Toronto-based creative agency Courage is strengthening its reputation as a source of in-demand talent with the appointment of internationally recognized advertising veteran Raul Garcia as executive creative director.
With 23 years of experience under his belt, Raul’s work has been at the center of pop culture conversations across North America, landing on the cover of the Toronto Star, The Mercer Report and radio. His keen eye for detail and culture has also caught the attention of the likes of Pharrell Williams, Zoe Kravitz, 50 Cent and Lizzo. It has earned recognition at almost every major international exhibition and has been taken home by the Effie Grand Prix, D&AD Black Pencil, Titanium Cannes Lion and Cassie Grand Prix. In 2023 alone, Raoul won several gold awards for his work on Bill Is Bezos at One Show, Clios, LIAA, as well as a graphite pencil at D&AD and the Golden Lion at Cannes.
Raoul is Courage’s latest major hire following significant expansion across all of the agency’s divisions, including creative, account and production.
“Raoul is one of those creatives we call “gamers.” He was always ready to do great work wherever he went,” said Joel Holtby, co-founder and co-CEO of Courage. “He also instantly blended in with our people. We really wanted a leader to come in and contribute to what we’re building—to help grow teams, manage operations, and work closely with our clients. Raoul proves that you can be an incredibly talented creator and still have heart.”
Having created for some of North America’s largest stores, including Leo Burnett, Rethink, Grey, David&Goliath and Momentum Worldwide, to name a few, Raoul says he is excited to officially join a team that has “the ultimate goal” of uniquely helping brands and people gain courage.
“What really stood out about Courage was the passion of employees and customers to do things differently,” Garcia said in a statement. “Really standing up for what we believe in is built into the fabric of this place, which I think is very special. Dhaval Bhatt, Joel Holtby, Niki Sahni and Tom Kenny have really created the ‘us, not me’ culture that most agencies strive for, and it’s really nice to be a part of.”