Dreaming, dreaming, dreaming… Something that we all should do, but without forgetting about reality, of course. That is today’s protagonist case. They say that, sometimes, reality is truth is stranger than fiction, this is something that she knows to be real. When she was 14 years old she discovered the world of advertising and, from then on, she dreamed about working in this sector. However, thanks to her incessant curiosity, her personality and her will to reinvent herself every day, she has not only been able to turn her dreams into her job, but also her lifestyle. Like every Friday, the APCP values the businesswomen in the industry. Today we are talking to Leo Solanes, CEO of Solanes Films.
Leo has been making use of her talents all around the globe: Barcelona, Madrid, Milan, Los Angeles, New York, Berlin… During her teen years, when she was 14 years old, Leo discovered advertising production ‘out of curiosity’ in Studio Pomés. When she was 17 years old she travelled all the way to Milan, where she worked as assistant stylist and collaborated with a number of photographers, such as Oliverio Toscani. ‘I was sure that the advertising and styling worlds would be part of my life’, she says. Later on, she met José María Solanes, who she describes as ‘an adventurer with the soul of an artist’, and with whom she started a ‘personal and professional relationship’ that has made a mark on her life. It was then that she started working in Solanes. Leo directed her first spot in 1990. ‘From then on, I went on to work as producer and director in Solanes, and as freelance director in other countries’.
Leo Solanes, CEO de Solanes Films
Solanes is a production company made up of independent directors. This consolidated company, with 50 years of national and international adventures behind its back, produces advertising spots, music videos, fashion films and photoshoots. Solanes has been following the same philosophy from the start: ‘the person who does what they like is not the happiest, but that who likes what they do’. This producer has been awarded nationally and internationally, in festivals like Cannes Lions, Clio Awards, FIAP, El Sol
After so many years in the audiovisual industry… What projects have left a mark on her the most? ‘Every project leaves a mark, because I put my heart and soul into all of them’, she explains. The truth is that every project comes with its own anecdotes, as Leo lets us know: ‘They are all part of my life and history, and I keep waiting for the future projects that are to come and change my life’.
Some of Leo’s projects are…
PERALADA “ Nights you’ll never forget”
ECI · “Summer Fashion”
L’OREAL – FULL RESIST “Macarena García”
Having a ‘personality’, being able to adapt to the necessities of the project and, in conclusion, ‘having something to say’ is what it takes to be able to work in this industry, in Leo’s opinion. To all those girls dreaming of working in the audiovisual industry, she would like to tell them the same thing she tells her children: ‘Chase your dreams!’ But, how?… ‘Staying sharp, working hard, fighting, courageously overcoming your obstacles and fears, and always making use of your common sense’. This is something that her children seem to have put to practice, because her daughter Yasmina is a director, and her son José María is a photographer and fashion director.
Leo Solanes: passionate about the audiovisual industry; a woman who likes to ‘direct and produce with intuition and passion’, and a person who likes to ‘learn about other cultures, customs, working dynamics…’ We warned you about our protagonist’s curiosity. What would be her take on luck? We will see you again next week, but not without ending today’s article with a quote from this amazing woman, that leaves us wanting to know more about her… ‘You must look for your luck and, with luck, you will find it’.
By Paloma Garrido
