Interview with Hatem Al Akad, Donghoon Lee, Erica Yoshimura from Miami Ad School San Francisco, US

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Hatem Al Akad

As a combined creative force (copywriters and art director, respectively), Hatem, Donghoon and Erica from Miami Ad School San Francisco have successfully forged an alliance that won them Silver in this year's Muse Creative Awards.


Erica Yoshimura & Donghoon Lee



Interview with the 2019 MUSE Creative Awards Winner -
Hatem Al Akad, Donghoon Lee, Erica Yoshimura

1Please give us a brief bio of yourself, your company, job profile, etc.
We would like to start by thanking you very much for this interview. It is a true honor.

We are advertising and communication creatives with Copywriting and Art Direction degrees from Miami Ad School San Francisco, the world’s most prestigious advertising portfolio program.

Our work experience range from several agencies around the world, including AKQA Tokyo, Grey New York, R/GA New York, JWT Egypt, Drive Dentsu Egypt and DDB Berlin.
2Congratulations! As the winner of the 2019 Muse Awards, what does it mean to you and your company and team to receive this award distinction?
It is a true honor, beyond what words could ever express. We are fascinated by the level of creativity and craft from all the Muse Award winners, and to be part of that fuels our creative engines to produce even better work. So from the bottom of our hearts, we want to say thank you!
3Can you explain a bit about the winning work you entered into the 2019 Muse Awards, and why you chose to enter this project?
Our time to act work has been a true challenge. Not only because fake news is a huge problem that the entire world faces today, but also because for our generation, it has the potential to shape our future.

Nobody was doing anything to fight Velez and its continuous pursuit to produce fake news, so we wanted the only British newspaper that can be quoted in the court of law - The Times and Sunday Times - to take a true stand against it by filing a real law suit and bringing them to court.

5 months of hard work, research, and even consulting with several lawyers has produced this piece of work, and we couldn’t be more proud and happy for its recognition by the Muse Awards and several other award shows.
4How has winning an Award developed your practice/career?


Let’s face it, everyone like awards. But to us, it is much more than a shiny trophy. A prestigious award such as Muse will not only help us land jobs in top notch agencies, but more importantly, it will drive attention and traffic to a real world problem that we are hoping to solve.

As advertising creatives, not only should we be able to persuade people to purchase products and services, we need to harness our creative skills to solve problems, make the world a better place, and improve the lives of humans.
5What are your top three (3) favorite things about our industry?
1: There is no limit to what creativity can do. We enjoy the creative process and everything it brings.

2: Creativity’s potential in solving world problems and doing so much more than just selling products and services.

3: It is not a boring, 9-5 job :)

4: That moment… that very moment when you feel like your work is truly making a difference… it is a feeling words could never describe.
6Where do you see the evolution of creative industry going over the next 5-10 years?
We see an end to the word consumer and a resurrection to the word human.

They are smart and they can see through any lie or manipulation, and we should never attempt to trick them. We need to speak to them as people, not as money makers waiting to buy products. We see a more heartfelt, one-on-one approach to communication and advertising.

We see diversity and more people from all countries and backgrounds taking part in the creative industry, and we are really looking forward to it.
7What is your key to success? Any parting words of wisdom?
Craft, craft, craft.

No matter how good the idea is, if it is not executed or presented well, it will lose all of it’s power and potential. If you’re a writer, make sure your words move. If you’re an art director, use color, typography and imagery to better tell the story. And the same applies to every other discipline. It’s not what you say; it’s how you say it.
8Do you have anything else you would like to add to the interview?
We would like to thank you again for this amazing opportunity and for taking the time to view our work. It is a true honor and a pleasure and we look forward to next year’s award season and to seeing more amazing work.


Winning Entries

Secure Sleeve | 2019

Secure Sleeve | Hatem Al Akad | Donghoon Lee | Erica Yoshimura | Muse Awards
Owning a firearm in the United States is a fundamental right. And over 43% of the U.S. population owns... (read more)

iHelp | 2019

iHelp | Hatem Al Akad | Donghoon Lee | Erica Yoshimura | Muse Awards
Connect an audience of your choosing to a product or service from a global brand.... (read more)

Run The World | 2019

Run The World | Hatem Al Akad | Donghoon Lee | Erica Yoshimura | Muse Awards
Market Brooks Gear To Millennials... (read more)

Panic Aid | 2019

Panic Aid | Hatem Al Akad | Donghoon Lee | Erica Yoshimura | Muse Awards
People who suffer from panic attacks are too embarrassed to ask for help when they go through one... (read more)

The Parallax Banner Ad | 2019

The Parallax Banner Ad | Hatem Al Akad | Donghoon Lee | Erica Yoshimura | Muse Awards
The problem with how the news reaches us today, is that its not usually our choice what we read. Tailored algorithms on social media platforms populate our feeds with news articles... (read more)

Time To Act |
2019

Time To Act | Hatem Al Akad | Donghoon Lee | Erica Yoshimura | Muse Awards
Fake news production is on the dramatic rise, and has become incredibly influential. The majority of fake news is produced in a small town in Macedonia named Veles... (read more)

We Didnt Start The Fire | 2019

We Didnt Start The Fire | Hatem Al Akad | Donghoon Lee | Erica Yoshimura | Muse Awards
Sustainability can be an ugly, overused word. It can mean greenwashing for the sake of it and compromising on taste. Which Adnams doesnt. Sustainability needs to taste good.... (read more)

 

Hatem Al Akad, Donghoon Lee, Erica Yoshimura from Miami Ad School San Francisco


As a combined creative force (copywriters and art director, respectively), Hatem, Donghoon and Erica from Miami Ad School San Francisco have successfully forged an alliance that won them Silver in this year's MUSE Creative Awards.


Muse.World