Moving the Needle: Nereida Valles

Nereida Valles hails from the border town of El Paso, TX and has resided in Brooklyn, NY for the past 11 years. Nereida studied photocommunications at St. Edward’s University in Austin, TX and worked as the graphics producer for Second Child/Droga5 for five years. For the last two years, Nereida has grown into a senior integrated producer at Adam&Eve DDB NY.

1. Name, Title, Office, Link to LinkedIn Page 

Nereida Valles, senior integrated producer, Adam&Eve DDB NY, LinkedIn

2. What is your personal mantra? 

Nereida> It’s not that serious. 

3. How did you wind up in advertising?

Nereida> A friend of mine offered me a job as a production assistant at Droga5 at a very transitional point of my life. I had been working at an Art Gallery for a few years with no promise of growth. I wanted to try something different and the sound of running a print studio felt exciting. Ever since then, I’ve gone from making board submissions for awards season to producing print/digital and now working my way into film. 

4. What is a piece of creative that you worked on that particularly moved you? 

Nereida> In my entire career – the most exciting and impactful campaign I worked on was the The Truth Is Hard campaign for the New York Times. It was a simple execution that was impactful at a time where the term “fake news” was at its height. Living in New York also gave me the experience of seeing these digital boards and the printed newspaper ad in person.

5. What does your daily routine consist of? 

Nereida> Coffee, slowly waking up my dog and a good journal entry. These three help start my day and help my creativity start slowly. 

6. When do you feel the most powerful? 

Nereida> I feel the most powerful when I am in a collaborative space. I like to see a great dynamic between an entire team where we are all having input and feeling like everyone has a voice. 

7. Which of the DDB Four Freedoms is the most important to you and why? 

Nereida> Freedom from Chaos – I find it important to respect everyone’s time outside of work. I find process very important and key in order to keep that sanity and help everyone focus on being creative. 

8. What is one source of creative inspiration you draw from outside of work? 

Nereida> Dance! I love all kinds of dance. I have danced Mexican folkloric dance in Queens for many years and now I am exploring different kinds of movement – from hip hop to ballet. I believe that the creative movement of the body helps the creativity of the mind.  

9. Who are your creative heroes? 

Nereida> To name a few: Roxanne Gay (writer), Beyoncé (singer), Maria Felix (actress), Carlos Jaramillo (photographer), Argelia Arreola (dancer). 

Look them up if you don’t know them, they all vary in different arts and processes, but all provide motivation in how I live daily. 

10. Wishes or aspirations for the advertising industry? 

Nereida> Moving away from the corporate feeling and pumping up the creativity in the way that we work.

11. Lasting words to leave us with: 

Nereida> Enjoy the work you do but also have fun outside of work. This industry is meant to be fun, so go be creative and collaborative. Go make the best work you can!