“Hello & nice to meet you 👋 What to know about me? I’m told I’m the most determined person you’ll ever meet. Passionate about everything I do. I prefer to say that I #NeverStopStarting.
I spent the last 17 years at some of South Africa’s most respected ad agencies, Aqua, TBWA, Hellocomputer & FCB creating award-winning, digital & social content campaigns for some of the world’s most loved brands. I’ve been a Designer, Art Director, Digital Creative Director & an Executive Creative Partner. But, my best role yet has been an entrepreneur, building 3 startups⚡️I live to never stop persuing new ideas & new ways of tackling old problems. I started out in broadcast design, working on M-Net & DStv. Here I won my first industry award, the Promax Young Designer of the Year. This honour sent me to New York City, supercharged my career & the way I navigated it. To be one where creativity unlocks success. Where innovation outruns the flock. A philosophy that’s helped me win awards at Promax, Bookmarks, Assegai’s, The New Gen Awards, Midas, NY Festivals, Loeries, & allowed me to give back through mentoring young creatives, even older traditional ones, in the power of digital creativity. Constant learning has always been my superpower & I love paying this forward.
HayleyZara.com is a body of work that I have created in my personal capacity and with advertising agencies. A content hub for my personal projects, photography, advertising portfolio and business ventures.
Pawesome Places Blog:
A proudly South African fur kids blog. Finding the pawesomest places to play or stay & everything in between. Photography and content by Hayley Zara.
What got me here:
Qualifications
• Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication Management Specialising in #Creative Brand Communications ~ VEGA, Johannesburg.
• From Ideas To Action ~ IDEO, San Francisco.
• Documentary Photography short course ~ UAL, London.
Online courses
• The Art of Street #Photography at Magnum Photos.
• Alec Soth: #PhotographicStorytelling.
• Introduction To #DigitalJournalism at Reuters.
Work Experience
• Worked at South Africa’s biggest ad agencies for 16+ years.
• Followed the path of Junior, Mid-Weight, Senior, Creative Director to Executive Creative Partner.
• Owned and built three startups. Currently, Co-Founder & Partner at WeilCo* & Founder, Photographer at The Pawesome Places Blog 🐾
What I love most in life:
• My husband and our three gorgeous pups.
• #Photography
• #Stories
• #Travel
• #Films
• #Creativity
• #TheUnyieldingHumanSpirit