Ana and Hermeti Balarin: ‘What Goes Around, Comes Around’

Newly appointed Creative Circle presidents Ana and Hermeti Balarin release their 2019 manifesto for the awards body as the first act of their two-year presidential tenure.

‘What Goes Around, Comes Around’, is a challenge to the creative industry, asking all to look back to when they started – leaning on those you can for help, wedging your foot in the door for an opening, when every brief (and every leftover meeting sandwich) mattered, a lot. Now in leadership positions, giving out the advice and winning the awards, it’s time for us to collectively support the next generation.

Both Ana and Hermeti started as interns at Mother in 2007. Since then, they have gone on to become joint executive creative directors - the first time the agency had awarded such a title in its history. Now as partners of Mother, they’ve worked on most of the agency’s major clients including KFC, IKEA, Stella Artois, and Greenpeace. They accepted their presidency from former Creative Circle president, Vicki Maguire, CCO of Grey London, at the Creative Circle awards in May 2018.

Ana and Hermeti comment: “Like most in the industry, we started at the bottom. Hunting for book crits, fighting tooth and nail for placements, then spending countless hours trying to secure a real job. Then to get work made. And then straight into fighting for awards. We eventually got a few of them, and the emails started arriving - some newcomers wanted book crits. And we, obviously, gave lots of them. While we continued to work harder and harder, getting better at our jobs, making better work and, from time to time, winning some more awards. Until one day we were in a position to offer the newcomers a job. And we did, many times. And now they make us look good and get invited to be presidents of the Creative Circle. Us, Presidents? Barely twelve years after we were on placement ourselves. Barely ten years after we won our first Creative Circle Gold. I guess, what goes around comes around, right?”

Jeremy Green, managing director of Creative Circle, added: “I’m in no doubt that Ana and Hermeti will make brilliant presidents. They’re true supporters of what we are trying to achieve at the Creative Circle and Creative Circle Foundation. This is the first time we’ve had a duo lead the Creative Circle, and seeing what they’ve achieved at Mother fills me with excitement for the next two years of their presidency”.

The Creative Circle will continue to pledge 10% of all award entry fees and 100% of membership fees to support greater diversity in the creative departments of the future through the Creative Circle Foundation. 

The deadline for entries to the Creative Circle Awards is Friday 25th January 2019. You can enter here.