2 Minutes With … Juliana Constantino, ECD at Pereira O'Dell
Juliana is executive creative director at Pereira O’Dell. Prior to joining in 2023, she spent eight years at Meta, leading global creative at Instagram Creative Lab. In that capacity, she helped devise the strategy for innovative products, driving engagement for Reels, Stories and IGTV.
We spent two minutes with Juliana to learn more about her background, her creative inspirations and recent work she's admired.
Juliana, tell us …
Where you grew up, and where you live now.
I was born and raised in Sao Paulo In 2017, I moved to California with my cats and husband, where we lived for six years, and this year I came to New York for Pereira O’Dell. I've always had a crush on the big city.
How you first realized you were creative.
Since childhood, this curiosity about how things work has permeated my way of looking at the world. Of course, it had some implications—either breaking some stuff to figure out how it works, or creating stories that comply with my imagination. I apply creative thinking in everything I do. I think creativity can come from anywhere. A logic or mathematical challenge can be as inspiring as a book or piece of art.
A person you idolized creatively early on.
I was interested in something other than advertising when I went to college. I came from a high school where I studied computer programming and always liked to write, so I decided to shift to communications. At that time, I didn't know the big advertising figures as creative inspirations. However, I’ve always enjoyed art, movies and literature. So, Andy Warhol, Frida Kahlo and Salvador Dali were the coolest people in the world to me. People that I wish I could spend time with. In literature, Haruki Murakami and Julio Cortázar, among many. Surrealism is very attractive to me, almost as much as sci-fi. I like the possibility of imagining different worlds and playing with reality.
A moment from high school or college that changed your life.
When I was in college, the internet became "the thing." I remember coming out of the BBS groups—the grandma of the internet—where we kept sending messages and hoping for communication over data, despite the slow connections. It all started with the internet, then mobile, then social media, and now we have the privilege of playing with AI. How can you not be excited about it?
A visual artist or band/musician you admire.
I'll stick with Frida. Beyond her work, she was such a character, and her art is a statement about a woman finding her space, occupying it boldly and disregarding every obstacle.
A book, movie, TV show or podcast you recently found inspiring.
Many of my favorite podcasts are in Portuguese—like Boa Noite Internet (Cris Dias) or Naruhodo (Ken Fujioka). But one that I honestly love is Philosophize this! by Stephen West.
Your favorite fictional character.
Naruto Uzumaki. I love his pure heart, strength, resilience and unbeatable optimism.
Someone or something worth following on social media.
Baron Ryan on Instagram makes me smile at his clever lo-fi sketches and impersonations.
One of your favorite creative projects you've ever worked on.
Our Instagram campaign for Close Up (a toothpaste from Unilever)—"Don't Judge, Just Kiss." I love this project because the brand tried a new platform and developed another dimension of their personality. They publicly declared support for all kinds of love. The campaign's visuals are breathtaking, and choosing love in an environment where hate and critics often find space was such a bold move. The campaign was done in partnership with FBiz Brazil's creative team.
A recent project you're proud of.
"Music to Small Businesses Ears." Last year, I worked on a project to help small businesses use Reels on Instagram. Picking the right song was one of the hardest struggles for them, so we invited creators to develop songs and made them available at Instagram's royalty-free library.
Someone else's work that inspired you years ago.
"Love Has No Labels." This campaign developed by RGA is another strong statement against bias and discrimination.
Your main strength as a creative person.
Curiosity and resilience.
Your biggest weakness.
Stubbornness.
What you'd be doing if you weren't in advertising.
Architecture.
2 Minutes With is our regular interview series where we chat with creatives about their backgrounds, creative inspirations, work they admire and more. For more about 2 Minutes With, or to be considered for the series, please get in touch.
