Carlos “Los” Musquez is the founder of Old School Creative Collective—a lean, attitude-driven consultancy built for challenger brands. After three decades leading award-winning campaigns for global names like TikTok, Microsoft, Logitech, Starbucks, Disney, Netflix, and Pepsi, Los set out to cut the bloat of traditional agencies and put 100% of client budgets back into the work.
He lives by a simple philosophy: bold ideas powered by old-school creative intuition and executed with new-school tools. That mix of passion and craft has fueled some of the most unignorable work in his career—and it’s the foundation of Old School today.
Los’ work has been recognized by the Addy’s, Effie’s, Cannes, Clio’s, Communication Arts, and more, but his true measure of success is creating ideas that hit harder, stand louder, and refuse to be ignored.
How many years have you been a judge?
1-3 years
What was your first job in the industry? What did it teach you?
My first job was as a paste-up production artist for Alcone Marketing Group. I spent my days creating handmade presentation boards and mechanicals for brands like Burger King, The California Lottery, Mazda, and Del Monte.
Having a literal hands-on role like this taught me so much about the craft of advertising and truly helped me understand how to use technology to elevate the craft of the work.
What project are you most proud to have worked on?
A few years back, I had the opportunity to create work for Easterseals of Southern California, a non-profit that works with people living with disabilities. The “Celebrate. Don’t separate.” campaign was conceived to change the way people see disability. Three days after it launched, the Smithsonian called asking if they could put it into the national archives as an example of exceptional work that benefits humanity. That was better than winning a CANNES LION for me.
What’s the most challenging part about your job and/or the industry?
Keeping the ideas sharp and the craft even sharper in a world that is determined to commoditize creativity, push the skip button, and do it with AI.
What do you look for to determine excellence in video?
Story. Craft. Insight. Emotion. All of these things need to work together to create a compelling video.
How do you unwind from work mode?
I love to cook, watch IndyCar, Formula 1, IMSA, and listen to vinyl.
What are your current roles and responsibilities and what do you love most about your job?
I’m the Founder and Chief Creative at Old School Creative Collective, a consultancy built for challenger brands. My role spans brand strategy, campaign development, and creative leadership at both the conceptual and executional level. I lead everything from high-level brand positioning to hands-on production—partnering with clients to craft bold ideas that are brought to life with efficiency and impact.
What I love most is the craft of turning raw ideas into something tangible that connects with people. I thrive on collaboration—working closely with clients and partners to push thinking further and create work that doesn’t just look great, but moves people and brands forward. For me, the real joy comes from those moments when bold creative instinct meets flawless execution—and you can feel the work hit.
What initiatives or projects are you working on now that excite you?
Currently, the projects that excite me the most are a big brand campaign for the gaming company KontrolFreek and several product campaigns for Ultimate Ears Professional. Mostly because I am working collaboratively with their internal teams and we all have a desire to push the work beyond functional benefits and truly capture the emotive or lifestyle stories that surround these brands and products.
