Who's Who: Angelo Maia

Angelo currently works as an Associate Creative Director at TBWA\Chiat\Day NY where he does work for clients such as adidas, McDonald’s, Nissan and Columbia Journalism Review, together with his partner Ricardo Franco. Prior to that, he was responsible for creating global campaigns for the car brand smart at BBDO in Germany. He started his career as an art director in his native Brazil working for clients such as Harley-Davidson and Kia Motors.

How did you get into advertising? 

My mom worked at a small ad agency for some time when I was a kid and she would pick me up at school in the evenings and stop there to finish some work or have a meeting. So I think it was somehow always clear to me that I wanted to work in a place like that. But I had no clue how to do it and had to show my portfolio 100 times. Re-do my portfolio 100 times. Then show my portfolio 100 more times to actually get in an agency.

The most recent campaign you worked on?

It was a Fake Newsstand. My partner Ricardo and I, together with the team at TBWA\Chiat\Day, opened a newsstand in New York City where all the magazines and newspapers were made from fake news plucked from the Internet. We wanted to make the point on behalf of our client Columbia Journalism Review that real journalism matters, now more than ever.

The best piece of creative work around at the moment is?

“Welcome Home” from Apple. I watched it a thousand times and then watched the making-of video a thousand times more.

What do you think the next big advertising trend is going to be?

Technology and platforms will continue to evolve. But in the end, the story you tell will always be what matters most.

What do you think the piece of advertising work you wish you had thought of is?

I love that print campaign for the Portuguese magazine Grandes Reportagens called “Flags”. I love how powerful that campaign is, and how it still makes sense after all these years.

The internet/digital tool you couldn’t live without is?

Spotify, though I still don’t pay for the premium account and can’t skip songs more than six times per hour.

In a film about your life, who would you like to be played by?

Renato Aragão. He is a Brazilian actor and comedian. If you don’t know him you should look him up.

A word or phrase you overuse?

“Car***o”. We Brazilians use this word for everything, good and bad.

What did your last social media update say?

It was a picture of a guy on a Segway watching the sunset in Tel Aviv. The caption said, “There’s no better place to watch the sunset than on top of a Segway.” I just assumed. I have never watched the sunset on top of a Segway myself.

Your dream collaboration is?

Bob Dylan.

The last piece of music you listened to was?

“Something Holy” by Alice Phoebe Lou. I used to see her play on the streets back in Germany. Now I listen to her on Spotify and just bought a ticket to see her concert here in New York.

Instagram: @angelomaiaaaa