Purveyor of Feelings
I have a special interest in the bloodsport of making people happy-cry—that raw, unguarded moment when something real breaks through. When A.I. can do almost everything, this is the only magic left. Turning contradictions into original ideas that don’t just remix the past, but reshape the future. Growing up a walking paradox helps.
Puerto Rican and Midwestern. Catholic and Santero. Queer in a world of machismo. Pisces raised by earth signs. All curses and gifts that taught me to thrive in emotional tension. To seek the thrill and craft of unpredictable storytelling. Whether I’m leading a team or cracking a brief solo, I bring that love and intensity to everything I touch.
When I’m taking breaks from working too hard, I can be found reading tarot and enjoying backbreaking gardening at my tiny house in the Catskills with my wife, daughter, two furry rescues and a very annoying groundhog who lives under my porch and eats my vegetables. Call me now for your free reading. 📞 +1 773 368 3220
Hi btw, I’m Gio.
Puerto Rican Creative Director with Chicago in my bones and Brooklyn in my blood. I currently lead creative on Diageo and AT&T at Translation. Before that, I helped built Apple TV's in-house marketing practice, survived R/GA's metaverse era, brought social magic to Netflix, Chipotle, and Budweiser at VICE’s various ad-agency-like objects, and cut my teeth on TV and radio at Saatchi. Before that? Just vibes, chaos and primordial soup. I’ve learned that the best ideas make you feel something, which has earned me some shiny statues from Cannes, Clio, D&AD, The One Show and others—plus a few jury invites. I pass this knowledge on by teaching at SVA, where I help young creatives tap into their guts and find their voice.
CONTACT
catchgio@gmail.com
773.368.3220
WORK
Translation, 2023-Present
Apple, 2021-2023
R/GA, 2020-21
Freelance, 2017-19
VICE, 2015-17
Saatchi NY, 2012-15
Grad School, 2009-11
Internships: Digitas’08, JWT’07, FCB’06
SCHOOL
SVA, BFA Advertising
Columbia, MFA Fiction
REVIEWS
"Pushes for integrity of the creative idea above all."
"Decisive... able to filter out the bad and push the good."
"Great sense of what will (or will not) make an idea stronger."
"Crafts everything to perfection no matter how big or small."
"Calm in the face of near constant curveballs."
"Not the kind of CD who sucks all the oxygen out of the room."
"He honestly manages his time better than me."
"He's kind and thankful to his coworkers, which is rare."
"Great active listener, especially on a team of active speakers."
"I wish Gio was my Creative Director on all my campaigns."
AWARDS
Andys Gold
ADC Craft in Digital
ADC Craft in Online / Mobile
ADC Extended Reality (AR)
ADC Interactive: Social Media
AICP Next Experiential
AICP Next Experimental
AICP Next Digital Experiences
AICP Next Integrated Campaign
AICP Next Branded Content & Entertainment
Cannes Lions Brand Experience & Activation Lions: Sponsorship & Brand Partnership
Cannes Lions Digital Craft Illustration
Cannes Lions Entertainment for Sport Gaming
Cannes Lions Entertainment for Sport Fan Engagement
Cannes Lions Entertainment for Sport Innovative Use of Tech & Platforms for Sport Cannes Lions Media Lions Use of Digital Platforms
Cannes Lions Social & Influencer : Innovative Use of Community
Clio Digital Branded Entertainment & Content
Clio Experiential Branded Entertainment & Content
Clio Multi-platform Social Media
Clio Digital/Mobile Games
Clio Medium Innovation
Clio Partnerships, Sponsorships & Collaborations
D&AD Experiential: Community
D&AD Experiential: Online Experiences
D&AD New Blood
Fast Company Innovation by Design
Graphis Promotion
Graphis Publishing
One Show Interactive Gaming: Branded Games
One Show Interactive: Immersive Digital Spaces
One Show PR: Events & Experiential
One Show Social: Innovation in Lockdown
One Show Branded Entertainment: Innovation in Lockdown
One Show Digital Craft: Innovation in Lockdown
One Show Direct: Innovation in Lockdown
One Show Interactive: Innovation in Lockdown
One Show Mobile: Gaming
One Show PR: Community Building
One Show Social: Active Engagement / Call to Action
One Show Branded Entertainment: Games
One Show Direct: Social Media Post - Single
One Show Experiential: Innovation in Experiential
One Show Integrated: Innovation in Lockdown
One Show Interactive: Online Advertising - Native Ads
One Show Social
One Show Social Craft
One Show Young Ones Innovative Advertising
Webby Agency of the Year
Webby Best Social Presence Media/Entertainment
Webby Game or Application
Webby Best Social Campaign
Webby Best in Social
Webby Augmented Reality
Webby Best Use of Online Media
Webby Virtual & Remote
WORKING MANIFESTO
Every brand has a heartbeat.
I make sure people feel it.
All brands talk. Few people listen. Why?
They confuse being loud with being felt.
They measure impressions instead of making one.
They think in pixels instead of pulses.
Study algorithms instead of stirring minds.
I don’t chase trends. I chase the truth.
I turn strategy into stories that stick in your ribs.
My goal isn’t to be seen. It’s to be seared into memory.
To prickle skin. Well up tear ducts. Make bellies ache with laughter.
To make great brands I don’t look at other brands. I look at art.
I turn products into a presence. Campaigns into culture.
Whether it’s a tequila brand reclaiming its soul,
a Super Bowl moment lived through millions,
or a single haunting image igniting a movement.
Whatever I make—I make damn sure it matters.
Principles
This is what I do. This is what I fight for. This is what I bring to every brief, every pitch, every idea that crosses my desk. Because in the end, people don’t remember what brands say. They remember how they make them feel.
Emotion first. Execution second.
An idea means nothing if it doesn’t move people. I start with what needs to be felt, then build everything around that.
Say it simple. Feel it deep.
Complexity doesn’t equal depth. The most powerful ideas are the ones you just get—because they tap into something true.
Humanity over hype.
I don’t chase what’s trending or cutting-edge. I chase what’s human. Technology changes. Platforms shift. But a well-told story? That shit’s forever.
Surprise is the shortcut to emotion.
The best stories don’t just confirm what people already know. They twist, they turn, they reveal. They hit with a jolt of Damn it, I wasn’t expecting that. The only thing people love more than knowing is not knowing.
Make it mean something.
Work that makes people laugh is great. Work that makes people feel seen is legendary.