Pedrito – Another aspect

In June 1976, after returning from a university vacation, my friend Lilia Esther García de Paredes He recommended me for a summer job at the advertising agency McCann Erickson, where his father, Alberto García de ParedeYes, it was the manager.

At that time, Pedrito was the assistant manager of the agency, and Alberto assigned me to work under his supervision. Although I didn’t know him, I noticed from the first day that, despite his extreme thinness, he radiated a fierceness and pure energy, superior to the young people in the agency.

Pedrito had a privileged intellector; Their level of culture and knowledge (before Google) was top notch. He mastered writing Spanish at a classical level and closely supervised the spelling of agency ads.

In addition, he was a born strategist, developing specific, verifiable steps to achieve goals with the meticulousness of an engineer. I hated it “shit”, especially in the field of advertising.

In the office and with clients, he was serious and professional, but always found time for a joke or a creative quip about Panamanian idiosyncrasies. In this sense, he was a psychologist of national tricks.

Then he moved to the advertising agency BBM, where his friend Boli Bárcenas, recognizing his talent, gave him a relevant position. He had a remarkable career there, solving complex situations for the most important advertisers in Panama and abroad.

At the same time, he developed his legacy as a popular poet, writing poems that have become part of our tradition.

I continued to work with him during the 9 years I worked at Canal 13 and can attest that his level of coordination, acumen and dedication to supporting his clients’ goals has always been one of the most successful in the industry.

It is amazing to find people who have these two qualities: being structured, cultured and professional, and at the same time relaxed, creative and cheerful, also possessing people and humility, so that success does not go to the head.