See It, Be It 2024: María Carrillo López
María Carrillo López, a senior art director at DAVID Madrid, brings a fresh perspective to the advertising industry. Growing up surrounded by strong women, María was encouraged to pursue her dreams and see herself as equal to any man. Despite the lack of female mentors early in her career, she finds daily inspiration from her hardworking female colleagues. María is passionate about diversity, seeing it as essential to fostering creativity and driving meaningful change in the industry.
As a participant in the Cannes Lions See It, Be It scheme, María is committed to increasing the representation of women in creative roles. She actively promotes opportunities for women in various aspects of advertising, from casting to production. Through her involvement with Más Mujeres Creativas in Spain and her work with colleagues and students, María strives to create an inclusive environment where everyone feels valued and empowered to contribute their unique perspectives.
See it
Tell us about a woman who has inspired you in your career.
During my university days in Spain I only knew the names of two women, who stood out amidst a sea of male names, igniting my career aspirations: Monica Moro and Eva Santos.
Though lacking direct female mentors, numerous female colleagues have inspired me every day through their hard work and staying strong despite all adversities, and I would love to give them a small tribute here: Begoña Moreno, Miruna Nitu, Lia Bira, Ioana Filip, Sandra Bold, Ruxandra Drilea, Silvia Oton, Katharina Haller, Madalena Gonçalves, Ligia Fava, Daniela Botero, Giulia Ferrarezi, Andrea García, María Espada, Clara García, and many more.
All these remarkable women I've encountered contrast with female underrepresentation in positions of power. This dissonance must be rectified.
Be it
How have you incorporated the lessons and insights you gained from women in your life and in creative/professional fields into how you approach life and your career?
I come from a family full of women, and all of them have greatly inspired and driven me in my life to pursue my dreams and be a strong and independent woman.
The beliefs and values that they taught me consisted of seeing myself capable of conquering any space, and firmly believing myself to be equal to any man, in any situation. However, facts and everyday life make us silently accept some situations and standards as valid and normal when they should not be.
Do it
How does that translate into the work? Tell us about some of the campaigns you've been involved in that you're really proud of. What challenges did you overcome to bring them to life?
To me, being a creative is invaluable, bearing a weighty responsibility I uphold in every project. Diversity fuels creativity, permeating each stage of my process. Immersed in our routine, injecting diversity reignites creativity.
This treasure is fragile, and vulnerable in an advertising world. Daily challenges threaten it, while diversity multiplies its potency. I've been fortunate to work in multinational agencies, surrounded by diverse creatives. Yet, the upper levels remain predominantly straight cis white men.
As creatives, we can't always choose our clients, but we can advocate for impactful change. We must champion diversity, combatting daily issues and portraying a richer world. If we unite as allies, we will leverage our unique perspectives to make a difference.
Share it
What messages or words of advice do you have for the next generation of women coming into the industry? And tell us about anything that you do to support and lift up women in the industry.
My goal is to reach the end of my professional career having increased the percentage of creative women in the industry, promoting and helping as many as I can around me, encouraging colleagues around to give opportunities to women in casting, production, or design roles.
The value of working surrounded by a diverse environment in which we all believe we are equally valid is immense. I try to transmit that to all the people I work with, to the students I teach and to the colleagues of the association to which I belong, Más Mujeres Creativas in Spain.
See It Be It is a LIONS initiative aiming to achieve equal gender representation among creative directors and leaders across the global industry. The programme is open to all women, trans-identifying and non-binary people. For any enquiries, please get in touch at seeitbeit@canneslions.com.
Further information on applying for See It Be It 2025 can be found here.
