Pa’lantismo. Ever hear of it? Maybe not expressed like that, but you know the phrase. “¡Pa’lante!” A philosophy invented by our own Eric Hoyt. If you could sum up the trajectory of his life and his way of seeing and doing, that’s the word. Always forward. There’s not a single Bravo alive today who hasn’t been pushed, prodded and encouraged by that rallying cry. Born and raised in Puerto Rico, Eric moved on. ‘Cause that’s what he does. Opened Wunderman in Miami, ran his own ad agency and has been leading Bravo for the past 8 years. Always pa’lante. It’s the only way to get where you want to go.
Known primarily for his good looks, flashy cars and multiple mansions, Claudio has also won a couple of advertising awards, although he doesn’t like to brag about it much. But since he’s not writing this, we’ll do it for him. Mr.Lima is the recipient of 27 Cannes Lions, including 4 shiny golds. He’s also won big at D&AD, Clios, El Sol, El Ojo, Fiap, CCSP, Effies, and others. But is that what pushes him and his team to strive for more? Ah, pretty much. He’s done General Market, U.S. Hispanic, Brazil, Portugal and Latin America and is crazy about his Palmeiras soccer team and his wife and two kids. How does he want to be remembered? “As a nice guy.” Humble. (But don’t forget the 27 Lions).
How does a colossal (in both mind and stature) South African end up leading our much-praised planning and strategy department? Restlessness and curiosity. Traits that define greatness (humility, not so much). Andy began his career in Y&R South Africa during the awesome 80’s and has been a Miami resident since 1994. He is a master at uncovering cross-cultural consumer insights that lead to eureka! moments and has helped us land, lead and develop major brands with his professorial bearing and killer accent. His hero? Not surprisingly, one of the great icons of restlessness and curiosity: Bob Dylan.
Julian Roca has two passions in life: sports and advertising. If he had dedicated his career to sports, we’re pretty sure we would hear about him on every sport channel. Fortunately for us, he decided to take the advertising path. After getting his Master’s degree at Montclair State University, he’s worked at many world-renowned agencies leading cross-capability teams, building a reputation for his ability to turnaround “challenging” situations and winning many awards including a Clio, OMMA, W3, Webby, and more. Now, we’re pleased to have Julian as our Digital Department VP and one of our biggest sports aficionados! Trust us, you just don’t go to the last 3 soccer World Cups for nothing!
Renée has done it all. Trekked the legendary, perilous Inca trail. Check. Spent a week in Sweden’s famed Ice Hotel. Check. Re-routed the Panama Canal for a day so as not to disrupt her quinceañero party. Ch… OK, maybe not that. But advertising, promotions, Hispanic marketing, above the line, through the line, below the line, GM, Latin America, B2B, B2C. Check. Check. Check. But perhaps Renée’s biggest triumph is her remarkable empathy. She understands the mindworks of both creatives and clients and is trusted. By both. A rare trait for an ‘account’ person. But that’s just it. Renée is more than an account person. Her current plans: to learn amateur rocketry.
Sybil may just have the coolest name ever. I mean, come on, who wouldn’t want to hang out with a Company named Sybil. This Argentine firebrand is one of our company’s (there’s that name again) true leaders and mentors. A native of Buenos Aires, her defining moment came early in life when she met the David Ogilvy and was inspired enough to decide advertising was her calling. Lucky for us. And our clients. That’s because she possesses a rare quality: she’s direct and über-honest (maybe too much so, as she’s the first to point out). But it’s something clients value. Which may explain why she’s led our Dell account for the past 16 years throughout Latin America.
Jesus knows numbers. And he’s good at making money. No, that’s not right. He’s extremely good at making money. But believe us, he’s far from being a numbers-obsessed accountant. He’s a top-notch finance guy who understands and gets involved in our day-to-day advertising business. He’s fully human, not just a number. Just ask him something about fitness and see him light up. Born and raised in Sevilla, Spain, this fashion-forward Spaniard is nuts about eating right, working out and keeping fit. Bravo’s healthy numbers are definitely a testament to this mindset. But when you have a Jesus on your team, that’s just what happens.
Tía Laura, as we affectionately call our HR super pro, is the most caring and genuinely nice HR super pro you’ll ever meet. Did she pick the right career or what? She’s been taking care of everyone at Bravo for 15 years, with a warm heart and a big smile. And her door is always open. Seriously. Wide open. Her career path started in Oil and Mining (in Texas, of course), banking for a multinational, and eventually the world of advertising. Laura is also a big fan of Justin Timberlake. (Rumor has it she may be vying for the position of fan club president). We like to think we’re her only kids, but Laura is also the mother of two grown boys as well. Lucky dudes.
Everybody wants to be Emilio’s friend. Why? He’s got more personality than a high-profile, A-level celeb being hounded by paparazzi. (Nice segue to his little-known past as an actor.) Yes, acting. One of Emilio’s early passions. He gave up the millions, the fans, the fame and the honeys for advertising. Today, as our new business director, he lives for a higher calling, landing the big one. And he’s good at it. He’s humble and simpático and gets along with everyone. Remember, he left the big ego world of acting behind long ago. And apparently his wanderlust too (from NYC to El Salvador, to Panamá, to Spain, to The Philippines, and to Greenwich, CT.) We’re glad he calls Miami (and Bravo) home.
Monica knows brands, retailers, shoppers, and how to connect the dots to bring them all together. We think it’s safe to say that Monica knows stuff. With over 20 years experience working for global brands, clients have said that Monica is a multicultural and shopper expert. But since she believes in humility and not in being an expert, she considers herself a lifelong learner (which means she will only learn more stuff). When she’s not flexing her shopper marketing muscles, Monica can be found paddling her little heart out on a dragon boat as a Mother Puffer for Team Puff (we couldn’t make this up if we tried to). Monica has lived all over the world. Born at a military base in the Philippines, she moved to Bolivia, then Germany, Spain, North Carolina, back to Bolivia (not a typo), Georgia, Bolivia (yet again), California, and, luckily for us, she now has docked her dragon boat in Miami.
