My name is Edu Pou

I didn’t choose it, but I’m OK with it.

I was born in the small town of Parets del Vallès on a Saturday of the 20th Century. Throughout my career, I've been lucky enough to be part of some of the most exciting and creative companies in advertising, innovation, and entertainment. That’s probably why, despite being in this mad industry for over 20 years, winning well over 100 of the most prestigious awards, and giving talks and workshops around the world, I still keep the excitement of a newbie. 

My journey is indeed a journey that has taken me to work on three continents.

The path began in my hometown of Barcelona, where I started as a copywriter. At 26, I became a Creative Director at DoubleYou, leading projects for San Miguel, SEAT, Audi, and Nike—including the 2004 Cannes Grand Prix winner. Seeking new challenges, I moved across the Atlantic to join the interactive team at Crispin Porter + Bogusky, where I worked on campaigns for Domino's Pizza, Burger King, Nike, and Volkswagen, contributing to our recognition as the best interactive agency of the year at Cannes Lions.

Next, I joined Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam as a Creative Director for global clients such as Coca-Cola, Electronic Arts, BASF, and Nokia. I eventually became the Head of Creative Innovation across all accounts. After seven years in Amsterdam, I returned to the US to serve as the Chief Creative Officer of The Barbarian Group in NYC. During my time there, we helped spread goodness one KIND bar at a time, brought back Crystal Pepsi, told how IBM's cognitive technology was at the center of impactful personal stories, flew drones to show the innovative power of GE around the world, and boarded with Nicole Kidman on a VR flight with Etihad from NY to Abu Dhabi.

Working on the VR project with Etihad ignited my passion for virtual reality. I subsequently joined forces with experience studio Here Be Dragons, founded by Patrick Milling-Smith and Chris Milk, as their Executive Creative Director. In a short amount of time, Dragons became one of the most prestigious and awarded VR-centric studios in the world. We created award-winning projects for clients like the USC Shoah Foundation, StubHub, Samsung, TOMS, Netflix, as well as original IP, like the Cannes Lion Gold winner series Dispatch by Edward Robles, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival 2017 and was selected at Sundance 2018.

In 2018, I moved with my family to Australia, and I joined We Are Social Sydney in the role of Executive Creative Director. There, I produced a lot of exciting work 'worth talking about'™, including a 4-hour long slow TV film for Audi during the COVID-19 lockdown, an integrated campaign featuring Nick Kyrgios to launch ZIP in Australia, and the world's most-viewed branded hashtag challenge in TikTok’s history with over 33.4 billion views (to date) for Samsung Global.

In 2022, I became the Founding Partner and ECD at Metacampus, focusing on the virtual economy and digital upskilling. That same year, I also had the chance to co-author 'La Interrupción' with Toni Segarra, a book published by Deusto about the unique challenges of advertising in a world overloaded with content.

As a result of working for brave and demanding clients, and of being surrounded by excellent colleagues, I've collectively won well over 100 awards, including Cannes Lions, One Show Pencils, CLIO, New York Festivals, Shorty, Webby, SXSW, El Sol, and FIAP. I've also been on the jury of the most prestigious advertising award competitions around the world, and have given keynotes and workshops at industry conferences across the globe.

Beyond my professional pursuits, I've been passionately involved in academia, lecturing at various educational institutions - from my alma mater UAB to the Barcelona School of Creativity and Miami Ad School. Since 2021, I've been teaching Multiplatform Storytelling at the University of Tasmania. It's here, at UTAS, where I'm also conducting my PhD research, exploring the tactics successful advertising employs to engage audiences actively.

I’m proud of my career, especially because the beginnings weren’t very promising: I worked at a TV station that couldn't pay the electricity bills, as a designer at a sketchy board game manufacturer that stole ideas from its competitors, and as an offset press operator at a local print shop with no ventilation. That's why I don't take anything for granted, and I seize the day, every day.

After living in Barcelona, Madrid, Miami, Boulder, Amsterdam, and NYC, home is where my uber-talented wife Demelza Rafferty and my sons Oscar and Axel are—currently, Tasmania. When I’m not watching in awe what my kids create in Minecraft, I love reading and rereading Vonnegut, Borges, Italo Calvino, or any of the comic books from my vast collection. Yes, I’m a serious comic nerd. My oldest son's middle name (Thorgal) is that of a Belgian comic book hero: a viking from outer space. I still can't believe my wife let me get away with something like this… Twice! My youngest’s middle name (Zoso) honors Jimmy Page and my other guilty pleasure: listening to old LPs of British blues, be-bop, prog rock, psychedelia, and—when I’m on my own—blast metal until my ears bleed… so to speak.