Creative Operations Leader
15+ years building the systems, leading the teams, and creating the conditions for world-class creative work to happen at scale across the U.S. and Latin America.
Cannes LionsBrands
About
I'm a Creative Operations Leader with over 15 years of experience building and running creative programs across Latin America and the United States. I started my career in Ecuador, where I built the in-house production operation at Maruri/Grey (WPP), one of the most influential advertising agencies in Ecuador, from the ground up. Working alongside some of the most talented creative minds in the industry, we produced work for global clients that earned the agency's first Cannes Lions recognition, and the first Cannes Lions awards for the country.
That experience, building systems, leading people, and creating the conditions for great creative work to happen, has defined my approach ever since. Today I lead complex, cross-functional creative programs at AKQA North America, partnering with teams of contributors across creative, strategy, production, engineering, finance, and many more, to deliver work for global brands at scale.
The world is evolving faster than ever, and so is our industry. AI and emerging technologies are reshaping how creative work gets made, but the fundamentals don't change. I've spent more than 15 years building the operational foundation that makes great creative work possible, and I'm excited about what becomes possible when you pair that experience with the tools available today.
Increasingly, the work isn't just delivering a campaign. It's building the operating system behind it: the intake and prioritization processes, workflow tooling, resourcing models, and AI-augmented production pipelines that let a creative organization take on more, with more consistency, at a lower cost per deliverable. That systems layer is what I'm most focused on building next.
Process
Intake, Scoping & Prioritization
New client work comes in through new business; while organic growth comes directly from clients and account leads. From there it's about scoping accurately, anticipating for change, and prioritizing without a fixed formula: weighing committed billable work, strategic account value, and creative opportunity, and bringing in freelance support when demand outpaces in-house capacity.
Sequencing & Tracking
Once scoped, work gets sequenced against real timelines, both internal and client-facing, and tracked at whatever level the project needs: a shared spreadsheet for simple efforts, Smartsheet for timeline-heavy programs, or Airtable for tracking 100+ deliverables and resourcing, with the program built around how each client already works.
Review, Approval & Risk
Review routing is shaped by the project needs: sometimes creative reviews directly with the client to remove redundancies and avoid bottlenecks. When timelines or budgets come under pressure, flagging early to stakeholders is key, always with options on how to move forward, recalibrating continuously rather than after the fact.
Reporting & Cadence
Standing reviews keep everyone aligned: with internal leadership through regular check-ins, with clients through a live status sheet, and monthly with finance against a live dashboard. But ceremonies only earn their place if they're useful: I'm deliberate about cadence and attendees, and protective of the team's time. No standing meetings that exist just to check a box.
Selected Work
Coca-Cola
Program Lead · AKQA North America
Rolled out over 13 months for Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, this global integrated campaign spanned OLVs, OOH, AR interactive experiences, digital, social, and influencer content, with 120+ deliverables localized across 15 markets in LATAM, North America, Europe, South Africa, and Asia Pacific. I led end-to-end program management across a large cross-functional team, building the operational infrastructure that allowed a complex, multi-channel creative program to scale globally without losing quality or coherence.
YouTube TV
Operations Director & Executive Producer · Grey West, Los Angeles
YouTube TV partnered with Grey to launch a live broadcast production featuring Buzz Aldrin, timed to MLB Opening Day and designed to capture the cultural moment of a generation. As Operations Director and Executive Producer, I owned the program operations and the production itself. Managing high-profile talent, a hard live air date, and a senior client relationship under significant public scrutiny required a level of precision and composure that goes beyond standard production. Our team was very lean, but the output had to match the scale of the moment. The production went live on time, exactly as planned.
Nike × LEGO
Program Lead · AKQA North America
Nike and LEGO partnered with AKQA to transform Kids Foot Locker retail locations into interactive creative playgrounds, reimagining the basketball hoop through the lens of a child's imagination. As Program Lead, I owned the project from scoping and budgeting through retail and digital execution, coordinating Nike, LEGO, Kids Foot Locker, the AKQA Creative team, production team, and external production company across 15 retail locations throughout the U.S., rolled out in three drops over a 4-month timeline from concept to first installation.
Honey Pot
Program Lead · AKQA North America
An honest, empathy-driven campaign spanning online video, digital OOH, social, and radio for a first-time client. I managed 80+ deliverables across a small team on a tight timeline and modest budget. The creative ambition far outpaced the resources. The result was a campaign delivered on time, within budget, at a production standard that far exceeded what the budget might suggest.
Expertise
Creative Operations & Program Management
End-to-end program management · Creative workflow design · Intake & prioritization systems · Resource & capacity planning · Budget ownership ($15M+) · Risk & dependency management
Tools & Platforms
Figma · Airtable · Monday.com · Smartsheet · Workfront · Jira · WPP AI (OpenAI) · Google Workspace · Slack
Team & Stakeholder Leadership
Cross-functional team leadership · Executive communication · Client & agency relationship management · Global campaign execution
Production
Integrated production (digital, OOH, social, experiential, retail) · Vendor management & negotiations · Multi-market delivery · 100+ deliverable programs
Contact
