︎

AdWeek 100 - Agency Creative Leaders 2024



Currently Executive Creative Director at Johannes Leonardo, Jonathan leads and inspires the agency’s creative department, nurturing an inclusive and winning culture that champions the power of strategic insight and creativity. He also continues to oversee the success of the agency’s largest account, Volkswagen. Writing a new chapter in the advertising lore of the brand. Recently having led the agency to their first Super Bowl commercial, and 10 years since Volkswagen’s last, it ranked as the most effective ad on the night, +394% surge in site traffic, and was given 5 stars by AdAge.


Having worked in Johannesburg, Paris, London, Amsterdam and New York, he’s hugely experienced with a career spanning 25 years, leading and working on brands like Stella Artois, Ikea, Guinness, Honda, Absolut, Generals Motors, Toyota, and many more. He’s launched global campaigns, local campaigns, made Super Bowl commercials, created live experiential installations, and even a 12ft permanent art work.


His career began at Net#work BBDO in South Africa, where he created the world’s first ever solar powered billboard that gave power to the people, winning him a Cannes Grand Prix. That year he also won Cannes Gold for an out of home campaign for an iconic chip snack. He also wrote a children’s book to help children who suffered abuse with all proceeds going to Childline.


That led him to TBWA Paris where he worked on Nissan, while also contributing to the agency winning Cannes Lions Agency of the year for a 4th year running with further awards for Mapa and Aides.


By 2008 Jonathan arrived in London, at Saatchi & Saatchi, where he created a successful 2010 World Cup spot for Visa. Led the Saatchi & Saatchi New Directors’ Showcase at Cannes for three years running that also saw him create a live drone show, another world first that paved the way for every drone show thereafter. He then collaborated with Professor Richard Dawkins on the origin of the meme for a full on visual overload cultural experiment.


By 2015 he went on to work at Mother, first in London and then later the New York office, where he led Stella Artois to its first ever global campaign running across 20 countries. He also created a successful Super Bowl commercial that brought back iconic characters Carrie Bradshaw and The Dude, Jeff Lebowski that convinced drinkers to change up their usual for a good cause. In 2019 he left Mother for a brief stint at Lucky Generals where he helped establish the successful London based agency here in the US.


Over the years, he has been featured by the likes of Dazed, Vice, Creative Review, Wired, Forbes, It’s Nice That, The Guardian and Huffington Post, and his work has been recognized by local and international award shows from Cannes Lions festival, to D&AD, Clio, The One Show, the ADC, and many others.


Clio Awards Film Jury


︎ 2 mins with

Muse by Clio 


Agencies


Johannes Leonardo, New York
Executive Creative Director /
Group Creative Director

Lucky Generals, New York
 Creative Director

Mother, New York
Global Creative Director /
Creative Director

Mother, London
 Creative Director /
Senior Art Director

Saatchi & Saatchi, London
 Creative Director /
Senior Art Director

TBWA, Paris
Senior Art Director

Net#work BBDO, South Africa
Art Director




Clients


Volkswagen - US

Captain Morgan - US

Klarna - US

Celebrity Cruises - Global

Stella Artois - Global

IKEA - UK

Guinness - EMEA

Absolut Vodka - Europe

Toyota - UK & Europe

Nissan - Europe

Honda - UK

VISA - EMEA

TK Maxx - UK & Europe

General Motors - South Africa

Cell C - (Mobile Network Carrier, South Africa)

Nedbank - South Africa

Childline - South Africa


...plus many, many more.



Awards

Cannes Lions

1 Grand Prix

1 Titanium Shortlist

1 Gold

2 Silver

2 Bronze
6 Shortlist

D&Ad

1 Yellow Pencil
2 Graphite Pencil
4 Wood Pencil

Clio Awards

1 Gold

3 Silver

5 Bronze



One Show

1 Silver
3 Merit



AICP Show & AICP Post

2 Awards


ADC

1 Merit



Young Guns

1 Gold Bullet

1 Bronze Bullet


Chairman’s Choice Award
 
LIA

1 Gold

2 Silver



1 Bronze


New York Festival

1 Silver

British Arrows

3 Bronze





Eurobest

1 Bronze



Meribel Ad Festival

1 Cristal


UK Creative Circle

1 Gold

1 Bronze


Loeries

7 Gold

6 Silver


5 Bronze




Contact


jonathan77santana@gmail.com

LINKEDIN