Ryan Reynolds. Kendrick Lamar. Paris Hilton. Jamie Lannister. Zach LaVine. Plus a whole bunch of the greatest, most awarded minds in our industry.
And then there’s us (Jacob Newton and Josep Jover). A couple of young imposters creatives from DDB New Zealand who have somehow found ourselves with a golden ticket (perks of winning a gold lion) to the big dance alongside the biggest names in the business – Cannes. So as we soak up the sun, rosé, and inspiration that surrounds us this week, here’s a few things that have made us feel particularly imposturous today…
The work
Okay, so going forward this section will generally be about the work. But before the work is celebrated, we want to celebrate the work of the people who turned a beach into a festival in rapid time. These people won’t be making their way on to any stages this week, because they’ve been busy building them. Throw in the heatwave that has hit the south of France and all of a sudden their graft makes our 30-hour flight seem like a breeze. These are the real MVPs.
The people
We were lucky enough to share a bevvie with some jury members on our first night. In our jetlagged state, we listened as they told us about the volume of work they had to sift through, watching every video, reading every write up. They even had to listen to a few podcast entries – in their entirety… It’s a mammoth task. Hearing their take on what makes winning work is pretty inspiring for a couple of Cannes rookies. They were full of advice, and even settled the bill – but weren’t willing to go as far as letting any hint of the shortlists slip… We’ll have to wait like everyone else.
And something a little unexpected
Does your building have a Rolex? This is the Carlton. It’s just down from our apartment. If its sheer scale wasn’t enough to make us feel tiny on day one, the giant rollie it’s rocking, is. Huge flex.
Time to sleep off our jet lag. Until next time, au revoir.
