FORBES
Forbes 30 Under 30
NEW ZEALANDER OF THE YEAR
Young New Zealander
of the Year Finalist
D&AD
Ones to Watch
CANNES LIONS RANKINGS
#4 Art Director in the world
CANNES LIONS
30 Under 30
Creative Academy
CAMPAIGN ASIA
40 Under 40
Léon Bristow is an indigenous creative born in France and raised in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Léon is a big believer in challenging systems to support our historically marginalised, and building environments that encourage play, growth, authenticity, and excellence.
Early in his career, Léon was named a D&AD New Blood “Ones’ to Watch”, before being ranked the 4th Best Art Director in the world at Cannes Lions, and the first New Zealander in a decade accepted into the Cannes Lions Creative Academy.
In his spare time he’s been rejected from drama school six times. Travelled to 16 countries, lived in four. Received a standing ovation. Forgotten a language. Been granted a wish. Acted in a Scarlett Johansson movie. And, never liked black liquorice.
This year, Léon was named on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list.
COLENSO BBDO
Art Director
BEINGS
Founder & Director
CANNES LIONS
Creative Academy
ROYAL COLLEGE OF ARTS
Editorial Design
C14TORCE
Global Jr. Art Director
MEDIA DESIGN SCHOOL
Creative Advertising
VICTORIA UNIVERSITY OF WELLINGTON
& STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK, NP
Cultural Anthropology
& Theatre
EXPERIENCE
CANNES LIONS
Grand Prix (1)
Gold (2)
Silver (4)
Bronze (2)
D&AD
Yellow (2)
Wood (2)
ONE SHOW
Gold (1)
Bronze (2)
AWWWARDS
Site of the Day (1)
Developer Award (1)
CLIOS
Gold (2)
Silver (1)
LONDON INTERNATIONAL AWARDS
Grand Prix (1)
Gold (4)
EFFIE
Gold (3)
Silver (2)
SPIKES
Grand Prix (2)
Gold (3)
Bronze (1)
AWARDS
SELECT CLIENTS
Under Armour
Sony Pictures
Samsung
Disney
All Blacks
NZ Fashion Week
Mars
BNZ Bank
SELECT SPEAKING
International Federation of Actors
Diversity Works NZ
Cannes Can: Diversity Collective
Art Directors Club *Europe
The Kings Trust
Auckland University of Technology
Victoria University of Wellington
University of Auckland
Youthline NZ
VOLUNTEERING
Cannes Can: Diversity Collective
Ronald McDonald House
CanTeen
Show Me Shorts Film Festival
Cancer Society
Rainbow Equity Committee NZ
SELECT PRESS
Forbes
Lions Daily News
D&AD
Radio New Zealand
Little Black Book
Campaign Asia
M+AD
Listener
Te Ao Māori News
“If you want a creative that will just get the job done and not push any boundaries then Léon isn't for you. He has the great ability to find true insights and turn them into eyeball grabbing ideas that are beautifully crafted.” — Haylie Craig, Associate Creative Director at LEGO
“Léon has a natural instinct for effortlessly marrying provocation with incisive, clever, culturally grounded, witty, and chic editorial design. A smile in the mind. As his coach, it’s been a pleasure to see him grow and refine his concepts. A perfect poach.” — Ritesh Gupta, Founder & CEO of Useful School