Diego Andrade

With over 12 years of experience as an advertising and creative professional, I got my start on the agency side developing national Spanish-language campaigns for the US Hispanic Market. I then transitioned to the publisher side, working at mitú to develop digital & social content catering to a young Latine audience. In my career I’ve gotten the chance to create incredible campaigns for brands like Honda, Acura, McDonald’s, Target, Walmart, Disney, Netflix, AT&T, Comcast, Bud Light, among others.

For me, creativity comes from the intersection of culture, identity, and experience. And as a queer Mexican immigrant raised on mainstream US pop culture and a total nerd, I’ve got a whole lot of that to draw on. I think that understanding that nuance is the key to creating for modern diverse audiences, and embodying that in your content starts with cultivating and celebrating different POVs and identities in your own organization. So I’m thrilled to be at Orci to lead creative efforts for multi-segment communities and champion a team of diverse creators.

In my personal life, I’m a lover of many fandoms. I never grew out of my old superhero and sci-fi passions and I think it’s precisely because of the work I do and where I’m from. Being a queer first-gen Latino is a big reason why I connected so much with the fandoms that I do, especially my love of all things X-Men. I was a kid reading these stories about a team of misfits and outcasts. This beautiful chosen family just fighting to be themselves and find a place in a world that didn’t understand them or outright hated them. That definitely had an impact on my own developing identity and how I approach my role as a creative now. Because if Storm can be a straight up goddess after living on the streets, if a villain like Rogue can redeem herself as a hero, or if Colossus can crush diamonds with his fingers and still be a gentle sensitive artist; well that showed little me that there was a way for me to defy what people expected out of me – to be myself in spite of those expectations. And that’s how I approach my work. I want to be able to show the best of folks in my creative and give them a platform to show us who they are.