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André Toledo of DAVID N.Y. on the Power of Trust
His work ethic from age 17 paid off big
André is the chief creative officer of DAVID New York. He works with such brands as Supercell, Ikea, Clif Bar and Cointreau. Before moving to New York, André was a founding member of the network’s first European office in Madrid, where he led work for Netflix, Burger King, Twitter and Milka. Earlier, André served as global creative director at LOLA MullenLowe.
We spent two minutes with André to learn more about his background, his creative inspirations and recent work he’s admired.
André, tell us …
Where you grew up, and where you live now.
I grew up in Lima, spent nearly 10 years in Madrid, and now I live in New York.
How you first realized you were creative.
Even though I’m a copywriter, in high school I loved playing around with CorelDRAW. That was my hobby, making print ads. I know, it was weird.
A moment from high school or college that changed your life.
When I started college at 17, I almost immediately began working as an intern in an advertising agency. I’d spend the entire day at the agency, then head to classes around 4:00 P.M., and study until nearly 10:00 P.M. every day. Those years truly changed my life.
Your most important creative inspirations, and some recent stuff you love.
I loved Murakami’s latest book, The City and Its Uncertain Walls.
One of your favorite creative projects you’ve ever worked on.
Scrabble: “Anagram Lovers.” This was my first project after joining LOLA MullenLowe, and it ended up being featured everywhere. I couldn’t believe Time was talking about an ad I had worked on. But more importantly, I got to work on it with people I admired and who are now great friends.
A recent project you’re proud of.
Cointreau: “Any Tequila.” We jumped on the celebrity tequila trend to launch Aubrey Plaza’s version … just to prove that the real star of a proper margarita is Cointreau.
Someone else’s work you admired lately.
“Thank You For Your Interest in Astronomer.” Funny, simple, sharp and fast. Very fast.
Your main strength as a creative person.
I believe in trusting people.
Your biggest weakness.
I struggle to say no.
A mentor who helped you navigate the industry.
Pancho Cassis, who I’ve been working with over the last 10 years.
What you’d be doing if you weren’t in advertising.
Architect or lawyer.
2 Minutes With is our regular interview series where we chat with creatives about their backgrounds, creative inspirations, work they admire and more. For more about 2 Minutes With, or to be considered for the series, please get in touch.
