Corinna Falusi of Birthday Savors the Balance and Tension in Creative Details

She takes us inside high-profile campaigns for Refugee Nation and Hinge

Corinna is the founder of Birthday, a global creative collective that acts as an extension of in-house brand teams.

A former partner and CCO of Mother and Ogilvy in New York, Corinna has worked with Coca-Cola, Heineken, Stella Artois, Amex, IBM, Target, Instagram and the United Nations.

We spent two minutes with Corinna to learn more about her background, her creative inspirations and recent work she’s admired. 

Corinna, tell us …

Where you grew up, and where you live now.

I grew up near the Bavarian Alps, spending my weekends hiking or skiing. The views were breathtaking. But more than anything, they reminded me that we’re never really the center of the world. I started my career in Hamburg at Jung von Matt, then moved to Amsterdam, where I spent my days biking in circles and learning the Dutch way of life. For the past 15 years, I’ve been in Brooklyn, trading mountains for rooftops but still looking for the same perspective.

How you first realized you were creative.

I was an introverted, shy only child who spent endless hours in my parents’ basement drawing. I’m pretty sure my parents were worried about me down there. But to me, it was bliss—losing track of everything except what I was creating. So it’s probably no surprise that stepping into my first job in advertising felt like a slap in the face. Suddenly, I wasn’t alone in a basement anymore.

A moment from high school or college that changed your life.

I studied design at university, and my favorite moments were in one class with a Russian teacher who had impossibly hairy hands. For an entire year, all we did was move black squares of different sizes around on white paper to perpetually create new compositions. It sounds ridiculous, but I loved it. There was something calming about the simplicity—just shapes and space, nothing else. It taught me to see balance and tension in the smallest details. To this day, I think about those black squares.

Your most important creative inspirations, and some recent stuff you love.

Movies, TV shows, cooking and way too many stupid videos of parrots. Somehow, they all make sense together.

One of your favorite creative projects you’ve ever worked on. 

“Refugee Nation,” created for the United Nations, not just because of its impact, but because it was one of the best creative collaborations I’ve ever been part of. And even though it began years ago, it’s still going strong. For the first time, a refugee team competed in the Olympics. But these athletes had no flag and no anthem to call their own. We created a flag inspired by life vests—a powerful symbol of loss and hope—giving these athletes (and 65 million displaced people worldwide) something to stand behind.

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A recent project you’re proud of. 

The work Birthday did for Hinge. We recently launched a campaign called “Where Hinge Ends, We Begin.” It’s a pan-European celebration of vulnerability in modern dating. A love letter to awkwardness, honesty and all the messy bits in between. We teamed up with Gen Z cultural voices across Europe to find the little, beautifully weird ways people open up and connect. The campaign combines emotional intimacy with cinematic realism across film, social and digital. Best of all, we got to say goodbye to Hinge’s mascot, Hingie, by killing it in gruesome ways.

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Someone else’s work you admired lately. 

“Blurred Unboxing,” a creator content idea, genuinely made me laugh. Ramo, a Colombian snack brand, cleverly pokes fun at one of the country’s biggest unboxing TikTokers in the most charming way.

Your main strength as a creative person.

Unshakable optimism, the kind that makes you ignore every obstacle, and a genuine liking for people. I’ve always had this belief that the best ideas happen when the right people come together. Everyone brings their specialty and their humanity to the table.

Your biggest weakness.

I used to worry way too much about what people thought of me. Now, that energy has been redirected to worrying about what my child thinks of me—which is a full-time job.

A mentor who helped you navigate the industry.

What I had was an entire army of women who pushed me, helped, believed in me and probably rolled their eyes at me more than once. I’m endlessly thankful for every single one of them.

What you’d be doing if you weren’t in advertising.

I’d be a surgeon. There’s something about being curious enough to look inside, understand what’s really going on and help people that’s always fascinated me.