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2 Minutes With … Pedro Prado, ECD at TBWAMedia Arts Lab
On The Economist, his debut film for Apple, and staying passionate about advertising
Pedro Prado is executive creative director at TBWAMedia Arts Lab in Miami. Pedro joined the Miami office last March and has been a major force in expanding MAL’s footprint and work in Latin America.
Pedro was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and has lived in New York, Texas, Indiana and São Paulo. His career began as an advertising copywriter in 1998, and since then he has worked for numerous brands in different segments. We spent two minutes with Pedro to learn more about his background, his creative inspirations, and recent work he’s admired.
Pedro, tell us…
Where you grew up, and where you live now.
I grew up in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. I have lived in New York City, West Texas, Indiana, São Paulo and now Miami.
What you wanted to be when you grew up.
My first dream job as a 4-year-old was to work on a garbage-removal truck. I used to watch the huge trucks in action from my Rio de Janeiro apartment window and loved the mechanics. : ) Later, throughout my teen years, I wanted to be a basketball player, and later, a coach.
How you discovered you were creative.
In Texas, age 16, working at an ostrich farm, I’d say. I developed a creative and more efficient post-hole digging method to save my lazy self from the sunny and exhausting West Texas weather.
A person you idolized creatively growing up.
Tim Maia, Tom Jobim and other Brazilian musicians. And Madonna.
A moment from high school or college that changed your life.
My first A in essay writing, with the teacher reading my essay, out loud, in front of the entire class. As I tried to hide myself with despair and teenage embarrassment, I realized that I loved writing, and could actually do it somewhat well.
The first concert you saw, and your favorite band or musician today.
Tim Maia—an amazing Brazilian singer—look him up! Today, I still love him and a lot of Brazilian music, but I’d say my favorite musician is probably Chet Baker.
Your favorite visual artist.
Pollock, Keith Haring, Monet, Van Gogh, Adriana Varejão, and pretty much anything connected to the Bauhaus.
Your favorite fictional character.
The best book you’ve read lately.
Melville’s Bartleby, the Scrivener. I read it a while back—reread it not long ago and still love it.
Your favorite movie.
Probably the hardest question of this sort. But my most recent favorite: The Power of the Dog.
Someone or something worth following in social media.
Many travel-related handles: @nytimes, @lovewatts and @_yes _but.
How Covid-19 changed your life, personally or professionally.
Hard times, for sure—but working from home in 2020 and 2021 allowed me to spend a lot of quality time: with my 13-year-old, and to witness her transition from lovely child to fantastic teenager; with my pregnant wife; and, later, with my cute baby boy.
One of your favorite creative projects you’ve ever worked on.
So many cool ones in Brazil (and in Portuguese) that don’t translate that well—and a few that do translate, for Nike, Pinacoteca and Leica.
A recent project you’re proud of.
The first one out at TBWAMedia Arts Lab. A lovely collaboration with Los Angeles and Miami—my Apple debut—and a lovely global film.
Someone else’s creative project that inspired you years ago.
Anything ever done for The Economist—my absolute favorite campaign of all time—and a bit more recently, “Dumb Ways to Die.”
Someone else’s creative project that you admired lately.
Your main strength as a creative person.
Patience and resilience. I like to think we love creativity so much that we’d do it for free—but we get paid for how long anything, actually, takes to go out to the world, and for all the battles that we, historically, lose.
Your biggest weakness.
Keeping focus. Especially during loooooog Webex meetings … no meeting should last more than 30 minutes, if you ask me. In Webex, Zoom, Teams meets—20 minutes. 🙂
One thing that always makes you happy.
Smiles. My wife’s and kids’ smiles, more specifically.
One thing that always makes you sad.
Rude people. And lack of empathy—they typically go hand in hand.
What you’d be doing if you weren’t in advertising.
I wouldn’t do anything else. I truly love advertising—yes, still love it—and until anyone finds a better platform to connect creativity with money, I’m in for life.
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.
Jessica MacAulay is a contributor for Muse by Clio. She's also a recent graduate of the University of Colorado Boulder's College of Media, Communication, and Information.
