Anita Schillhorn van Veen

Anita is a brand strategy executive with a wealth of experience, having led campaigns and strategies for major brands like Blue Diamond Almonds, Pantene, Hershey’s, Volvo, and Samsung at top agencies like McKinney, TBWA/Chiat/Day, Grey and Digitas. Her work has earned Webby awards, and in 2023 she completed her Executive MBA from UCLA. Now the Executive Director of Strategy at McKinney, she also publishes Framing, a Substack newsletter focused on marketing and culture.

What is your current state of mind?

Open, curious.

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What’s your favorite place to people-watch?

The Venice Boardwalk. Endless entertainment. Skaters, roller skaters, surfers, graffiti artists, pilates girls, beach dogs, and of course the ocean.

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Where’s the last place you traveled, and where are you traveling next?

Indonesia was my last big trip. My fifth time, and my mother's homeland. This year I've committed to traveling local, and exploring the world around Los Angeles. So hopping in the convertible and driving up a mountain somewhere.

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Where on earth has most surprised you?

Vienna, Austria. I expected a stuffy old town and fell in with the most fun weird art crew. Also Hakone, Japan. It's a dream within a dream of hot springs, a gorgeous lake, and a museum to one of my favorite books, The Little Prince.

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Where could you return to again and again?

I have a long list. Japan. France. Italy. Indonesia. Spain. Olympic National Park.

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When and where were you the happiest?

Probably at the top of a ferris wheel or roof deck, looking out at a glittering city.

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What’s your favorite place to take a friend visiting from out of town?

Old Lightning, a little secret bar that collects all kinds of liquors from estate sales.

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Where is your favorite place to work?

My couch, next to my cat.

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What do you consider the lowest depth of misery when you go out for dinner or drinks?

An uninspired cocktail list.

What taste or flavor do you most crave?

Lately, the lemony freshness of a good vesper martini.

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What current trend drives you mad?

The normalization of the far right.

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What is your greatest extravagance?

Going back to school in my 40s — how I love university environments.

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What would you be doing if you weren’t doing your current job?

Arranging flowers.

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Where would you most like to live?

I love where I live so much. But I could see myself happy in the South of France.

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What quality do you like most and least in a travel partner?

Love: Going off on whims. Checking side streets. Standing in wonder. Hate: Over-scheduling. Early morning planners.

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What commonly praised quality do you believe is overhyped or overvalued?

Kindness and empathy in women — yes, I treasure those qualities, but they can also be weaponized to keep women from speaking their minds and standing up for themselves.

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What is your most treasured possession?

A piece of art from my dear friend and artist Corriette Schoenaerts.

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What do you regret spending money on?

Most recently, a dill plant that immediately went to seed.

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What do you most deplore and most love about where you live?

Love that I can walk to the ocean, to a marina, down a secret trail, through canal side streets. Hate that I don't have a perfect coffee shop within half a mile.

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What is your personal motto/tagline?

Choose the scenic route.