OLD SURFER - Key Persons
I had been living in Miami with my family for about nine and a half years. It was the last stage of our life in the USA and at that time I was a creative director for the Hispanic market and some general market projects. It was a job and a position that I am still proud of and grateful to those who gave me the opportunity, a life that any creative would like to have had. Trips to NYC, meals at the best restaurants, boat parties and all that. But I was no longer 25 years old; my routine was exhausting and not at all sustainable. I would arrive at night with my kids sleeping and leave very early the next morning with my kids sleeping. It was very common to work Saturdays and Sundays and I even remember a New Year's Day spent presenting an urgent idea. Meanwhile in Argentina my father had become ill, my children did not have much of a father and my wife did not have much of a husband. I didn't have much of myself either, I had become just another cog in the machine, I was very well paid but I knew and felt that I would not be able to sustain that lifestyle for long. Speaking of sustainability, my days were spent consuming antacids at all hours and I had already added coffee and energy drinks as new vices to my list. I was drifting further and further away from the things that filled me with enthusiasm to pursue my career as a creative, one that had been going on for more than 20 years. At that point in my life, I asked myself a question that would change everything; how much is my life worth? The answer led us to make a decision and in a matter of a few months we moved back to Argentina. But this time, it would not be to Buenos Aires, instead we decided to take some time to choose the place. We chose the province of Cordoba and within Cordoba, a small town of 10,000 inhabitants called La Cumbre. Today I live six km from the town center, in the middle of the mountains with my wife and three children, with a more than decent internet to be able to work from home this time, long before the home offices of COVID-19. Shortly after arriving, I met Xavier Rubio and immediately after meeting him we both started talking about becoming a sustainable company. How much is the life I have now worth? It is impossible to put a price on it when I live with my profession integrated into my life and my roles. I don't know how much it is worth, because it would be unfair to put a price on it, but a year after I started living here, I came across a news item about a work by David Hockney, a painting that was sold for $90 million USD. I'm the one on the right, at home in La Cumbre. Now that I have been working for Old Surfer for three years on sustainability issues for brands, I ask myself another question: how much is a brand that has decided on a sustainable path worth? I don't know how much, but the future belongs to those brands.
I have been working in the advertising industry for over ten years now. However, it was not until now that I understood the great responsibility we have in our hands while handling campaigns for different brands. I am aware now that messages that go on air generate an impact on our society and sometimes even develop new ways of thinking and behaving. What changed in my life during the last ten years? Well, I recently became a mom, and I understood how important our actions are for our kids. Every choice we make influences them. From conceiving, thru the pregnancy, and also when they start to grow and become self-conscious. I mainly focused on how to feed my baby. Not only emotional nourishing but also nutrition. I started my investigation and found out different ways to do it: traditional eating or conscious eating. This last option allows you to take care of yourself and also of the planet. It starts in a sustainable kitchen, where you go back to the basics, and feed your family with pure and natural ingredients. It is not only a matter of nutrition. It also includes changing habits that are very important to develop, today more than ever. We want to do our part towards a better world for our kids and focus on the messages that we give to them, not only by speaking but also with our actions.
When our children were born, we decided to look for an alternative school where the main goals of education were the development of values as an individual and respect for others in all areas. For us it was important that the school focused more on developing empathy, respect for the environment and to know how to express emotions but above all to understand these ideas rather than learning to memorize content. We believe that education is the basis for society to evolve towards values such as respect, social justice, solidarity, inclusion... and for that reason the choice was crucial. To give some examples, from time to time they go to the park next to the school to pick up all the plastic on the ground to recycle it. From a very young age, each week several students in the class are assigned to take care of a small garden, this is to encourage their responsibility as individuals and as a team. In addition, every day, in the first 30 minutes of class, they sit on the floor in a circle to express their worries and concerns in the form of group therapy.
It is important to teach them as much as possible to see through the eyes of others, to know how to have time to listen to themselves and recognize what they are feeling, to be aware of those feelings and to be able to express them. We believe that this is the way to develop good, solid, strong self-esteems on which they can then continue to build a better world. It is important that they continue to believe in their ideals and to defend them from others. They need to have these tools so that no one can silence their voices. That is why we are proud that we chose a school that does not focus on academic grades but rather on how to be a better person. Education, without a doubt, is the key to a more just world.
Jose Huerta - Chief Strategy Officer
Job Titles:
- Executive
- Strategy Director