Based in the Pacific Northwest my journey started 20+ years ago, 5,000 miles away from where I am now.
When I was a kid, I was always trying to learn how things work and what was inside anything that was in my hands. I disassembled everything I could reach and then put the parts back together in the same order, or let my imagination fly free, creating new devices or making cyberpunk additions to whatever was close to me.
As I grew up, education and life brought new experiences and situations, along with an increased curiosity and ability to see the big picture, dissect its parts, and analyze their function. My access to resources expanded, as did my ability to express and communicate concepts and ideas in a more engaging and convincing way.
It was when I was seventeen that everything fell into place. I discovered advertising and marketing was the cauldron within which I could mix all my skills. That magic potion called creativity became my passion.
From that moment, it felt natural how my education flowed towards my degree in Advertising and Public Relations, followed by a master’s degree in Creative Advertising and an executive master’s degree in Sales Management and Marketing.
In a parallel path, my first steps in the branding and advertising universe occurred. Family friends and connections started to request brand identities and marketing collateral for their businesses. Then I stepped into the corporate world as a graphic designer at a very well-known Swedish furniture multinational company and from there I started a journey working for top-level multinational advertising agencies, educational institutions, start-ups, non-profits, small businesses, etc.
My natural curiosity has fueled my aim to add skills to my profile that allow me to have a more strategic and long-term approach to any situation. Looking back, I can see how every role was meant to be the base for the next level of my profile. Starting as a graphic designer, I was in the frontline of creative work. Moving a step above as an art director brought strategic thinking further then the canvas size. Social media managing was the next stop, taking control over whole content creation, planning, and strategy. And now, flying solo using all those skills and experience in a unique mix is what has landed me where I am today.
Like most everyone, my life has had ups and downs along the way. One of the biggest downs (thanks Lehman Brothers!) turned into one of the biggest ups when I moved from Madrid (Spain) where I was born and raised, to London (UK). Another big “up” happened a few years later when I moved to Portland and then Seattle (US), this time for personal reasons (let’s call it love).
Being exposed to different business cultures, different work methodologies, the vibrancy of London’s business culture and street art, the weirdness of Portland, and the tech scene of Seattle widened my understanding of the relationships between organizations and their audiences.
Through AGM, I take that eclectic mix of what makes me who I am and use it to develop brands into the best they can be.