Festival Day 3

The pulse of the festival on day 3 was completely different. I got there super early to see a talk about how Cinema has the power to drive cultural change with Steve Golin, Jason Solomons, Lawrence Bender, Sir John Hegarty, and Claudia Gonzalez and the line was already ridiculously long. The talk was very exciting though and totally worth the wait. It served to remind me how interested I was in movies and commercials specifically and how I want more than anything to create iconic work that gets remembered and talked about like the people on stage. I was also exposed to the release of a new campaign about equal rights for women that was very moving and exciting. I got some attention on twitter after posting a clip of it which is always fun. Against our professors suggestions, I stayed in the Lumiere Theater all day. The line up was just so good there was nothing I felt I could miss. The next talk was truly inspirational. Entitled Sex, Lies, and Advertising, Madonna Badger told her hear wrenching personal story about her life and the loss of her family and then turned the speech into a motivational speech about her current work and the movement she's apart of, #WomenNotObjects, and showed us some awesome ads he had made. It was truly amazing to hear about this brave woman who had accomplished so much and for a good cause by committing to live her life for a purpose despite her tragic experiences. I was very moved by everything she had to say. I also saw a presentation about VR which has been the topic of many people's conversations this week. It's crazy to think about all the possibilities the future of VR could hold. It really is the new frontier of entertainment. The highlight of my day was probably the talk hosted by Adobe where one of my idols, Stefan Sagmeister, ended up being the speaker. He talked about visual beauty which is a topic I feel very strongly about. He listed four reasons why beauty was the most important thing: 1. Beauty = part of being human, 2. beauty changes our mood, 3. when we lose our mind, we can still recognize beauty, and 4. beauty improves functionality. He gave lots of interesting examples to prove his points and talked about how the recognition was inherent to human nature, even in Alzheimers patients who could repeatedly place pictures in the same order from most to least beautiful without any memory. He showed the crowd two images, one was from an original Mondrian painting and one was a reworking of one, and the whole crowd picked the original as most beautiful without even knowing which was which. This is because good design is about beauty and its recognizable even to the untrained eye. This talk was important to me because I believe very firmly in this philosophy and often in school or in the art world, people question its relevance which frustrates me. That evening, Lacey and I went to the awards show for Promo and Activation, Print and Publishing, Radio, Direct, and Glass which was super exciting and interesting. My favorite campaign was the Burger King Peace Offering. Afterwards, we went up to the girls lounge for food and drinks. The women there are truly amazing and so kind and helpful. I'm hoping to establish some connections and go to them if I ever need advice. After that, our new friend Nick from London helped us get into the opening Gala on the beach which was a ton of fun. Carly Rae Jepson was randomly preforming (her songs are just as dumb live) but it was sort of like a rave and very fun to be a part of.

Festival Day 2

The second day of the festival began to pick up a little more. I started with a particularly interesting talk by the CEO and founder of BrandOpus, Nir Wgrzyn, alongside acclaimed artist Ori Gersht about how perception, not fact, creates reality. They argued that belief, not facts, shape our thoughts and that because images create reality as perceived by the viewer, will, not facts, is the key to creativity. Following this mindset, brand image cannot be seen as merely promoting the product because the image and the content are one. Its for this reason that people believe so whole heartedly in some brands or not others. People don't usually buy Coke instead of Pepsi because they actually care that much about the taste, they buy Coke because of the thoughts and feelings they associate through the brand. Coke's success as a brand has nothing to do with the way it tastes, its all about their carefully curated brand. This applies to almost every different product industry. It's the reason people want to wear something that has a particular logo. A company's brand image is everything, which is exciting for people like me who want to work in branding because it means that our jobs and skills are important and necessary. It was especially nice to hear that an artist was contributing so much to this discussion about brand image. Generally in the fine art world, attempting to talk about advertising or consumerism is like walking through a minefield. People call artists with interests like mine "sellouts." Just a few weeks ago in my class in New York, I got into an argument with my art history professor about the importance of branding. She said branding was a horrible idea and that you should never brand yourself because you're limiting your potential. I more or less told her I thought she was wrong, and ended up with a B in the class conduct category of my grade. But sharing my opinion was important to me, and I found a sort of camaraderie with Ori Gersht.

Next we had the opportunity to have a Q&A session with some young representatives from Publicis alongside their CEO. Each person talked briefly about their position and their path which was helpful as I'm in the midst of figuring out what to do first when I graduate. Prior to the festival, I really did not understand what Health Lions was. But this discussion opened my eyes to it a little bit more. Its just like any other agency, full of creativity and savvy ads, its just health themes and focused on helping people. The Publicis reps said that their jobs were about bringing all sorts of different talents together in meaningful and interesting ways. Afterwards, I went up and introduced myself to several of the speakers. One was a graphic designer and so his insight was particularly beneficial. He gave the few of us hurled around him tips about building a portfolio and presenting your creative abilities well. This was the first of many conversations of the week that would motivate me to work extra hard on my portfolio this year.

We ventured up to the Forum and hear a particularly raunchy and entertaining talk by Cindy Gallop, Sam Gomez, and Mabin Azar called Foresight Meets Foreplay about how consumers' sex lives are just as important in strategic research as anything else about them. I'd never really thought of it that way but it was a very interesting point of view. Cindy urged us millennial to engage in conversations about sex openly in an attempt to establish it as less of a taboo and build it into normal social conversation as it pertains to advertising in particular.

After the festival, I ate dinner in a cute restaurant in Cannes called New York, New York with Lacey and Sam where I got a massive fried chicken salad and a fun drink called a Pink Floyd. Its nice to be able to chat with friends at the end of the day and exchange opinions about what we heard and how it made us feel or changed our opinions. 

Festival Day 1

Today was very different. It was the first day of the festival, and I'm so thankful that we got to begin on a relatively chill day so we could get a lay of the land. Everything here screams design and creativity. The signs and the typography and the colors and the logos...I was in heaven even just looking around. While most of my classmates were probably hunting for talks they wanted to attend or CEOs they wanted to thrust their business cards at, I was mesmerized by the aesthetic of the whole place. After all the fine art I got to see in New York, I was very grateful to finally get to see work that I really understand and respect: successful branding. The Festival itself has its own aesthetic: blue and yellow color scheme with illustrations by the same artist spread up and down every hall and blank wall space of the Palais. The entire design theme, from the drawings to the typography, screams creativity and fun. This is a place where people congregate to share ideas and party in a relaxed, but thought provoking environment. We attended a couple talks about Health Lions and I made a VR painting and rode a VR rollercoaster (thanks Samsung, I will be back). The main thing I got out of the first day was excitement and anticipation for all thats to come. This week is about to be amazing. In the afternoon when I got home, I dumped out my swag back and began ravaging through it looking at everything trying to get information to build an efficient schedule as well as taking notes on book design, typography, and print and paper choices (I'm a GD nerd, I know). I was probably more excited about the contents of the bag than anyone else on the trip. I did a bunch of research and began formulating an ambitious schedule for the rest of the week. I've decided that each day I'll pick a couple major talks I know I definitely want to attend, and leave the rest up to happenstance. The ones I'm committing to all tend to lean towards the more creative side of the business or are given by speakers or brands that I admire and relate to. I plan on getting an early start tomorrow to hear a talk from CEO of BrandOpus, Nir Wegrzyn about hyperreality in the world of advertising, art, and branding and artist Ori Gersht about how carefully curated content is stronger than explicit messaging. I feel like this talk will be especially relevant to me because it is combining art and advertising.

Tonight was pretty low key and everyone stayed in. I picked up take out with a couple of friends and sat and talked about the day and our expectations for the week and compared schedules. This trip is definitely a good way to make friends who not only have similar personalities but also share likeminded interests and ambitions. Pumped to wake up tomorrow and go back to the festival!

Monte Carlo

Yesterday was incredible. Lacey, Sam, Riley, Leila, and I spent our last day before the festival in Monaco, now taking a spot in my top five favorite places in the world. The scenery was breathtaking. I have never seen views like these before. There is nothing more picturesque than the turquoise water lapping against the cliffs draped in palm trees and Mediterranean architecture. We wandered around the city mapless for about an hour before catching a bus to the Price's Palace. From the hike on top of the hill by a cathedral we saw one of the most breathtaking views I've ever seen of a harbor below. It was definitely a good day to bring my Canon because there was literally nothing that wasn't photo worthy. We got gelato in the palace square (I had white chocolate and raspberry) where we took food in the air pictures in front of an even more impressive view. I don't know if there is a more beautiful place in the whole world. The palace tour was short, but very cool. Every room was decorated with different styles from different years and everything was so ornate and ostentatious. The silk covered walls in the blue room were my favorite. Afterwards, we found our way back to the casino area and searched for the restaurant where Lacey had made reservations. She couldn't have found a better spot. The restaurant was on the top of the Horizon Hotel surrounded on all sides by water. The view was worth the price of the champagne and seafood and we ate an amazing dinner feeling like celebrities looking out over the most amazing coastline I've ever seen. While we were sitting up there, I kept thinking that this night would probably go down as one of the best of the trip and I tried to soak up the experience as best I could knowing that all too soon I'll be back home and away from this amazing paradise wishing I could go back. After dinner, we ventured to Monte Carlo which was not exactly as I expected. The main room was beautiful but relatively uncrowded and spacious (maybe partially because it was early by European standards) but nevertheless we vowed to return in a week, dressed more appropriately for the level of luxury that surrounded us, and try our hand (no pun intended) at a couple of the games. This place makes you want to dress your best and forget all about your real life and live in a fantasy world for the night. We caught an expensive taxi back to JLP, and I was very sad to leave. Monaco, I will most definitely be back.

Pluie, pluie, disparais

It has been pretty rainy here the past two days. But since it's not everyday you get to be in France, we decided to try our best to make the most of it!

Yesterday after class, Lacey, Sam and I went into Antibes to explore. Our first stop was the Picasso Museum built into an old fort on a cliff overlooking the Mediterranean. The pieces on the walls were almost as beautiful as the view from the windows, and it felt comforting to be in rooms filled with art, a subject I admittedly know more about than advertising. But hopefully that will change next week! After touring the Museu Picasso d'Antibol, we noticed that the rain had let up and decided to explore. We walked along the narrow, winding, cobblestone streets of Antibes and stopped in an English bookstore, where I bought The Sun Also Rises because I've never read it and it seemed fitting to while in Europe. We had a cappuccino and a crepe at a small cafe, then found a small gluten free restaurant for same called Chez Helen. The owner, Hellen, runs the cafe by herself and lives nearby with her husband and 3 year old daughter. She told us she moved to France to speak French, fell in love with a Frenchman, and never left. We wandered around a little while longer and stopped in a few shops before heading back to Juan-les-Pins. That evening, we went to dinner on our street and watched the first half of the France vs. Albania football game, then moved to a bar to watch the exciting ending with the rest of our big group. The entire town seemed to be gathered in the street outside several restaurants and bars all watching. France scored twice at the very end and it was very exciting. It was very cool to be in France, watching football with die hard French fans, and seeing them win big like that. We stayed out afterwards and talked for a long time with some Australians and a guy from London. Everyone was relieved to find other people there who spoke English!

Today in class we talked about some of the different agencies that would be at the festival and how to approach and network with all these important, creative people. It got me very excited! Of course I'm trilled to get to see the pieces submitted for awards but I'm also so excited to get a change to talk to all these amazing and talented people who run this hugely influential industry. All the ads we've watched in class have really moved me. Some of the ideas are so innovative it blows my mind. I was especially impressed with the Volvo Superbowl "ad" that we watched yesterday. I'd love to be a part of a team that comes up with stuff like this.

This afternoon I went on a long walk by myself down the beach. It was nice to have a little alone time to clear my head and get myself mentally prepared for the next week which is sure to be overwhelming and exhausting in the best ways possible. I met an Italian father and his young son on the beach on my way home. They didn't speak any English, and I don't speak any Italian, but we stood there for 5 minutes trying to communicate nonetheless. The language barrier is very apparent here, but its interesting that sometimes it doesn't seem to really matter. People are still people and it's easier than I thought to convey thoughts with smiles and gestures. Not speaking the language or having any real access to a phone for help has forced me to talk less and listen more. If for no other reason than this, I think everyone should travel at least once to be pushed out of their comfort zone and learn to get creative when communicating. Tonight we are going to try out a Thai restaurant around the corner!

The scenery here still surprises me with its beauty. I'm not sure I've ever been anywhere quite as beautiful! I could definitely go on walks with a view like this everyday. I'm hoping tomorrow the sun will come back out and we can do something fun outside!

Cannes this place get any more beautiful?

Today we got a chance to see where the magic happens. Cannes was incredible. The beauty, the luxury, and my oh my the views. I'm even more excited than I was yesterday for what's to come. Today in class, a man in a promotional video said the festival would "leave you hungry; eager to get to work." The festival hasn't even started yet, but the city of Cannes alone inspired me to come home and get busy. My goal by Saturday is to have my website as polished as possible so that if I get the chance to hand out any business cards next week, I'll be proud of what I've got to show. My website wasn't the only thing I was eager to come home and invest some time thinking about, however. Walking around the city and talking to my classmates about their passions and ambitions motivated me to come home and do some research on my own. I have a lot of varied interests, and I'm still trying to figure out exactly what direction I'd like to try when I graduate next May. I'm thankful this festival offers a look at the vast array of directions one could go in this industry alone. It is my hope that I will not only meet some incredible and influential people this week, but that I'll also gain some valuable insight that might help me to steer towards a more directed path.

Side note: I went into an English bookstore and stumbled across some amazing posters from the film festival from years past. We asked the shopkeeper if he had any from the Creativity Festival and he said no. Might have to whip up a few of my own designs for fun this week...

Bienvenue à la Côte d'Azur

After an incredible and eye-opening Maymester in New York City and an amazing whirlwind of a weekend spent in Paris, I am finally settled into my home for the next three weeks on the French Riviera in Juan-les-Pins. We've spent the last few days exploring and familiarizing ourselves with our quaint little coastal village and I think its safe to say I've completely fallen in love with this place. The lifestyle here is so leisurely and relaxing, a much welcomed change of pace after a month in NYC. I can't even begin to imagine how incredible the Cannes Lions festival is about to be, but thinking about the wealth of knowledge and inspiration I'm about to gain has me well beyond excited.  This trip is going to serve as a very contrasting experience juxtaposed to everything I just learned in New York, and I'm very grateful for the opportunity to compare the two different sides of my major in such a meaningful and hands on way. Coming' for ya, Cannes