Jose Pedro Paz Interview(s)

I believe in creativity as an essential skill for making brands more human. As a PHNX juror, I'll have the opportunity to engage with work from around the globe, and that diversity is incredibly compelling.

I think it's fantastic to have this mix—it's a way to evaluate different angles of a piece of work. Creative work that truly resonates does so beyond just the creatives themselves. We'll have the creativity experts who are crucial for assessing the work, but the strategic and business perspectives make the evaluation more comprehensive.

It's a smart way to democratize entries. It makes a significant difference for independent agencies from countries like Brazil, for example.

The perfect PHNX Awards winner, in my view, is when creativity is used to authentically and originally connect a brand with the communities around it. It should engage with important contemporary societal issues and create value for all involved parties—the brand, the people, and society as a whole. That's when we have a winning entry.

The most obvious answer might be to talk about artificial intelligence. However, I believe that what truly makes a difference are still human skills. New pieces have been added to the puzzle, like AI. It's how we handle these new possibilities, exploring fresh combinations while retaining our uniquely human sensitivity, that really impacts people.

It's really tough to narrow down to just a couple for "creative of the year" worldwide, so I'll mention two Brazilian creatives who are doing something different in the market, in independent agencies: Felipe Silva from GANA and Ian Black from News Vegas. I'll also add Keka Morelle from Ogilvy, who has been consistently delivering great work for years in major agencies in Brazil.