Our Creative Warrior program recognizes colleagues who demonstrate creative bravery beyond their everyday roles.
“Our creative warriors exhibit that spirit of facing challenges head-on and giving our clients something they have never seen before,” said Eva LaMere, president of Austin Williams. “They personify the will to try something new, to catch people’s attention, or to defy the conventional wisdom of ‘we’ve always done it that way.’”
Senior paid social strategist Stephen Kalantgopoulos was recognized as our most recent Creative Warrior, which makes him the proud owner of a warrior-like shield emblazoned with keywords that embody that spirit of creativity, dinner for two, AW-branded sneakers, and more.
Stephen was nominated for the award by his colleagues, who admired his innovative, proactive approach to developing strategies and content for social media. Here’s what they had to say:
“Stephen is resourceful. He takes the initiative, is independent and proactive in finding what he needs, and somehow always seems to have everything at his fingertips. He is always eager to assist and is a creative thinker. Not only is Stephen imaginative and finds unique opportunities in anything he has been given, but his approach, imagination, and creativity are backed by intelligent thinking, research, data, and current market trends.
“Stephen’s passion for performance and proactiveness makes him stand out among his peers. He continuously takes the initiative and finds an opportunity to elevate his – and our clients’ work. Stephen neither accepts, ‘This is what we have,’ nor does he settle. Instead, he says, ‘I can make this better.’ Stephen – on numerous occasions – has demonstrated his initiative to make the most of our clients’ investments.”
Still, Stephen’s contributions to AW go beyond his social media skillset. He regularly assists AW’s Culture Committee in the various activities inside and outside the Agency. Most recently, he participated in our Valentine’s Day event, where he and three other AW employees personally delivered 400 hand-made Valentines to the Gurwin Jewish Nursing & Rehabilitation Center residents.
As his nominators summed up, “Stephen is an all-around great colleague. He brought our paid social media department to another level, and we’re lucky to have him.”
We award a new creative warrior regularly – check back for more soon! In the meantime, meet our other Creative Warriors.
About Austin Williams
Austin Williams is a full-service advertising, marketing, digital, and public relations firm that creates ideas that inspire action for clients in the healthcare, higher education, financial, and professional services industries. Certified as a Women Business Enterprise (WBE) by the State of New York, the Long Island-based firm was founded in 1992 and was named one of the 100 fastest-growing agencies in the nation. In 2023, it was listed as Best Advertising Agency by Long Island Business News in their Reader Ranking Awards, and in 2020, it was named a Newsday Top Place to Work.