Post by Nadia Leytes

I was born in a country where being gay is illegal. Where supporting LGBTQ+ rights is treated as supporting a terrorist organization. I’ve seen firsthand what silence, fear, and erasure look like when they become everyday reality. So when I had the chance to co-create #RainbowWool 🌈🐏 a project dedicated to saving gay sheep and turning their wool into a global symbol of LGBTQ+ hope and visibility, it didn’t feel like a job. It felt inevitable. And now, I’m genuinely humbled to have received the Golden Effie Awards Europe, on behalf of our entire team. Because this work was never about an award. It was about effectiveness. And about impact. The so-called magic recipe isn’t magic at all. It is people: #MichaelStücke a sheep farm owner with extraordinary courage, kindness, and integrity. The person who opened his farm, his world, and himself. I’m honored to call him a friend. Schakir Islamow the genius mind behind the original spark. Also the person who can fix a wool-processing machine from the last century if the idea demands it. Daniel Azar a visual wizard, a true sheep whisperer, and someone who now very realistically has a second career waiting for him on the farm. Andy Wyeth the one and only, literally coming from the country of sheep. His leadership, kindness, and deep passion made this project possible and the result outstanding. It's an honor to be working with you every day! And then there is the team that went far, far beyond what their “official” roles describe: Sebastian Simon, Ann-Kathrin Schirpke, Louisa Heuter, Isabella Capodieci Marius C. Merkel Rosario Brancato Bastian Falldorf Lilli Schmitz Lena-Marie Stolz brilliant individuals who stepped outside the normal, regulated boundaries of agency job descriptions to make this idea real. When they came together, titles stopped mattering. Ownership, care, and courage took over. Special thanks to Till Diestel and Alex Schill, who believed in this idea from day one. And finally: The entire #ServiceplanCologne #HouseofCommunicationKöln. It is a privilege and great fun to come to work here every day. Our culture made 🌈🐏 possible Esther Busch, Liselotte Schwenkert, Daniel Hoffmann, Jens Wilhelm Krahe, Sabrina Duchow Anna Lee Sønnichsen Sabine Gwinner (she/her) Alexandra Grimm Alexander Nagel Kat Wyeth Jack Gregory Donald Add to all of this 2.5 years of persistence, doubt, iteration, and belief - and the trust of Serviceplan Group Supreme Music peoplegrapher GmbH IDEALALPHA to stand behind an idea that didn’t fit any traditional box but absolutely mattered. This award belongs to everyone who chose courage over convenience. Thank you to the jury and Charley Stoney and Vera Sidlova your kind words and seeing you with our patches truly means a lot! To more work like this. To table 17 & Magnum case that also won gold Bruno Yanagui Gomiero & Lucía Jordan Armengou Congratulations! And to more real impact for queer rights with LSVD⁺ – Verband Queere Vielfalt