The Essential List: Carla Alonso Cancellara
Carla Alonso Cancellara is a senior copywriter at DDB’s Brazil outpost, DM9DDB. She’s also part of the 12 women chosen by DDB to head up the Phyllis Project, an initiative launched by the network this year that’s committed to increasing the number of female creative leaders in every region that it works (it’s named after Phyllis Robinson, DDB’s first and only copywriter at its founding and the first female copy chief in US history).
We thought we’d get to know Carla a bit better by tapping her up for her Essential List. It turns out that Brazil’s warm climate means the country is ripe for fresh fruit juice, but can also cause some confusion when getting dressed in the morning…
Travel
◦ Place of birth: Brazil
◦ Hometown: São Paulo
◦ Staycation: When I was a kid I loved to spend my vacations in my grandma’s house
◦ Vacation: I like to get to know a different place each time. I loved the French countryside, the Italian coast, Morocco, Greece and Japan. Next time, it will probably be Singapore, where my sister currently lives
Rural France in all its cobbled glory
◦ Place of work: My desk at DM9DDB or my dining room table at home
◦ Place of workout: Ibirapuera Park, jogging around the lake; and Top Form gym
◦ Mode of transport: Car
◦ Miscellaneous Travel Essential: My neck pillow and lip balm
Culture
◦ Artist: Joan Sutherland and Maria Callas
◦ Musician: Giacomo Puccini
◦ Commercials director: Dougal Wilson
◦ Film director: Sofia Coppola, Ettore Scola, Quentin Tarantino
◦ Photographer: Sebastião Salgado
One of the many staggering scenes captured by Salgado
◦ Film: The Silence of the Lambs, City of God, The Godfather
◦ Series: Homeland, House of Cards
◦ Commercial: ‘1984’ (Apple)
◦ Music Video: “Thriller”, Michael Jackson
◦ Video Game: Psycho Fox, Choplifter
◦ Board Game: War
◦ Book: Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky; Broken April by Ismail Kadare
◦ Newspaper (off or online): GloboNews, The Guardian
◦ Miscellaneous Art: Opera, especially Bel Canto. And my grandpa’s pen-and-ink drawings. His name is Simphoroso Alonso, and he has the best technique I’ve ever seen
Food and Drink
◦ Breakfast: Toast, butter, coffee and milk
◦ Restaurant: Maní, in São Paulo
A delectable Octopus dish from Maní
◦ Cheap bite: ‘Coxinha’, a Brazilian chicken drumstick
◦ Working lunch: Local restaurants close to the agency
◦ Dish: Shrimp moqueca
◦ Snack: Dried fruits or yogurt
◦ Guilty Pleasure: Pizza
◦ Bar: Majorica Bar, in Kyoto, Japan. Mr. Honda, the owner, is the greatest jazz lover I’ve ever met
◦ Tipple: Gin and tonic
◦ Soft Tipple: In Brazil, I have the privilege of finding freshly squeezed juice in just about every corner
◦ Miscellaneous food: Pasta and risotto
◦ Miscellaneous Beverage: Urban Remedy juices
Kit
◦ Phone: iPhone
◦ Computer: MacBook Pro
◦ Headphones: Hellas Bluetooth Workout Headphones
◦ Camera: My phone’s camera
◦ Pen / pencil: Bic with blue ink
◦ Where you document an idea: Notes in my iPhone or a notebook
◦ Casual wear: Since Brazil is very warm, I like to wear dresses
◦ Smart wear: Since Brazil is very warm, I always take a coat – the air conditioning is usually freezing
◦ Footwear: Usually high heels
◦ App: 9gag
◦ Website: Pinterest
◦ Blog: I like to read blogs that discuss the reality of minorities, so that I can develop awareness and empathy. For example: blogueirasnegras.org
◦ Work program: Word
◦ Digital work tool: My phone’s calendar
◦ Analogue work tool: My glasses. Without them I see two of everything – one computer in front of me is enough!
◦ Morning grooming/makeup essential: SPF 50 sunscreen; Nars Sheer Glow Foundation
◦ Miscellaneous Kit Essential: My family
