Andre Filip | CEO & Founder

We had the good fortune of connecting with Andre Filip, CEO & Founder of ELA Advertising, and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Andre, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
I love this question. You hear a lot of people talking about work-life balance. As entrepreneurs, I believe we sign up for something a little bit different. It’s very difficult to have balance. Rather, blend, is what we need that continues to propel you towards your goals while giving you a productive outlet. As an entrepreneur, you make a decision to make your business your life. This philosophy may not be popular. If you’re passionate about what you do, then this way of thinking and working shouldn’t be a problem. No matter what you do, it always has to move you forward towards bettering yourself for your business, whether it’s a course you’re taking, something you’re learning, or taking time to decompress and rejuvenate.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
ELA is a global creative advertising agency. We specialize in providing a full suite of advertising services from strategy to brand activations to branded content, events, production, influencer marketing, production, public relations and more. I’m most proud of building a company that is rooted in humble disruption. We don’t ever rest on what we’re told, whether it’s a creative brief or a business foundation. We do this because we believe that in questioning everything – not just for the sake of questioning – that we will (and do) create something bigger and better than we would have otherwise. What sets us apart from others is our brand and how we approach business which is through the lens of chaos. We believe that discovery is hiding in the chaos and that in order to make something better, we first have to break it. We can’t be scared of what’s hiding under the surface; we take a deep dive with our teams and our clients in order to produce the best work of our lives every day. This philosophy transcends into how we approach everything from our workplace culture to solving our client’s business objectives. We are problem-solvers by nature and we solve not only in our creative outputs but for our clients’ overall business needs.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
– Start a welcome dinner to town at my favorite steakhouse, Mastros, in Beverly Hills. The ambience is incredible, no matter where you are in the restaurant, and of course the food is delicious. I eat Keto, so protein of some kind is always going to be on the menu for me.
– As I workout every morning, I would invite my friend to Equinox with me for an early morning workout.
– We’d then go for lunch to Joan’s on Third. An amazing cafe with outdoor seating in a hip and cool area.
– Head to Santa Monica for the sunset, followed by dinner and a cocktail on a rooftop restaurant.
– The next morning would be a hike at Runyon Canyon and a stroll down the unique shops of Melrose.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My mentor, Tony Seiniger of Seiniger Advertising. Many creatives have called him the “Godfather of Movie Advertising” as a result of his work on iconic and still legendary movies including “Jaws,” “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” and “The Hulk.” I started concepting and writing movie posters and movie trailers under his mentorship, and credit my training ground to him. The fit, finish, polish, and speed to market that defines entertainment advertising led me to where I am today, as I saw the opportunity to apply these principles to the general market, which is the premise of how I started ELA, and it’s been very successful.