As part of its strategy to push the boundaries of creativity agency wide, MullenLowe LA has hired Laura Sampedro and Carlos Alija to head creative at the burgeoning West Coast office. The duo, known for their global work for brands from Coca-Cola to Honda to Lurpak, relocated from New York, where they were group creative directors at Anomaly.
They will report directly to MullenLowe US CEO, Lee Newman, who is headquartered in LA.
Laura and Carlos’ careers have spanned three continents in four countries at renowned agencies in global creative hubs, including New York, London, Sydney, and their home country of Spain.
In July, after a competitive pitch, Laura and Carlos created Coca-Cola’s first marketing campaign since the pandemic, which was shortly followed by Anomaly becoming Coca-Cola’s AOR in the U.S. Prior to joining Anomaly, they were creative directors at Wieden+Kennedy London, where they worked on highly celebrated campaigns for Honda, Lurpak, and Finish.
As executive creative directors at the iconic Aussie agency BMF, they played a key role in the creative turnaround of the agency and its main client, ALDI supermarkets. They started their careers in Spain, on the creative team of Renault automotive at BBDO Madrid and then at Sra. Rushmore, one of the country’s most creative boutique agencies.
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“Laura and Carlos bring unexpected creativity to everything they touch, whether it’s for a beloved global brand or a product in an unconventional category,” noted Lee. “Beyond their incredible pedigree and portfolio, they bring a crystal clear leadership vision to the creative culture at MullenLowe.”
MullenLowe LA has grown to be a major player on the West Coast with a client roster that includes Acura (AOR relationship since 2013), Whole Foods Market, Grey Goose, Patrón, AXE, California Avocado Commission, Hawaiian Airlines, and Providence Health.
Most recently, MullenLowe was added to Constellation Brands’ agency roster and awarded creative duties for Corona Masterbrand.
The agency also handles various aspects of creative, social, and PR for Two Lane, The Prisoner Wine Company, Unshackled, and Double Diamond, among others.
Their first campaign for Corona Extra, which starred Snoop Dogg and aired during the NBA Finals, debuted Corona’s first new tagline in a decade and its first Spanish language tagline for mass-market brands, ’La Vida Más Fina,’ which translates to “The Fine Life.”
“As creatives who have lived and worked all over the world, we are always pushing the limits. MullenLowe’s job description for our ECD roles could have been written by us, word by word!” said Laura and Carlos. “We also decided to join the agency because of the people we’ll be working alongside. They are curious, open, and share our passion and ambition for making great work.”
Lee Newman’s LA team is known for leading with a creative-first culture and honed their talent at agencies including TBWA\Media Arts Lab, Crispin Porter + Bogusky, The Community, and more. Managing Director Javier Passerieu, Head of Strategy Mollie Partesotti, and SVP of Public Relations, Erica Samadani have helped attract clients who want to be challenged to create brave work that is extraordinarily effective.
Recruiting Laura and Carlos is part of a wider strategy laid out by MullenLowe earlier this year designed to decentralize creative leadership network wide, giving greater creative autonomy to executive creative directors in each MullenLowe US office.
Last month, MullenLowe NY hired its first creative head, former TBWA head of design, Chris Rowson. MullenLowe creative legends Dave Weist and Tim Vaccarino continue to guide and innovate Boston creative, celebrating a decade with the agency this year.
Late last year, Frannie Rhodes was appointed to uncover and recruit the best creative talent and elevate MullenLowe’s content production arm, Yeti. She was instrumental in recruiting the agency’s newest hires.
Reel 360 wishes Laura and Carlos the best of luck at MullenLowe.
SOURCE: MullenLowe
