MANILA TBWA\Santiago Mangada Puno was honored as Agency of the Year at the 2019 Kidlat Awards held at the Makati Shangri-La on April 26, powered largely by “Disgusting Stories” receiving Grand Kidlat and Kidlat Sinag trophies, in addition to four Golds, one Silver, and 2 Bronzes. Crafted to promote awareness against child abuse, the campaign also received “Best Advertiser of the Year for client Bahay Tuluyan. Overall, TBWA\SMP scored the largest metal haul of the evening, with a total of 5 Golds, 6 Silvers, and 8 Bronzes.
That evening, the man behind “Disgusting Stories”, TBWA\SMP Executive Creative Director Bryan Supan Siy was recognized for his accomplishments and contributions to the advertising industry with his induction into the Creative Guild Hall of Fame.
In a video tribute, Dentsu Jayme Syfu Chief Creative Officer Merlee Jayme described Siy’s works as being able to bring out the hidden issues that are otherwise overlooked, citing Siy’s irrepressible ability to push the best out of idea. In the same video, Publicis One Chief Creative Officer Raoul Panes credited Siy’s understanding of the common man to generate great work.
“Bryan is not exactly what you would call normal…I mean that in a good way!” proclaimed McCann WorldGroup Philippines CEO Raul Castro. Castro went on to praise Siy’s penchant for seeing things largely, resulting in works such as the now-iconic “Diwata” for client Fita.
With his induction into the Hall of Fame, Siy has come a long way from his early advertising days, when he declared that he had no interest in winning awards, before discovering metal’s ability to uplift both the people under him and the Agency he worked for. Over the years, Siy’s name has been a consistent presence at award shows, with work such as “Archimedes Trejano” for CARMMA, “Flowers” for Boysen, and more recent work like “Disgusting Stories” and “Dirty Water Color” scoring metal at Cannes, Spikes, Clio, AdFest, and Ad Stars.
Siy’s induction follows in the footsteps of TBWA\SMP Chief Creative Officer Melvin Mangada, who was the first-ever to receive the honor. Speaking in the video, Mangada said Bryan’s strength lies in his ability to find beauty in the unlikeliest of places, be it “the most difficult client” or “the most boring of briefs”.
“This is where [Bryan’s] magic works,” said Mangada. “When he discovers insights and creates compelling stories. Exposing the harsh reality of life, artfully and convincingly. And his stories are told, retold, shared, and remembered.”