Women to Watch 2023: Rizza Garcia, Elesi Studios

Rizza Garcia

Creative director
Elesi Studios
Philippines

In the two years that Rizza Garcia has been at the creative helm of Elesi Studios as its creative director, she has propelled both its reputation and business forward; transforming it from an in-house production department into a standalone content house. In the process, she’s won clients’ hearts, people’s trust, and several industry nods.

From branding for an entire country, to side streets in augmented reality, Garcia has created work that's hard to miss and easy to applaud. Her body of work for brands such as Pepsi, FedEx, It's More Fun in the Philippines, Jollibee and Meta has bagged awards from the likes of Cannes Lions, New York Fest, AdFest, Ad Stars, Spikes Asia as well as many local awards. But more importantly, her creativity has become part of the everyday lives of many Filipinos.

Starting her career as a designer, Garcia joined BBDO Guerrero as an art director, rising through the ranks to become head of design. After moving to Publicis JimenezBasic, she dipped her toes into edtech with Edukasyon.ph.

Now at Elesi Studios, she steers a team of 20 (mostly Gen Z creatives), creating content that shapes cultures.

A strong advocate of Filipino creativity and nurturing future talent, Garcia finds time to help mount and participate in important industry efforts. 

She was a speaker at the Internet & Mobile Marketing Association of the Philippines’ (IMMAP) Breakfast Roundtable, and a jury member for the 2023 edition of New York Festivals, Mad Stars, and Holy Angel University Copy Ad Competition. She is also co-leading the Digital Young Creatives program of the IMMAP, helping prepare and train the next generation of Cannes Lions Young Creatives representatives of the country.