BIOGS Mayda Creative

Brief - create engaging biographies to for a management team of seven creative individuals

Zu Al-Kadiri, Executive Producer, Mayda

A start-up Executive Producer is not how young Zu envisaged his life panning out. Growing up, his future profession was clear: a foreign correspondent. But luckily for our creative industry, Zu changed track. After kick starting his career in the 90s at MTV in London, he powered up the ranks of production Stateside until most recently spending a decade at The Mill.

7 years heading up Mill+ ignited his passion for creating inventive, original content. The integration of directors and designers was key to its success. Then he flirted with the prospect of launching Mayda to take the model of cross-discipline collaboration to the next level. It proffered the promise of adventure and the chance to partner with people whose qualities he so greatly admires.

He acknowledges hurdles lie ahead and is anything but naive about the learning curve you face when you take the reins. Very much rolling up his sleeves, Zu isn’t ready to stop learning any time soon. Standing on the precipice of creating what incontrovertibly has the potential to be a world-class business, he appreciates the need to foster an arresting culture where collaborations can flourish. He aims to build the team he’d never get onto and is setting the tone by partnering with those he most believes in.

His ambition is palpable and if you can imagine yourself joining him on the journey, you’ll need to show you’re fearless, and funny, and have sound judgement. But don’t rest on your laurels, he has grand plans for the day he finally steps away from a desk: you’ll find him drinking the wine he’s made from the grapes grown in his own vineyard. We can picture it right now.

Lydia Corin, Director of Creative Partnerships, Mayda

When picking your A team, you most certainly want London-born Lydia on your side. A sincere collaborator, she embodies empathy, ambition and fun in equal measure. Simply put, she is delightfully irrepressible. At Mayda, Lydia seeks out, then strengthens, the most compelling brand relationships. Compelling. That is her deal breaker. Because whilst it is top of her agenda to make ground-breaking work, she is unrelenting in her belief that opportunities must broaden her own experiences and the capabilities of her team.

With over a decade in adland agencies under her belt followed by a stint as North American Head of Brand Partnerships at The Mill, Mayda is her perfect storm of creativity, opportunity and adventure. No matter the business size or client need, her desire is to be a genuine partner in getting to the best result. That said she delights most in solving problems for brands that stay true to their core beliefs yet flex their boundaries to stay relevant. Undoubtedly she dreams big; watch out, Richard Branson - Lydia is coming knocking…

She herself personifies what she looks for in collaborators: a willingness to take responsibility and fully own an opportunity, underpinned by an overwhelmingly positive and spirited attitude. Mayda represents a new dawn and her experience of bringing together like minded players is already leading to fresh and surprising partnerships across platforms.

Beyond business, Lydia is fuelled by travel, triathlons and her two little humans. She’s in her 12th year living in NYC and doesn’t expect to tire of the zing of the city any time soon.

Carl Addy, Executive Creative Director, Mayda

Carl’s resume reads like a dream. Not many can say they’ve collaborated with Damien Hirst on concert visuals for U2’s Glastonbury headline show. Yet in his opinion, creds are simply experience. What matters to him is what that experience sparks within us. To Carl, learning and growth are addictive. His appetite to always master more is exactly why he finds himself at Mayda, partnering with a team of trusted talent - people he believes will better him and the work. Their shared hunger to explore and grow together is palpable.

Direction unlocked a new realm of possibilities for Carl. Once frustrated by the confines of where he should fit into the design and digital processes, the craft of direction grew his confidence to think conceptually. Honing his direction skills enabled him to transcend silos and cross genres - testament to that are his highly acclaimed narratives spanning independent film festivals, global sport brands and prevalent gaming titles.

So what next for Carl? He is truly fascinated by the potential of what can be achieved when humans and technology combine. To see where that pans out, he aspires to step into genuine partnerships with brands and make strides towards shaping the Mayda brand itself. To evolve the system he has always worked within, to experiment, legitimately author content and credibly originate on emerging platforms.

Carl acknowledges there are things he still isn’t very good at. Sitting still. This certainly isn’t in his remit. When he does carve out some downtime, he’s an illustrator and a musician. Yet as the only Mayda member currently based in the European time-zone, he has plenty on the horizon to keep him on his toes.