Collective Creation at LOBO: Co-Founder & Creative Director, Mateus De Paula Santos

Mateus Santos
Co-Founder & Creative Director LOBO
 

Describe your job to us, what’s your title & what do you do?

I am the Co-Founder, Creative Director and Partner at global creative studio LOBO. I oversee the overall creative vision for the studio, direct projects, and work with our team of artists and producers to continue to elevate our creative edge and grow our team on an international level.

 

What are some of the perks and challenges you experience while working in a creative field?

They are one and the same. This field allows me the ability and also necessity of working with a constant matrix of variables: every job is a new type of brand, new subject matter, and a new group of people collaborating on the creative vision. The constant variety is a great thing, yet a challenge itself. No project ever repeats itself, which allows you to try new things and develop new approaches constantly.

 

Tell us about your background and what led you to join the creative side?

I had a cousin who was connected with a woman that started MTV in Brazil; she helped me get my first job there when I was 17. It was the very early days of MTV in Brazil and everything was experimental and exciting. The gig was my first contact with the creative industry and I was all about it right away. All those crazy people trying new, fresh ideas it was too much fun to give up.

 

How does the culture in your office influence the work you create?

The office culture at LOBO is a collective creation. We don’t have many policies or standards that we impose on our team in terms of culture. Rather, it is a reflection of the people, which are the same group of people creating the work. It’s all really one and the same. The culture is the work and the work is the culture.

 

If I’m entering the industry and I want to move into the creative side, what steps should I take?

It’s important to make an effort to be inspired by your surroundings and everything and anything that influences culture. You need to make a conscious effort to pay attention to the world around you and use that to inform your art.

 

Do you have a dream account or brand you would like to work on? Which one?

I’ve been lucky enough to work with so many of my dream accounts throughout my career. But what has really made a lasting impact on me has been collaborating with nonprofits and movements, to bring powerful universal storytelling to their causes through animation. 

 

What piece of work are you most proud of?

The spot that we did for the Buenos Aires Zoo, “Together,” was probably the one I was most proud of. It was our first Cannes Lions at LOBO and a real collaborative effort with DEL CAMPO SAATCHI & SAATCHI.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0UKqwUd8Ec

 

What is your favorite ad of all time?

I’d have to say “Honda Grrr.” It was the first animation spot to win a Grand Prix at Cannes Lions in 2010 and its execution of storytelling, animation craft and music are the perfect blend.

https://vimeo.com/9671866