Aste | Creative Director & Writer

Agency Heads

Nancy | TBWA

The best part of my job is a ‘Nancy meeting’. The sharpest, most lucid human I’ve ever worked with. Watching her work is an experience of a lifetime.

Merlee | Dentsu (fka DM9)

I’ll always admire how she built a place where you could do the best work of your life. The entire infrastructure was built to get great ideas produced.

Jasel | Forward, ex-AKQA

It was a stroke of luck that Jasel was my MD when I made CD. I witnessed how a leader creates instant impact, makes tough decisions, and turns things around.

John | BBH

Taught me the most important lesson: Kindness. He let me learn from—rather than pay for—my mistakes. Showed me the work can get even better if I became a better man.

Mentors

Fred | FF Founder

To this day, I can’t believe I got mentored by a legend. Drastically raised my entire game—trained me to think more visceral, more epic, more visual. My most transformative career experience.

Andrew | Petch&

The biggest break of my career was when Andrew, a Droga protegé, became our ECD. Over a 4-year apprenticeship, he taught me everything I know.

Al | TBWA, ex-WK

My greatest writing and film mentor. He doesn’t just rewrite my copy—he’s rewritten my entire source code, making me more rigorous and considered.

Eric | ex-WK, ex-AKQA

WK lifer who taught me about pedigree—told endless stories about how ‘WK guys operate at another level’, the ‘WK family tree’, and even introduced me to some of ‘WK greats’.

Partners

Bastien | Droga5

Best creative I’ve ever worked with. Craft. Concept. Creative direction. Every day I learned something new.

Carlos | Droga5, ex-AKQA

The 🐐. Greatest pure art director I’ve ever seen. Doesn’t just work in every style and medium, he’s the best craftsman in every single one.

Bubs | AKQA, ex-DM9

Greatest maker I ever met. While most ‘art+code’ creatives are actually more tinkerers/producers, Buboy can really create everything himself—at a best-in-class level.

Bibs | DM9

My first partner. Learned how no solo creative will ever beat a strong team. We won 20+ Grand Prix together, and it’s been a thrill seeing him #staywinning.

Creatives

JB | FF

Best I ever saw at finding big ideas in the smallest things.

Joe | AKQA, ex-FF

Definition of a ‘senior creative.’ The consummate pro.

Tom | ex-PARTY

Few, if any, understand the internet with such utter clarity.

Marjorie | BBDO

Epitome of immaculate French craft.

Ashley | TBWA

Best part of the CD job is working with senior teams. And Team Ashley + Holden is the best I’ve ever worked with.

Holden | TBWA

Their scripts are the Glengarry Leads. They’re the team you hire first when starting an agency. The ultimate closers.

Gaston | BBH

Gaston & Omar are one of those duos you just know will be famous CCO-founders one day.

Omar | BBH

Their US experience armed them for real work on big brands, while their awardy background gave it conceptual rigor.

Jason | Nike, ex-AKQA

Smartest person I ever managed. Challenged me non-stop, which made me so much tougher.

Pierrick ex-FF

Classic French craft meets hypermodern design and art direction.

Pete | JWT, ex-FF

Best pure storyteller I ever met. Was awesome and humbling seeing Thai creativity firsthand.

Sarah | Leo Burnett

Most naturally gifted single-visual thinker I ever worked with. 30+ ideas per review, all killer, no filler.

Deng | ex-BBH (FL)

Mind-opening how she drew inspiration from less expected sources—luchadors, BDSM, burlesque, to name a few.

Kara | ex-BBH (FL)

Most fearless writer I ever met. Led Hyper Court copywriting despite never having followed basketball.

Sonali | ex-FF ex-AKQA

Fascinating hybrid style : East meets West, Classical meets Digital, Story meets System. Wish we could work together again!

Tin | Wunderman

Showed me what I could become if only I were 100x sharper and faster and more talented.

Matteo | BBH

Fastest learner you ever saw. Hustle guy you need on every project. Good taste.

Zac | BBH

Does it all: design, code, etc. Pulled overnight 3D job to save Unlimited Stadium.

Dillah | BBH

Best I ever worked with at : 1) pop-culture driven ideas 2) Getting shit done.

Chelsea | AKQA

Youngest I ever managed, but among those who taught me the most. Did digital activation that’s conceptually brilliant AND stuff-kids-would-actually-do.

Belen | TBWA

Most talented intern I’ve ever seen. One day, I hope to partner with her.

Grace | BBH

My proudest moment was seeing Grace and Jereek—both 18 then—fearlessly take on the massive project that was Hypercourt.

Jereek | BBH

My second proudest moment was when they won their first D&AD Pencils for the massive project that was Hypercourt.

Sam | TBWA

Uncanny intuition utterly simple, pure ideas. More importantly: Huge heart. No surprise he’s already won Yellow Pencil.

Production

Joel | ︎, ex-AKQA

I survived AKQA thanks to Joel. I knew less-than-nothing about digital production—and got mentored by the best at it.

Karim | BETC, ex-FF

BETC Global Head of Film production. Needless to say, working with him was a masterclass.

Sam | BBH

Greatest pure producer I’ve ever had. Before Sam, I thought I hustled hard. She taught me I had no clue what hustle is.

Aurora | FF

Still don’t know how Aurora never said no, yet always delivered working builds on time and within budget.

Client Service

Sid | BBH

My partner on Nike. The GOAT. If client service were a sport, he’s the generational talent who has it all—will, skill, smarts, savvy, leadership, and disdain for anything less than a championship.

Kate | ex-AKQA

No one knows money like Kate. In a year, we grew Budweiser to the agency’s second largest account.

Guillaume | ex-FF

Forget life lessons—it was revelatory working with an account director with so much more taste and culture than I’ll ever have.

Junnis | ex-RGA, ex-Saatchi

Working with your spouse rarely works out. But she really is the best AD I’ve ever worked with. Taught me poise, strategy, presenting and defending work, building genuine relationships with client, and just being a better person.