My given name is Rodrigo, but no one has ever called me that, not even my parents—Feel free to pick one of these names listed on the top
Raised in São Paulo by an introverted Japanese father and an extroverted Brazilian mother, I proudly identify as 100% Brazilian. My only nod to my Japanese heritage is my love for rice and sushi (with a Brazilian twist to it); otherwise, my creativity is purely Brazilian rooted, cultivated over 15 years working in different markets such as; Brazil, Australia, United Arab Emirates and the United States.
I wish a could have a glamorous and inspiring story about how I got into advertising, but the truth is that I just crossed out all the subjects I sucked at in school until advertising was the only thing left on the table. Not the smartest way to make a decision, but it turned out okay for me in the end.
As a creative, I love blending my passion for design with some strategic thinking. It's not just about making things look nice (though I can totally do that too!); it's about making sure everything fits into the bigger picture of a brand's goals and create something that connects with people leaving a mark—until my mom swaps out her usual "Good Morning" stickers to share my work with her friends on WhatsApp. Those moments make it all worth it.
My journey might not have been the most conventional, but it's led me to where I am today—From working odd jobs in Australia to residing in Dubai for six years, I finally landed where I’ve always dreamed to be in, New York City. (By the way, I am a Green Card holder).
Aside from advertising, I'm also super into photography and traveling. Surprisingly, I'm not much of a soccer fan, though, so don't waste your breath talking to me about it. However, we can definitely chat about more conventional stuff like music, podcasts, books, movies, pop-culture, surfing, skateboarding, and some crazy non-sense TikTok trends.
I BBH, USA - 2022⎯⎯Present I Arnold, New York I Havas, Dubai I Serviceplan, DubaiI MullenLowe, DubaiI Impact BBDO, DUbaiI FCB, DubaiI NeogamaBBH, São Paulo I Ogilvy, São PauloI Y&R, São PauloY&R, São Paulo Achivements:
2023 WARC Liquid Billboard #2 ranked most awarded campaign; 2022 The One Show Top #1 ranked art director in the Middle East; 2022 Lories top #2 ranked art director in the North Africa and Middle East; 2021 The Drum Most-awarded advertising artdirector.Jury Participations: 2019 One Eyeland 2021 Ad Stars 2021 PHNX 2022 PHNX 2022 The One Club’s Global Portfolio NightChicago School- Portfolio Reviewer 2023 New York Advertising Festival
Lisbon Int. Advertising Festival 2021 > Outdoor — Grand Prix ‘Liquid Billboard’ 2021 > Activation — Grand Prix ‘Liquid Billboard’ 2021 > Integrated — Grand Prix ‘Liquid Billboard’
Loeries 2021 > Out of Home — Grand Prix ‘Liquid Billboard’ 2021 > Out of Home — Gold ‘Liquid Billboard’ 2021 > PR & Media Communication — Gold ‘Liquid Billboard’ 2021 > Live Communication — Silver ‘Liquid Billboard’ 2021 > Integrate — Silver ‘Liquid Billboard’ 2021 > Media Innovation — Bronze ‘Liquid Billboard’ 2021 > Out of Home Craft — Certificate ‘Liquid Billboard’ 2021 > Print — Gold ‘News Rebuilt’ 2021 > Media Innovation — Bronze ‘News Rebuilt’ 2019 > Print — Bronze ‘Mena Colors. Oman’ 2019 > Print — Bronze ‘Mena Colors. Dubai’ 2019 > Print — Silver ‘Pakistani Truck’
Mobius 2019 > OOH — Craft Art Direction Gold Best of Show Nominee ‘Equal Colors’ 2019 > Print — Silver ‘Equal Colors’ 2019 > Print — Silver ‘Equal Colors’
Lürzer's Archive 02/2019 > Dulux ‘Mena Colors’ 03/2019 > INFINITI ‘Pakistani Truck’ 03/2019 > Alma Vetlenyi 2 x ‘Equal Colors’ 04/2015 > Full page 3x TIM ‘No Battery. No Help’ 03/2015 > StockPhoto.com ‘Starting Great Idea’