HI THERE,
My name is Allie Carvajal.
I won’t be offended if you mispronouce my name, but if you want to know the secret, just pretend the ‘J’ is an ‘H’.
It’s also worth mentioning that some know me as the Art Director Previously Know as Allie Salzman (trademark pending) hence my gmail address.
No one asked, but if you’d like to know why this is, I am a sentimental person who liked the idea of being additive and growing my identity vs changing it abruptly— and therefore decided to add my original last name to my middle name (so I now have two middle names). This greatly confused everyone at the DMV, but it felt right to me and true to my story.
Storytelling is something I greatly enjoy — and for brands, I like to tell create stories with maximum insight and craft. I love to find that special human insight- one that resonates with people’s lives in some way, and hooks them to want to learn more. Then continuing that storytelling in every aspect by creating a brand experience imbued with craft.
I’ve learned the that the key to making things unique and ownable is to fostering a team’s unique talents and let them build on the vision. I’ve been doing some form of this my whole life. Beginning in my childhood, as the oldest sibling and also oldest cousin on both sides, I would proudly direct my cousins in plays put on for our families. A particular performace of Jack and the Beanstalk is stuff of legend in the family oral history, the one where I cast my brother as the giant. The story goes that when it came time for the giant’s signature line, my brother belted out ‘Sweee Swiiiiiii, Swooooo, Swwum,,, (His baby voice still pronounces ‘S’ as ‘F’) as my Grandfather (playing the beanstalk) laughed while covered in the paper leaf costume I had made for him.
In my professional life, I’m an ad creative (art) who’s been in the industry for 13+ years, currently working as an Associate Creative Director at Leo Burnett. Throughout my career, have touched every bit of 360 marketing campaigns: from film, print, signage, social, activations, building out brand guidelines and photo libraries. Unusually, I started my career on the account-side where I managed the process from soup to nuts— This have given me a unique perspective and respect for all parts and players of the process. As well as a well rounded understanding of brands and what a successful campaign looks like. Along the way, I have collected production experience in many different forms including film/live action, animation, cgi, stop motion, conceptual photography, product photography, food porn specific film/photography, influencer content, and activating experiential ideas.
Outside of work, I spend most of my time running after a toddler and re-learning how to do things like ‘putting on a shirt’, googling things like ‘how to fix a screen door’, attempting to meditate, spoiling our blind cat named Empanada, and taking advantage of the food and culture of the city.
HONORS/AWARDS
#2 Art Director • 2018 ADC creative rankings
#3 Art Director • 2018 One Club creative rankings
#6 most awarded campaign in the world • 2019 Big Won
ALTOIDS:
CANNES: 1 shortlist
CLIOs: 1 Bronze
Lürzer’s Archive: Placement
NEW YORK FESTIVALS: 2 Shortlists
MIRALAX:
WARC: silver
PRESCRIBED TO DEATH
CANNES: 7 LIONS • 3 Gold, 2 Silver, 2 Bronze, 2 Grand Prix for Good Shortlist,
8 Shortlist
ONE SHOW: 6 PENCILS • 2 Gold, 2 Silver, 2 Bronze, 3 Merit
D&AD: 4 PENCILS • 2 Graphite, 2 Wood
ART DIRECTORS CLUB: x8 CUBES • 1 Best of Discipline / Designism cube, 1 Gold,
5 Silver, 1 Bronze
NEW YORK FESTIVALS: 1 First Prize, 2 Second Prize, 5 Third Prize
FWA: 1 FWA of the day, 1 FWA of the month
CLIOS: 12 CLIOS • 2 Grand Clio, 6 Gold, 3 Silver, 1 Bronze, 3 Shortlist
LONDON INTERNATIONAL: 1 Gold, 4 Silver, 2 Bronze, 2 Shortlist
KINSALE: 3 Gold, 3 Silver, 1 Bronze, 2 Shortlist
LISBON: 3 Gold, 3 Silver, 1 Bronze, 3 Shortlist
EL OJO: 1 Grand Prix, 3 Gold, 4 Silver, 4 Bronze
EFFIES: 1 Gold, 3 Silver, 1 Bronze
WARC: 1 Grand Prix
EXPERIENCE
LEO BURNETT:
ASSOCIATE CREATIVE DIRECTOR (11/21-PRESENT)
ENERGY BBDO:
SENIOR ART DIRECTOR
ART DIRECTOR
JR. ART DIRECTOR
PREVIOUS LIFE:
ACCOUNT SUPERVISOR
ACCOUNT EXEC
ASST ACCOUNT
SCHOOLING:
CHICAGO PORTFOLIO SCHOOL
UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO AT BOULDER
- JOURNALISM/ ADVERTISING
CONTACT: alliesalzman@gmail.com