1Please give us a brief bio of yourself and your creative background.
Étage is a creative strategy agency that engages with thought leaders around the world and across all industries to shift perceptions and inspire meaningful change.
Led by Sophia Larroque, Étage creates content to drive value and positive impact, rooted in the belief that our vision can change ideas and our ideas can change actions. We are solutionists, connectors, creators and producers.
2What made you become/why did you choose to become a creative?
Sophia Larroque and Chris Fitzgerald founded Étage to utilize creativity for good. We believe that human ingenuity is the single inexhaustible resource to make the world better.
We believe in bringing more technology to humanity and more humanity to technology. We do this for corporations, non-profits, academic institutions and start-ups.
And we only do work that matters. We specialize in crafting communications that measurably move the needle for people and the planet in the right direction. We believe creativity will change the world.
3What does “creativity” mean to you?
To Étage, "creativity" means changing the world. We pair creativity with strategy to inspire meaningful change that serves the greater good. We create direct messaging, combined with beautiful graphics, to produce work that matters.
4To you, what makes a “creative” idea and/or design?
To us, a successful creative idea or design has the following elements:
- Messaging must be evocative where appropriate and push the limits of possible to provoke new ideas.
- Graphics must be intriguing, different, beautiful and inviting.
- The work must be purpose-driven, impact-oriented and helpful to the greater good.
5Tell us about your creative and/or design process.
We believe in client partnership. Our work is only as strong as the relationship and trust we can build with our clients. Étage has an integrated process that involves a lot of listening, questioning and collaborating to get to the root of the problem to be solved.
We then deliver strategic and creative solutions to match the problem and elevate the playing field, allowing our clients to change their competitive landscape and challenge perceptions.
6What's your favorite part of the creative process and why?
Our favorite part of the creative process is unraveling the client’s need to reach beyond the deliverable to shift perceptions and encourage meaningful change.
7Describe your creative style and its main characteristics.
Our simple guiding principles are: Care. Think. Trust. Enjoy. Help.
8Do you think your country and its cultural heritage has an impact on your creativity process?
Étage translates to “a higher level” in French. We choose to only do work that elevates beliefs, lifts up the greater good and measurably moves the needle for both people and the planet in the right direction.
9Congratulations! As the winner of the 2023 MUSE Creative Awards, what does it mean to you and your company and team to receive this award distinction?
Winning Gold at the 2023 MUSE Creative Awards is a tremendous honor. It validates the importance and impact of prioritizing integrity and service in creativity.
10Can you explain a bit about the winning work you entered into the 2023 MUSE Creative Awards, and why you chose to enter this project?
The “Mondavi Sisters Family Legacy: Leading Between the Vines” project is a story of American heritage, growth and finding one’s own voice.
Painting the picture of the establishment and growth of California’s wine country, the Mondavi sisters embody a beautiful, powerful balance of maintaining family legacy while breaking from tradition to take a new foothold in the winemaking community.
11What was the biggest challenge with this project?
The biggest challenge with this project was ensuring a phenomenal production within the constraint of a considerably tight budget.
12How has winning an Award developed your practice/career?
Winning this award is validation from our community of peers and that validation is deeply rewarding and elevating.
13What are your top three (3) favorite things about our industry?
Our top three favorite things about our industry are creativity that pushes the envelope, community that inspires us to continually reach for new heights and the camaraderie that comes with both.
14What makes your country specifically, unique in the creative industry?
The United States, like many countries has an ever growing foundation of content creators who choose to cut through the noise to produce meaningful work.
15Where do you see the evolution of creative industry going over the next 5-10 years?
We hope that the creative industry will evolve in the direction of quality over quantity.
16If you were a student entering this industry or an aspiring MUSE Creative Awards submitter, what advice would you give them?
Étage would offer our simple guiding principles to students and aspiring MUSE Creative Awards submitters: Care. Think. Trust. Enjoy. Help.
17What resources would you recommend to someone who wants to improve their skills in the creative industry?
EQ is important – develop it and prioritize it. Keep your eyes open for inspiration which can be found anywhere and everywhere. Keep a running list of creative samples in the form of a document, folder or Slack channel where everyone on your team can be inspired.
18Who has inspired you in your life and why?
One of our greatest inspirations is Étage Co-Founder, Visionary and Strategic Director Chris Fitzgerald. He has always inspired us to think differently, approach things differently and ask the question “why.” He has been converting complex concepts into powerful ideas for over 40 years, and on top of that is a poet, a farmer, a family man and a winemaker.
19What is your key to success? Any parting words of wisdom?
Be human. Honor emotional intelligence. Help others. Keep inspired. Have an opinion. Use your creativity to serve the greater good. Create a community that works, grows and elevates others, and the world, together.
