why we do it
why we do it
why we do it
why we do it
why we do it
We are all born unspecial.
The Unspecials story began 30 years ago in southern Brazil, where a middle-class family was thrust into economic hardship, and the father was suddenly bedridden by illness.
Unable to work, the mother struggled to provide for the family, leaving the older brother to shoulder their survival despite his lack of experience or special skills. Amidst their struggle, he found mentors who taught him resilience, humility, consistency, and the role of creativity in adversity.
Against all odds, that boy transformed his life, rising to senior executive roles in multinational organizations. He then felt compelled to help others in similar situations. Thus, Unspecials™ was born—not just as a business, but as a mission to unlock untapped potential.
Gesner, the founder, envisions Unspecials as a platform to empower unspecials everywhere to find their greatness. The company stands as a testament to the power of support and resilience, creating opportunities, nurturing creative dreams, and building a world where all can thrive.
Meet the founder
From working with Fortune 500s to leading grassroots initiatives, Gesner brings over 20 years of experience across industries and geographies — delivering results that last.
But at Unspecials, it’s not just about experience — it’s about how that experience is shared. That’s what makes our work stronger.
“Unspecials was born from a simple idea: that the most powerful creative work doesn’t come from the center — it comes from the margins. We didn’t just want to build a studio; we wanted to build a platform where overlooked voices could lead, and where difference drives results.”
Gesner FilosoCreative Chairman and Founder of Unspecials
Gesner Filoso is the Creative Chairman and Founder of Unspecials™. He guides the studio’s creative direction and strategy, bringing more than 25 years of global brand and marketing leadership to every client partnership.
Before Unspecials, Gesner led global brand and marketing at Teleperformance (TP), then a CAC 40 group, where he served as CMO for EMEA and Global Marketing EVP. Earlier, he was Global Head of Brand Strategy and Communications at Sitel (now Foundever). He has worked with Fortune 500 companies and led teams across the Americas, EMEA and Asia Pacific. His EMEA teams brought together more than 14 nationalities, with women in 60% of leadership roles.
He founded Unspecials in 2023 on a simple conviction: creativity is everywhere, but opportunity is not. Today, the studio brings together creatives from Spain, Portugal, Brazil, Argentina, Turkey and Ukraine to build brands for global enterprises and early-stage startups. It also develops brands and intellectual property of its own, starting with Anna Manzana, an original character born in Spain that has grown into licensed products, live experiences and original music.
Gesner is the creator of Metarketing™, his framework for how marketing must evolve as data, channels and customer experience converge. He serves on the boards of growth companies in BPO, customer experience management and healthtech.
Born in Brazil, he holds a degree in Design and a postgraduate certificate in Business Administration from Ibmec. He has lived in Europe since 2008 and is based in Madrid with his wife, his partner of 30 years, whom he met in college.