Sergio Onzari prefers content to packaging, travel to office life, and ultimately wants the world to know that storytelling is what dictates every step of his life.
Having started in an advertising agency in Buenos Aires, the content producer is addicted to telling compelling stories from around the world through his own personal lens. Which is why he loves getting immersed in the same stories he tells, by connecting with people on a human, personal level.
For this Member Spotlight we are learning more about the art of photography and passion for storytelling from a talented professional.
How did you get into the industry?
I started working as an art director in an advertising agency in Buenos Aires, Argentina, attending the communication of the MuchMusic channel and Editorial Perfil among others. Then I began a professional journey through various destinations in Latin America, working both in commercial advertising agencies and with various institutions focused on communication for human development (C4D).
Where are you based now and who do you work for?
Without a fixed position, but with Panama City and Buenos Aires as bases of operations, I work on my own in an enterprise called emitiendo.org that deals remotely with communication projects for development throughout the Latin American continent. At the same time I work in an itinerant way as a photographer and documentary filmmaker.
If you weren’t in your current industry, what would you be doing?
I'd probably be traveling the world creating travel content.
Can you explain your creative process?
My work is fundamentally about telling stories.
First of all, I try to get deeply involved with the protagonists and in the context of the story to be transmitted to get a concept from which to build an enveloping narrative. The stories usually deal with social and human problems, so I usually use a sensitive visual language that finds in digital media an ideal platform to deepen the feelings of each one. From there it is possible to find those key still frames to transfer to other communication formats that complement them.
How has technology affected the way you work (if at all)?
Technology has allowed me to bring distances closer to my clients and institutions with which I collaborate, being able to take on different projects without having a fixed point of residence.
What’s your secret to staying inspired and motivated?
I need to be always planning new projects, either as a source of work or personal ventures. Coffee helps too.
What’s the work achievement you’re most proud of?
As creative awards, my first job with Diario Perfil allowed me to get to know Europe. Personally, a recent trip to Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and the north of Argentina, allowed me to learn very valuable life stories from which to understand the historical cultural process of the Latin American people.
How do you recharge away from the office?
I always like to know new destinations, and street photography is a tool that allows me to know them in depth and extract stories from there that I transfer to future jobs. At Starbucks I usually make some strategic stops on those trips...
What advice would you give to other aspiring creatives looking for work?
Archiving the methods of the traditional advertising industry and getting to know the world, because to tell stories that really connect with people being locked in a cool office with a Steve Jobs posters and a troupe of operators in front of their MacBooks will not help you much.
What’s your one big hope for the future of the creative industries?
If it is understood that packaging no longer matters so much and that the center of everything is the content, they will be able to begin to tell a better story.
If you could change one thing about the industry, what would it be?
Let them serve better coffee in their offices. Maybe that way I would visit a little more.
