Chief Creative Officer
Pereira & O'Dell 

Pereira's genius lies largely in long form, from his Red Bull film "Unflinching Triumph" (made at AKQA in 2006) to Pereira & O'Dell's expansive, emotive work for Coca-Cola, Skype and Intel (whose episodic gem "The Beauty Inside" with Toshiba won a gold Clio and three Cannes Grand Prix in 2013). Pereira has also gone long—really long—in print, penning a trilogy of best-selling fantasy novels in his native Brazil. Yet he also knows his way around shorter work— like his series of amusing 15-second ads for 1-800-Contacts.

"I am very fortunate I get to tell stories for a living, especially when these stories make the world a little bit better," says the onetime computer programmer. "That may take form of a book that helps with religious tolerance in Brazil, a short film that helps young people embrace their homosexual friends in Latin America—where every day someone dies because of the issue—or a big production that inspires adults and kids all over the world to embrace their creativity. I guess that is the ultimate professional luxury."

Read the article in ADWEEK