Masatoshi Usami, Creative Director, and Katsuya Arai, Creative Director/Senior Art Director of TBWA\HAKUHODO, have been selected as medalists of the “JAAA 2022 CREATOR OF THE YEAR,” awarded by the JAAA (Japan Advertising Agencies Association).

Since 1989, JAAA has awarded “CREATOR OF THE YEAR” to honor creators of the highest caliber among its member agencies. Starting with Kazoo Sato in 2011, the talents of TBWA\HAKUHODO have received this accolade for 12 years running.

Masatoshi Usami / Disruption Lab・Creative Director
Usami joined Hakuhodo in 2009 and joined TBWA\HAKUHODO from 2018. So far he has won more than 100 awards in Japan and abroad, including Cannes Lions, Japan Marketing Awards, and Japan Media Arts Festival. His recent works include “Live for the extraordinary (Meta Quest 2),” “Kangeki no Kyojin (Attack on Titan),” “Japan Revengers (Tokyo Revengers),” “※We are carrying a saury due to advertising regulations. (The Fable)”. Usami has also been involved in many projects that create meaningful change in society with the creativity he has cultivated in advertising, such as “Sound-Free Concerts,” which aimed to democratize music, and “SHELLMET,” an eco-friendly helmet made from discarded seashells.

Katsuya Arai / Disruption Lab・Creative Director / Senior Art Director
Arai joined TBWA\HAKUHODO in 2019. He has received various prestigious awards including Spikes Asia Grand Prix, ACC, LIA, ADFEST, IF Design Award, red dot design award, and A’Design Award. With his unique and non-verbal art direction and his ideas that cross social issues as his weapon, he strives to bring good changes to society and to people’s behavior, mainly Generation Z. 

The list of award winners: Click Here