On My Radar: Gustavo Sarkis

Having recently been named new ECD at Miami advertising agency Crispin Porter + Bogusky, Brazilian native Gustavo Sarkis is excited about the challenge ahead.

Leading the department on all accounts, including The Miami Dolphins, Tork and Mission 22, the creative made the switch from TBWAChiatDay LA where he most recently worked on Gatorade 50, below.

In this interview, Sarkis lifts the lid on the man behind the work, including his favourite TV, tech and how he started out in advertising after life as a tour guide.

What’s the best ad campaign you’ve seen recently?

Probably The Other Side of Honda, the digital video where you see a different version of it when you press the R key. Very good storytelling tightly connected to product.

What website(s) do you use most regularly and why?

Google. It’s like digital oxygen.

What’s the most recent piece of tech that you’ve bought and why?

I got an iPad to entertain my kids during a five-hour flight out of LA to Miami. But they’ve left it on the plane.

Facebook, Instagram or Twitter?

Twitter is still more about the content and less about the ego. There’s less room for selfies in it.

What’s your favourite app on your phone and why?

I’d say Waze. A GPS app that’s constantly fed by users to help you through traffic is probably the most useful thing I’ve got on my phone.

What’s your favourite TV show and why?

Right now, House of Cards. Best ever? Seinfeld. Great story telling with dialogue lines that make you feel like grabbing a notepad and writing them down.

What film do you think everyone should have seen?

Boyhood should win a titanium Oscar if there was one.

Where were you when inspiration last struck?

Sitting on my desk, looking at the ceiling, late at night.

What’s the most significant change you’ve witnessed in the industry since you started working in it?

When the internet and social media brought a new way of communicating with the audience, shifting it from a one-way to a two-way conversation.

If there was one thing you could change about the advertising industry, what would it be?

It feels like the industry spends too much time trying to protect itself from making mistakes. There’s so much energy spent on focus groups, in trying to check all boxes, in following the guidelines that it makes it difficult for good ideas to survive in the end of the process.

What or who has most influenced your career and why?

I had a very happy and intense childhood. I have great memories of it and friends I still keep in touch with. I guess keeping my inner child alive has helped me a lot and played an important role in the way I shaped myself up professionally.

Tell us one thing about yourself that most people won’t know…

I’ve worked as a tour guide coordinating excursions of Brazilian teenagers to Disney World. It was pretty intense; you wouldn’t believe what 15 year olds would be up to when they stay away from their parents for the first time. One day, one passenger accidentally started a fire in the hotel. After that, I decided to move on to advertising.