Robert Gaxiola

• Singapore, San Francisco, Los Angeles
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Robert Gaxiola, Co-Founder/Creative Director, manghamgaxiolamcgarrybowen

Robert Gaxiola's Bio:

Robert Gaxiola's Experience:

• Partner at Mangham Gaxiola

  January 2011 - Present | Singapore

  Mangham Gaxiola started as Singapore's biggest independent full-service agency with over $25 million in billings. This breakaway agency was founded by the former Group Chairman and former Executive Creative Director of top-ranked Ogilvy & Mather Singapore. Working out of a conserved shophouse in Singapore's Chinatown they strive to give their clientele hands-on involvement, partnership and serious creativity. [email protected]

• Executive Creative Director at Ogilvy & Mather (Singapore)

  August 2009 - July 2011

  Mission: Ogilvy gave me a chance to work at the number one agency in Singapore. The place was 600 people strong and had a reputation for creativity. I first requested the title Interim Executive Creative Director because I knew the job wouldn't last beyond two years. I was then signed on as the permanent Executive Creative Director and it all went to pot, but that's another story. My long-time creative partner Eric Yeo (Now CCO of Lowe Bangkok) worked with me there on key accounts like CIMB Bank, HPB, The Economist, Coke, Huggies, YTL Hotels, GSK, Prudential, UPS, Soyjoy, EDB, GSK, The Singapore Birdpark, Resorts World Sentosa, Universal Studios and a list of other great brands. This was also the agency that let me work with Stephen Mangham. We both worked directly on the CIMB Bank business. The rest is history. Key achievements: > Worked with Group CEO Stephen Mangham > Ogilvy Singapore was the #1 awarded agency in the WPP network. > New Business Wins: CIMB PGA Assignment, Health Promotion Board, YTL Hotels > Creative awards - in the first six months won a Cannes Silver for GSK and had nine shortlists for print and interactive. > Won two D&AD Yellow Pencils for Lego and Faber-Castell

• Senior Writer at Goodby, Silverstein & Partners (San Francisco)

  February 2008 - August 2009

  Mission: My assignment at Goodby was to work on Hyundai Motors. This was Goodby's 25th Anniversary. As a Senior Writer, I was lucky enough to work on the "Think about it" campaign. Doing so meant I got to work directly with Jeff Goodby himself. Assignments included writing TV scripts, radio, and digital ideas for Hyundai USA. For auto-makers, the recession created a unique situation for consumers. The chance to listen to plain-spoken reason (via spokesman Jeff Bridges) just made all the sense in the world. Hyundai would later go on to become the number one selling car in the country. "Think About it." Key achievements: (It was a time for growth.) > Learnt what it was like to work inside the best integrated creative department in the USA. > Launched the Genesis Campaign for Hyundai > Developed the Hyundai Assurance project > Wrote the Winter and Summer Sales Event campaigns > Learned how to live a balanced life for the first time ever > Ran the hilly San Francisco Marathon in under 4 hours > Lost over 25 kilos in weight > Won a podium finish in my first ever bike race in Marin.

• Executive Creative Director at Batey Ads

  February 2007 - May 2007

  Mission: After being traded by WPP from Bates Asia to Batey Advertising which just lost the SIA account, I was tasked with only one objective: To re-brand Qatar Airways from scratch and secure the business. The Qatar brand campaign was a very successful effort that is still running today. "World's Five-Star Airline." The bonus part of the Batey assignment was to work closely with Audi and launch their new supercar-the Audi R8. Other accounts included Metro and Mitsubishi. *I worked at Batey for four months and one day: before returning to the US due to an illness in the family. Key achievements worth a mention: > Launched Qatar Airways from corporate ID to a total TTL campaign and CRM program > Launched the Audi R8 with a combined PR and TTL strategy > Worked on a campaign that included all of Audi's hallmark race cars driving down Orchard Road as a prelude to the first F1 night race before launching the R8.

• Executive Creative Director at Bates141 (Singapore)

  October 2004 - February 2007

  Mission: China, India and Australia are the biggest GSM phone market in the world. Because of this, Singapore was Nokia's headquarters to manage this expansion. My assignment was to be the global ECD for Nokia and the ECD of Heineken APAC. With only two clients, this agency was an anomaly in Singapore; the demands of the accounts, the management of clients and the scope of global responsibilities out of an asian market made it the opportunity of a lifetime. This was my first exposure to managing real TTL global projects from start to finish. Looking back, I was too young for that job then, and I'm too young for that job now! Key achievements worth a mention: > Was awarded the very first IAS Creative Director of the Year Award. > This was my first exposure to a real TTL agency with multi-million dollar budgets > Won the Rugby World Cup assignment that ran in 7 markets worldwide > Completed global campaigns for Nokia and Heineken > Invited to Cannes Lions as a member of the jury > Pushed Bates to the number one position at Singapore's Creative Circle Award show > Invited to be the first foreign jury chairman at Thailand's BADD Awards > Developed Bate's interactive offering within our creative department to produce Nokia and Heineken integrated digital projects

• Executive Creative Director at FCB Global

  1999 - 2004

  Mission: The job was to lift the standard of work and put FCB on the creative map. This was my first job as a Creative Director. The Regional ECDs Chris Kyme then later Rob Sherlock were based in Singapore, so I had great mentors to coach me along the way. The department was staffed with a bunch of kids fresh out of school. It was a great place. Lead by partner Eric Yeo and myself, we turned FCB into a little hot shop of creativity. We worked there for five years. And in the end, we were the most-awarded agency in the global network for three years straight with impressive international results in the One Show (23 in book, 6 pencils), Clio (3 silvers), D&AD (5 in book.) Cannes Lions and Spikes followed. The coolest campaign we did was for the Health Promotion Board, it was an AIDS awareness campaign that used a fake call girl to trick Tricks into thinking they were calling a real call girl. Instead the answering machine gave them a special message. This campaign made the cover of Sunday Times. I won my first Gold Effie with that work later that year. I was young, so awards mattered. Key achievements worth a mention: > Turned FCB Singapore into the most awarded office in the global network > Won my first gold Effie for the Health Promotion Board > Won the Allianz, Aviva (previously CGU Insurance), Compaq and Samsung accounts. > Won ADAsia's Agency of the Year 2004 > Doubled the sales of Baygon for client SC Johnson > Moved FCB from a two-bronze medal agency to the top three at CCA for three consecutive years > 22 One Show Finalists, Six Pencils plus, plus.

• Copywriter/Art Director at Dentsu, Young & Rubicam

  1995 - 1999

  Mission: I landed in Singapore in 1995. It was my first time on a plane. I called agencies from the airport payphone and set up interviews. I landed a job that same day at DY&R. In my first desperate year, I worked as both a writer and an art director. Patrick Low then asked me to focus on copywriting with then Copy Chief Mark Fong. My personal objective here was to get experience and produce a portfolio good enough to one day return home to San Francisco and work at Goodby, Silverstien and Parters. Which I did in 2007. My main accounts were SingTel, Citibank, Ikea, Sony and Dettol. Key achievements (almost all of them true.) > Citibank - became a specialist in finance, asset management and cards. > Won SingNet account and introduced the internet to Singapore. > Won the Ministry of Education account three times > Worked on the Dettol's freaky green glow of protection campaign with Patrick Low > Won my first Singapore medal with Toblerone Blue campaign > Did the silly 001 (007 parody) campaign to brand the IDD number for SingTel (client's idea).

• Art Director/Partner at ACME Advertising (USA)

  1994 - 1995

  Mission: Breaking off from my first agency DGWB with two other creatives with a stolen piece of business landed us on the cover of Adweek. A bold move for a bunch of 23-year olds, but we had more bravery than knowledge. Aside from being a great story to tell, the summer of ACME Advertising didn't last. It became a side job for me as I ended up joining another ad agency. We ended up hating each other and soon went our separate ways. But the experience alone was well worth the trouble. Each of us in the band are no longer on talking terms. Key achievements: > Made the cover of Adweek > Registered a business and started an agency > Did all the FMCG work for California-based Pacific Snax

• Art Director at Kresser Stein Robaire (USA)

  1993 - 1994

  Mission: I needed experience. I was employed here by the ECD after winning a load of medals in the Los Angeles Creative Club's student show. The agency had over 130 Million in billings. I worked on petrol giant ARCO, Disney and Albertsons. The idea was to work on as much as I could and gain experience. The agency had a merger soon after I joined. It wasn't looking very good for me there, so I bought a plane ticket and headed to Singapore. The merged entity is no longer in existence and is now virtually untraceable. Key achievements: > Worked on giant account ARCO petroleum > Worked with Jean Robaire and Monty McKinney > Learnt to type-spec mechanicals on the tissue overlay and NOT the board > Won the Disney Interactive business which back then meant CD-ROMs. > Made my first TVC

• Buttboy at DGWB (USA)

  1992 - 1993

  Mission: After graduating from the Pasadena Art Center. I came into this boutique agency with very little experience other than what I picked-up working at a bar for the last six years to pay for a very expensive school. In an obscure attempt to save on labour costs, the ECD said he didn't employ art people or writers. We all had to do both. So I wrote, and I art directed what I could for three clients: Vans shoes and fast food franchise El Pollo Loco. In Orange County, this was considered the best and only creative shop to work in. I left this agency with two others to start our own agency called ACME advertising. I wrote our 'Declaration of Creative Independence' as a press release and we made the cover of ADWEEK. Key achievements: > I made USD $3.35/hr: > I wrote brochures for everybody > I wrote more brochures on the side for freelance > I fixed the computers and installed software > I handled all the agency award entries

• Graphic Designer at Bates/Lee Advertising

  1988 - 1988

  After graduating from Platt College I got placed here, then I got sacked in three months flat. I was just a kid, and it was my first advertising job, I had no idea what I was doing. I was creating layouts for some 7-Eleven newsletter with hotdogs on it. But I did learn something, I found out where their Creative Director went to school. The Pasadena Art Center College of Design! I started taking night classes and then got accepted into the day program a year later. Key Achievements: > I learned that the creative director went to a school called the Pasadena Art Center. > I learned that I didn't know what I was doing. > I learned that I wanted to be a Creative Director and have a nice car.

Robert Gaxiola's Education:

• Pasadena Art Center

  1991 – 1993
  Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)

• Platt College-Los Angeles

  1988 – 1989
  Certificate in Graphic Design
  Concentration: Design

Robert Gaxiola's Interests & Activities: