The Cal Beta Chapter of Chapter of
Sigma Alpha Epsilon
Berkeley, California
Hank Olguin has enjoyed a long and varied career, most of which has been devoted to the advertising and marketing/communications fields. As a writer and creative director, he has
written and produced countless advertising vehicles, including dozens of TV and radio commercials; has won numerous advertising awards, including two Clios; written a book on creativity; and written songs for Sesame Street.
As a third-generation, bilingual Mexican American, Hank decided to focus his efforts on projects related to the Latino community and market early in his career. For eight years, he served as the Communications Director for a U.S. Department of Labor, national employment and training program, SER-Jobs for Progress, serving the special needs of
Latinos. During those years, he became an active member of Nosotros, an organization dedicated to eliminating Hollywood Latino stereotypes.
Hank was then hired as a senior copywriter by a major advertising agency, GSD&M, as part of a bilingual/bicultural team in the pioneering days of Hispanic advertising. He soon
became a creative director and VP, working on successful Spanish/English advertising campaigns for several major accounts such as Sea World, Walmart, and Domino’s Pizza. While at GSD&M, he collaborated on the creation of breakthrough advertising and promotions toward that end. A TV commercial celebrating Hispanic Medal of Honor recipients and the commemoration of a statue of a “Tejano” unsung hero of the Alamo serve as prime examples. He also served as a leader on the team that put the Coors Brewing Company on the Hispanic market map, an accomplishment described by Advertising Age as “one of the most dramatic marketing turnarounds in modern corporate history.” For many years, he has been a strong advocate for changing the negative image and public perception of Latinos and Latinas in the media.
Today, he facilitates seminars on creativity, branding, and communications. In addition, he has developed a children's animated TV series and has created a program, Imagine That,
designed to help Latina/o students achieve greater academic success through creative visualization. He holds a degree in Rhetoric from the University of California at Berkeley where he earned letters in football and track & field and was awarded the Sara Huntsman Sturgess Memorial Prize for outstanding artistic achievement in dramatic art.
