Julia LLAMAS

What was your very first job?

Account manager.

Please describe, in your own words, what your job is and what work it entails.

Head of Operations at Anomaly’s Amsterdam office. I work and mentor a group producers and project managers, work closely with the ECD and creative teams aiming to produce and deliver the best creative work possible for a wide range of clients.

How did you discover that the creative world was right for you? Was there a time in your life that you credit to this discovery? What was there train of events that brought you to where you are today?

My first job at a creative agency showed me that there was a creative world that I wanted to be part of. But that being an account manager and being promoted to account director was not going to be my role in the industry. I was offered the opportunity to set up a production department in the agency and did so with success. That initiated a different turn in my career, working more with and for creatives.I studied art history and have always had a great interest in photography, film and the arts. So I moved more into the role of art buyer, mixing my personal interests with my professional work. After a couple of years I started working as producer at KesselsKramer, working mainly for Erik Kessels, and that ignited an even more profound relation with pure and un-compromised creative work, allowing me to work with the best creative minds and partners in the industry.

In your constantly growing and expanding industry, how do you find inspiration to keep your work fresh, innovative and relevant?

Remaining curious, always, visit art shows where ever I travel. Visit photography festivals, go to museums, art galleries. Read, go to the movies, theater etc. Keep watching, never slack, curate unexpected collaborations. Keep a close eye on anything happening creatively.

If you had to pick one piece of work or project that you are most proud of, more for the creative work and innovation it required, rather than its recognition or industry “success,” what would it be? 

I’m proud of all the work I’ve done. I’ve decided long time ago never to work on any projects that I don’t fully believe in. That’s a waste of time and headspace. I worked at Platform21 for almost a year. Platform21 was ahead of it’s time, working closely with different creative disciplines and collaborations between those disciplines. These resulted in a beautiful series of exhibitions, lectures and publications. All the work produced at KesselsKramer was also something I am really proud of. The way we worked there with photographers, directors and creatives from over the world, creating amazing work without any compromise to the concept defined my way of working. Always aiming for perfection, for the best creative collaborators and for perfect execution in all work produced. Photography magazine Capricious- Worked as editor/producer for the first years of it’s existence. https://becapricious.com/publications/