenos Aires
Alejandro Devoto, Chief Creative Officer at Don, Buenos Aires
Diego Medvedocky, Global Creative Partner / President at Grey Group, Buenos Aires
Laura Rapela, Executive Creative Director at Gut Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires

 

BRAZIL:
Felipe Cury, Partner & Chief Creative Officer at Le Pub Brasil, São Paulo
Sergio Gordilho, Co CEO/CCO at Africa Creative, São Paulo
Joanna Monteiro, Co-CCO at Africa Creative, São Paulo
Dani Ribeiro, Chief Creative Officer at WMcCann, Rio de Janeiro
Camila Rodrigues de Souza, Creative Director at Wieden+Kennedy, São Paulo
Lucas Sfair, Music Creative Director at Sfair, Balneário Camboriú
Hugo Veiga, Global Chief Creative Officer at AKQA, São Paulo
Eduardo Vieira Karas, Partner and Music Director at Canja Audio, Curitiba
Patrícia Weiss, Chairwoman at BCMA / Head of Brand Storytelling & Branded Content and Co-Founder of ASAS.br.com, São Paulo

 

CHILE:
Felipe Ortiz, Executive Creative Director at Cheil Chile, Santiago

 

COLOMBIA:
Juan Carlos Chaves, Creative Vice President at DDB Colombia, Bogotá
Daniel Rincón, Head of Creativity at draftLine Colombia, Bogotá

 

ECUADOR:
Gilda Valle, Planning Director at BBDO Ecuador, Guayaquil

 

MEXICO:

José Miguel Cartagena, Creative Director at BBDO Mexico, Mexico City
Daniela González de la Vega, Global VP, Social Media Strategy at Media.Monks, Mexico City
Humberto Polar, Chief Creative Officer at The Juju, Mexico City

 

PANAMA:
Andres Quezada, Executive Creative Director at Leo Burnett Panama, Panama
 

Sergio Gordilho, Co-CEO/CCO of Africa Creative commented, “It's a true privilege to return as a coach for Creative LIAisons for the second consecutive year, following an amazing experience in 2023. Taking on the responsibility of advising and mentoring the new generation of creatives is something I embrace with great pleasure. I believe the creative industry is constantly evolving and always has something to improve upon. Something to learn and teach. Being part of a program that selects leaders from the global creative industry showcases the strength of Brazilian advertising, and it's with great pride that I represent Africa Creative once again, but this time with another person from the agency on the list of coaches, our Co-CCO Joanna Monteiro”

This virtual mentoring/coaching program has become an integral part of the Creative LIAisons program. The importance of mentoring cannot be over stated. Some of the most famous people had mentors. The film director, J.J. Abrams, for instance, has always been inspired by Steven Spielberg. As a teenager, Abrams was hired by Spielberg to clean old reels and organize old Spielberg films. Over time, Spielberg came to appreciate Abrams’ passion for the craft and agreed to help him. Abrams credits this mentorship for helping him in production and opening up opportunities for him. J.J. Abrams has been called the next Spielberg.

 

These mentoring/coaching sessions aim to cover all disciplines with emphasis on skill development, elevating ideas and boosting creative confidence to fast track careers. Creativity is fluid, so there are no set rules or a prescribed formula for the sessions. Each mentee and their mentors are at full liberty to design how they want to conduct each session. The end game? To hone the skills of young creatives, so they can reach their full potential and rise to greater heights.

 

How are mentees matched with their respective mentors?
While mentees are able to submit their wish list from the list of 200 mentors, there are a few criteria we abide by. The rule of thumb is: no mentee will be mentored/coached by someone in their own company, either locally or globally.

The focus is on the mentees – to give them greater length, breadth, height and depth with these sessions. So careful consideration is given to the mentees’ requests.

Creative LIAisons endeavors to make matches based on interests, goals and their fields within the industry. We begin by making sure they have among their coaches at least one who is in their field of expertise. The other two can be from different backgrounds, regions and different disciplines to broaden mentees’ perspectives.
Each coach has a different mentoring style based on their strengths and experience, so by being assigned three different coaches this leads to the mentees gaining valuable insight that ultimately benefits their career goals and growth.

 

To be eligible for the program, mentees have to be currently working in the industry or a related business and be between the ages of 21 - 30 years old.

LIA does not directly select mentees. We leave it up to Companies and Agency Networks that support LIA to put forward candidates. Additionally, LIA collaborates with different Ad Clubs and Associations, and Trade Press by generously allocating spaces to winners of creative competitions organized by them. We want everyone to get a fair shot at a place in the virtual program. Winners from these regional competitions, selected by local creative leaders based on their creativity, will then become part of the Virtual program cohort.

To cast the net even wider, the Creative LIAisons Virtual Program does accept a certain quota of self-nominations.

View all 2024 coaches and 2024 mentees.

 

    

 

 

 

 

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