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  • Louis Deveaux

    Associate Account Director

    I am not one for inspirational quotes

    I like to apply Paris’ motto to everything in life –“Fluctuat Nec Mergitur”: “Tossed but not sunk”. Fail until it’s perfect. When I am not using Outlook or PowerPoint, you’ll probably find me taking pictures of strangers on the streets of Tokyo.

  • Hal Ito

    Managing Director

    Knock and the door will be opened to you; or maybe just dust comes out (no harm anyway).

    What makes Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra stand out is the fact that while all the members are world-class soloists individually they can multiply the power by their perfect orchestration as a whole team.

    15 sumo wrestlers cannot make a strong rugby team unless they learn how to do a team play. Even if they are very close friends 5 kids in a kindergarten cannot sing like Jackson 5 unless each receives good voice training.

  • Masaki Honda

    Executive Creative Director

    Life is a comedy

    Charlie Chaplin said “Life is a tragedy when seen in close-up, but a comedy in long-shot”. I hope life will be a comedy even if it’s in close-up.
    I love watching manzai (Japanese style stand-up comedy), funny movies (“Galaxy Quest” is my all-time favorite), making jokes, making fun of meerkat.., all the things that make me laugh.

    I also love “advertising” and have been writing a blog named “Koukoku no Ana” which seeks for brilliant ideas.

  • Shuhei Ishikawa

    General Manager

    IF YOU WANT IT, WORK FOR IT

    Even if “Plan A” didn’t work, the alphabet still has 25 more letters! The more complex the business problems are, the more I like to tackle them. When I want to clear my mind, I simply go traveling. It always brings balance to my work and life 🙂

  • Tsuyoshi Oyama

    Art Director

    Stay hungry. Stay foolish.

    What I love about my work is that I am able to work with creative and inspirational people who are craving to change the world. Also, because I am in an international ad agency in Tokyo, I enjoy working with people from different cultural backgrounds. Some other things I love are jam sessions (guitar, bass, drums… I’d play anything!), hunting cap, and super chilled “Dassai” (Japanese Sake).

  • Hidemi Akimoto

    Project Manager

    Sleep is better than medicine

    I love blue sky, crystal, big trees and the moon. But what I love most is my “fukafuka (fluffy) futon”. Sleep is a stress reliever for me.

  • Masanao Takahashi

    Business Director

    Wherever you see a successful business, someone once made a courageous decision.

    “Advertising makes our life richer”, when I joined the adverting agency my senior associate told me this phrase. I still have trust in this. I love the moment when our idea makes a movement in our life; that’s why I’m here.

    To create an idea – sometimes that is tough, but playing football, snowboarding, golf, guitar and of course having a beer gives me a break and inspiration!

  • Haruko Kuzuya

    Senior Copywriter

    In other words “Fly me to the moon”, by Bart Howard

    The famous song says “Poets often use many words to say a simple thing”,

    I say it’s not just for poets.

    “I love you” becomes “ Fill my heart with song, and let me sing forever more” in a song, also becomes “The moon is blue, isn’t it?” in the story of Soseki Natsume.

    I think neither is the correct answer for everyone, but can be the right answer for someone, it’s only up to whom and how I talk to.

    Maybe that’s why wondering in the forest of the words gives me the endless fun, I will never get bored with.

  • Kaori Yatsu

    Head of Planning

    To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true. The Optimist Creed

    I’m a big fan of baseball, because it’s all about the power of teamwork.

     

    Actually, it is applied to the agency business as well. When we work together toward a common vision, the power of each individual becomes much stronger.

  • Jun Ogura

    Account Supervisor

    As a creator being, I would like to keep on expressing my thoughts and ideas instead of shutting my mouth :)

    “The world is so huge that people are always getting lost in it. There are too many ideas and things and people too many directions to go. I was starting to believe that the reason it matters to care passionately about something is that it whittles the world down to a more manageable size. It makes the world seem not huge and empty but full of possibility.” -Susan Orlean

     

  • Ryosuke Funakoshiya

    UX Developer

    Don't worry about failures, worry about the chances you miss when you don't even try. Jack Canfield

    Born in Hokkaido, spent my youth in New Zealand, working in Tokyo at the moment.

    I like playing League of Legends, watching baseball, eating, travelling, exercise and other fun stuff.

    Life is short, enjoy, try new things and see what happens.

  • CHIHIRO MAKINO

    Designer

    The only person you destined to become is the person you decide to be. Ralph Waldo Emerson

    Born and raised in Tokyo, I studied design in California for several years.

    “I have a theory that movies operate on the level of dreams, where you dream yourself.” – Meryl Streep

    I too believe that the right movie has the ability to transport us to another world and expand our horizon. Every scene exposes us to countless great experiences. This is a source of inspiration for not only my next travel destination, but also of who I want to become. It also realizes things I’ve never thought possible to become a reality! Besides watching movies, I like yoga, traveling, discovering good bakeries and cafés in my spare time!

  • SHUNSUKE ASAKA

    Account Director

    In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity. Albert Einstein

    I started my career working for an Italian bank after graduating from school in the U.S. After dreaming to be wealthy for approx. 5 years, my interest towards the “human business” grew larger than the “financial business” so I dove into the advertising industry.

    My motto is..

    “One for all, all for one.”

    Found this to be my motto by playing rugby when I was young. I believe this has been leveraged throughout my advertising career.

  • AKI ARAOKA

    Account Executive

    All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them. Walt Disney

    I have spent nearly half of my life living in sunny states: Hawaii, California, and Florida. However, people find this funny because my skin is so pale and I don’t know how to surf.

    With a background in film editing, my previous job was at a Japanese advertising agency in charge of global clients.

    I’ve been a self-proclaimed Mouseketeer all my life. Sure, I love watching all the movies (and know all the songs), but there’s much more to it. Not only am I excited to learn about his accomplishments and behind-the-scenes of the “magic-making”, I’ve gained great inspiration from Walt. He has  taught me to smile, be creative, open new doors, and to have the courage to pursue my dreams and goals.

    I also love watching classical films from the 50’s, and have been teaching myself how to sew because I want dress like those elegant and glamorous ladies from the films. My motto is, “If you can’t find it at the store, make it yourself!”

  • KEIKO ISHIZEKI

    Account Supervisor

    If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today? Steve Jobs

    I choose to ask the reason first just as my friends do for me, before getting upset about anything.

    I choose doing the best for myself before complaining or criticizing others, for that’s a shortcut to solving difficulties.
    And, I would like to choose positive words, attitude and action at any circumstances.

    Because life is too short for anything else.

  • Seunghee Oh

    Account Executive

    The most wasted of all days is one without laughter. E.E. Cummings

    Seunghee has lived and worked in South Korea, Canada and Japan in a multi-lingual and multi-cultural environment.

    She brings to BBDO Japan, experiences cultivated from working at a branding agency.

     

    “Always look on the bright side of life”

    This is the guiding principle of my life.

    What I care the most about is …

    enjoying my life as how it is and as it comes.

     

     

  • MELANIE FAVIER

    Contents Producer

    Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary. Dead Poets Society

    Tell me a story! I’m a Story eater. Stories are the fuel of my imagination.

    I probably couldn’t live in a world without Coffee, Friends, and Cinema.

    Cinema is not only about making people dream. It also has the power of changing things and make people think. Similar to how Advertising has the power to bring a story to life and make people react.

    As a contents producer, my role is to make sure that any story becomes a reality.

    So let’s grab a coffee, tell me your story and let’s make it real!

    “Creativity without strategy is called art, creative with strategy is called advertising”- Jef L. Richards

     

  • ICE EllOSO

    Videographer

    Better Ctrl/⌘ + S than sorry.

    Ice Elloso was born and raised in Quezon City, Philippines. She speaks Filipino, English and Japanese or a combination of the three. Being a self-proclaimed equipment otaku, she followed her passion and got into filmmaking.

     

    As filmmakers and artists, our ultimate goal is not just making visually tantalizing movies but being able to evoke an emotion or a thought after our audience has viewed our work. They resonate with it, start talking about it, sharing it*.

    *especially true when cute cats are involved

     

     

     

  • KOSEI KOBAYASHI

    Copy Writer & Creative Planner

    SO THAT GENIUS, MORE ACCURATELY, IS RETENTION OF CAPACITY TO BE OBSESSED. Steven Millhauser, Edwin Mullhouse: The Life and Death of an American Writer

    Being obsessed with something is the engine of my life.

    I had been obsessed with soccer in my school days.

    And today, I am obsessed with copywriting and manzai (Japanese style stand-up comedy).

     

     

  • HIROKO FUJIWARA

    Online Manager

    Always manage your headspace to work through things, and don't forget to smile!

    Hiroko has majored in Geology in university, with a specialization in mountain hazards. After graduation, she started her career in Fujitsu as a SE. She then took a leap of faith and flew to Paris where she dove head first into the world of her dreams: Fashion. As a part of a press team at a fashion Maison, she experienced running the famous Paris Collection, working in brand management, and media promotion planning.

    Utilizing her media communication experience and IT skills, she joined Proximity Japan in the BMW web support division and became involved with  Web, Social, and digital media project planning/management. Now, at BBDO Japan, she specializes in Digital campaign management including brand websites and social media.

  • Marika Rinehart

    Designer

    Make it work. Tim Gunn

    Marika is a Californian New Yorker who moved to Tokyo in 2016 to explore her roots… and advertising. After a stint as an assistant to a celebrity stylist, she produced content for clients such as TABASCO Brand, Beats by Dre, and Adobe before joining BBDO.

    She loves to sing and dance, spend time in nature or at bars with friends, and FaceTime her long-distance family. She also have a few personal projects in the works… but they’re secret for now.

  • Taki Hiroaki

    Senior Planner

    I’m not afraid of computers taking over the world. They’re just sitting there. I can hit them with a two-by-four. Thom Yorke

    I have been in the advertising field since my very first job.

    I always keep in mind that advertising is not about just simply marketing products and services but it’s about ultimately making an impression on people’s minds and leaving an imprint in their emotion. Only when those two conditions are met, does it have the power to successfully move people.

    I try to live creatively, and think creatively—immersing in the world of music, photography, and more!

  • Chihiro Takigami

    Art Director

    Find some humor in your failures. Sam Walton

    I have all-around design experience; from advertising to events; as well as packaging, book and logo design.

    Because I enjoy engaging in imaginative thinking, I get excited by the process of bringing creative ideas to shape.

  • Masahide Yoshimi

    Creative Director

    If you knew how much work went into it, you would not call it genius. Michelangelo

    It’s said that Michelangelo never stopped learning—studying at university even at the age of 60.

    What do I need to learn to create great advertisement?

    Contemplating on this in the bath every day, I drift off to sleep.

  • Yoo-Hyun Jeun

    Account Executive

    Life is to be lived. If you have to support yourself, you had bloody well better find some way that is going to be interesting. And you don't do that by sitting around. Katharine Hepburn

    That little girl living in that small town in the middle of nowhere South Korea; with straight bangs above her eyebrows; dangling her red school bag by her shoulders every morning, all of a sudden found her passion in Japanese. When she turned 18, fearlessly took a plane, landed in Tokyo. After some time, she pursued her love for movies and jumped into the world of entertainment business; working on 4DX promotions, she witnessed the revolution of cinema. And now, here she is at BBDO JAPAN, feeding her curiosity for forever-evolving digital marketing world. Her eyes are sparkling; her heart is exuberantly pounding.

    Oh, what does she do in her free time? “I read books and watch movies.”