Bright, young things: two HCA staffers win PPA 30 Under 30 awards

We’re proud to announce that two HCA staffers have won PPA 30 Under 30 awards, a revered industry prize that shines a spotlight on young, twenty-something talent in the worlds of consumer and customer publishing.

Joining the PPA 30 Under 30 class of 2020, Gabriel Gottardo Da Silva, Art Editor on the George at Asda account, was commended by the judges for his ‘simple, strong and effective’ design. Tom Miller, Production Manager for George at Asda, was awarded for being ‘enthusiastic, positive and very good at what he does!’

The awards acknowledge the hard work, talent and dedication of the pair, across everything from print and social to campaigns and videos. To get a flavour of their work, we asked them to take some time out of their day to tell us not only how it felt to win the award, but also what a typical day at HCA looks like and to share some advice for up-and-coming creatives…

Gabriel Gottardo Da Silver, Art Editor

Can you tell us a little bit more about what you do for Asda?

I have a varied, creative role in which I manage the retouching process of campaign images, the creation of all press content, art direct still-life shoots and take charge of all design created for George at Asda’s social channels. This means I am involved in the whole process from pitching creative ideas to editing and conceptualising them.

I would say there isn’t a typical day in my job! Most days tend to be different, as 80% of the work I do is for social media, which means content is often subject to change and as a team we have to keep up with it. My typical day will consist of meetings planning content at least two months ahead (our monthly content is usually locked down at least a month before) and then we also have new weekly content. I also check design quality on the content we produce ensuring it answers the brief and serves a purpose to the audience. Aside from planning content and checking standards are kept high, I also produce a lot of the content - from IGTV videos to Pinterest posts.

How do you feel about winning the award? 

Extremely excited and honoured! I remember when I was first approached to apply for the award I felt very surprised and happy to have been considered for it and when I was told that I had won it, it just felt very surreal and honestly took a couple of minutes to really sink in as I wasn’t expecting it all. But I couldn’t be prouder and also proud to represent the agency.

How have you found working from home?

Working from home has been very interesting! In some ways it’s definitely an advantage as I do feel like I am more productive than I would have been in the office as there are fewer distractions. I have also grown to appreciate tech such as Teams and Zoom, as it does make it a lot easier to communicate with people by just dropping them a quick message rather than a formal email – and also means that when you are in meetings you can still sneakily get some work done!

But I would say the biggest challenge for me has been not seeing the rest of my team and the rest of the people in the agency daily. It becomes very easy to always be working and you kind of forget about the human interaction. I do miss them all and the office environment.

Tom Miller, Production Manager, George at Asda

What does your role involve?

I produce and manage e-commerce photography for George at ASDA, for its website and in-store POS. I also help manage all social activity that goes through our team, including influencer partnerships and still-life shoots.  

How did you get your first step on the ladder?

I studied photography at Brighton University, with the hope of becoming a fashion photographer. As I reached my final year, I knew I wanted to work in photography, but perhaps not taking the images myself. I got a job in a photography studio which was great as it helped me learn all the different parts that build a professional photoshoot. Not long after that I decided to focus on becoming a producer and started my career at Hearst. 

What advice would you give to other young people who want a career in the media?

For my role specifically, no production is ever the same... but that’s what makes it so much fun! You are constantly learning and growing as a professional when working through different briefs, and you also get to work with some truly inspiring people within the creative industry. It’s also super-important to build a list of contacts to maintain a strong and diverse bank of talent to work with.

How do you feel about winning the award? 

It’s a bit surreal to be honest - I’ve only been doing production for about two years so to win an award and recognition like this is really encouraging. It’s so easy to doubt yourself, compare yourself to others or to downplay your skills, but winning the award reminded me that I must be doing something right!