Young Creative Comments

The Junior ‘Creative Conversations’ was an eye-opening experience. While hearing advertising heavyweights talk about their work in front of a podium is fairly common, what made this opportunity unique was the intimacy of the group discussions — getting the chance to have an extended chat with them at a round table of individuals at similar stages of their careers is rare and exciting. The judges themselves were always approachable and eager to talk about the industry, their craft, our careers and whatever else we brought up. What was most special for me was getting to meet junior creatives from across the globe — since we don't often get to travel to meet one another, like the judges do. Whether they were from Israel, Brazil, United States, Singapore, etc., it was enlightening to chat with all of them and discover that we all share similar obstacles when trying to deliver awesome work — the grass on the other side is just as demanding (and exciting!) to grow. I hope LIA continues this event in the future as there's really nothing else quite like it.

The LIA Juniors event in Las Vegas was one of the most valuable things I have attended. It was exactly, I think, what every junior creative needs in this cynical, redundancy-ridden climate. The speakers were inspirational and encouraging. It was great to be able to take a look back at how advertising was with ex-ad folk, to discuss how it is with existing creatives, and to predict how it will be with the junior creatives from around the world. There is great value in bringing people together to share their opinions, concerns and their dreams for the future of advertising.

It was good to attend some seminars as a large group and to break the other conversations into smaller groups of ten.  The most interesting Conversations were when the speaker had something specific they wanted to share with us - Neil French shared his story, Faris Yakob talked of a theory about ideas he had developed. It gave the Conversation some structure, and helped inspire questions at the end.

It was also a great idea to have lunches and dinners mixed with juniors and judges. Connecting with your future bosses is beneficial not only for the juniors who want jobs, but the agencies who are looking for new talent.

"Listen Sharon, we decided to send you to Vegas for the LIA ‘Creative Conversations’, what do you say?" said Yoram Levi, my Chief Creative.  That was definitely my winner for the "Best phone call I got this year" category.

What an amazing adventure it was; sitting (or standing) for a beer with Neil French and Bob Garfield, talking about the way advertising changed. Getting inspired, first-hand, by the energies of Faris Yakob and Sonal Dabral. What more could I ask for? Four days packed with the thing you love most: Creative Ideas. And as a bonus, I got to interact with some of the most brilliant young creatives from all over the world. 

Thank you, thank you and thank you. And if you need "volunteers" for next year, count me in.  

‘Creative Conversations’ 2012. I would like to express my sincere respect for LIA, which replaced the exaggerated Awards Ceremony and created a place for meeting new people and realising something new for young creatives. It was a great honour for me to be a part of the memorable first session.  I look forward to a further evolution of the LIA Junior ‘Creative Conversations’.

Lots of mirrors.

LIA couldn’t have picked a better place for their ‘Creative Conversations’. The Neil French (Yes, I said ‘The’) told us we have the least important job in the world and no one would miss us if we were gone. Well. I guess no one would really miss Vegas when it was gone. But it’s there and it’s awesome and fun. And so is advertising! So let’s embrace the uselessness! But beware. If you choose to be useless, you‘ll have to be absolutely perfect at it.

For four days we got to talk with great people in advertising.  Although, we didn’t actually talk about creative work, but more about how they managed to be ‘perfect’ in what they do. How they sometimes were unbeatable and on top of the world and at other times thought they felt unappreciated and maybe a bit of a loser. That all sounded very familiar. It was totally not what I expected. It was much better. ‘It’ also became a word with a whole different meaning. Scott Elias advised us all to find our ‘It’ and use that to our benefit. Still pondering on that one.

It was also great to have these Conversations with other young creative talents from all over the world. How they deal with clients, accounts, CDs, directors, the crises and just being a young creative. And you know what? We’re all very unique, hard working, crazy, pig-headed, funny, bright kids with potential. So we’re also very much alike. And sharing can be very helpful for our future and the future of advertising.

I guess LIA Conversations let me face more mirrors than just the ridiculous amount in my hotel room. I went to Vegas expecting to get a couple of answers, but came back with lots of questions. Good ones. So I’d like to thank LIA for this unique and once in a lifetime experience, and I hope you’ll continue doing this.

Now back to finding my ‘It’. It has to be here somewhere…

LIA Junior ‘Creative Conversations’ 2012 was an immensely rewarding experience on both a personal and professional level. The eclectic and varied group of speakers provided insights into our ever-changing industry from perspectives many of us probably hadn’t considered before.

And we were in Vegas - Sure, I lost money at the tables, but it didn’t matter. I won everything back in knowledge.

The LIA ‘Creative Conversations’ was a great opportunity to learn from the experiences of some of the most recognized professionals in our industry. Even though we talked a lot about communications and advertising, my main take away was more about having the right attitude to find inspiration and that “spark” that lights the beginning of every great idea. And this was possible because of the unique dynamic at LIA.  You don’t just sit down and receive a lecture, you can ask, disagree and discuss with a panel of ‘first class’ professionals willing to share their own points of view. In this intimate space, Conversations went from the future of advertising to our personal experiences. What’s more, the closeness and interaction with creatives from all over the globe allows you to see into the reality of different markets and get some perspective about your own local industry. LIA is a space where you can learn - not just from the panel seated in front of you, but from the guy sitting at your right or left.

It was a great experience in which we all could actually have a Conversation instead of one-way lectures.

Personally, it was a great opportunity to get to know young people from other parts of the world and still be able to talk as if we were colleagues. It was a kind of relief to know that although the differences of our backgrounds, we all shared the same problems of low budgets and lack of time. It wasn't just us!

I truly hope this becomes like a small TED, as Barbara mentioned, giving the youth of this industry the energy and motivation for creativeness! 

It was a real honour for me to be part of the first LIA ‘Creative Conversations’. It’s great that a festival takes its time to give young creatives the opportunity to have real conversations with great minds.  I was really inspired and amazed by the speakers.  They all had different backgrounds and each of them made me rethink and grow in their own way. I think these are the kind of ideas that all festivals should promote. It gave me the chance to meet other young creatives that further enriched my experience.

‘Creative Conversations’ was a once in a lifetime experience for me. I never had a chance until now, to meet young colleagues from around the world, to share our experiences and have a conversation at eye-level.

The Wynn/Encore Hotel provided the perfect conditions and atmosphere for these meetings. Luxurious accomodations, delicious food, magnificent conference space and patios for our lectures and Conversations, and of course a break from all of our daily concerns. The speakers were fascinating and the small group conversations encouraged all of us to engage.

Thank you again for an unforgettable experience, and may we meet again in the future.

The experience in Las Vegas was very exciting and inspiring. We spoke with gurus of our industry and shared opinions with people from Japan, Singapore, the UK, the US, Argentina, etc.  What impressed me most was the fact that, after all, problems and opportunities are all the same, wherever you work in the world. And this is important: it's only you that can decide if your work will be great or not. Besides this, I had the opportunity to meet great people and have fun with them. And if you want to have fun, there's no better place than Las Vegas.

‘Creative Conversations’ was an experience I won't soon forget. Not only were we exposed to some of the most established creative thinkers in a casual and accessible way, we were able to connect with peers from around the world and gain a better perspective of how our own work fits into a global industry. I left Vegas feeling inspired to create great work that connects to people in a meaningful way.

I come from Dubai, in the Middle East and even though it has progressed a lot, the West is on a different planet all together. I didn't get to see a lot of their work, but it was so good to meet all the Creatives, Speakers and the Juries under one roof. Conversing with other young talents from agencies around the globe like DDB, Droga5, AlmapBBDO, Jung von Matt, Y&R Australia, Ogilvy Malaysia, CP+B, BBDO New York, Tribal DDB Germany, Fallon, Arnold, Wired, and Leo Burnett was quite a dream come true.

It was a privilege to be there in one room with all of them. Conversations became a platform where I could share my views with all these talents and vice versa.  I have heard of seminars and workshops, but never heard of Speakers sitting and having a conversation with each one of us for hours at length and certainly not for four days in a row. But, it was all different at  LIA ‘Creative Conversations’.

It felt like I was talking casually with a friend who understands me well. I got to learn a lot from them, not only for me but to pass it on to my fellow colleagues at DDB Dubai.  I would conclude in a way that Conversations was a great gamble in Vegas and it did pay off well. I learned a lot more than I could have imagined. I won big in Vegas, thanks to Conversations. I got to see advertising with a different perspective. I thank DDB and LIA for making this happen for me.

The very first opportunity of the comprehensive educational program held by LIA was a truly interesting event, not only in terms of the occasion to meet both experienced and junior creatives, but also in terms of exceptional opportunity to learn from each other. We were there with respect and reverence towards each other.

For me, whose creative base is in a non-advertising agency background, the week long program gave me the opportunity to question the role of communication. Being an Art Director, I was also thinking about “how design and communication can define enrichment of our life?”

I attended this event from Japan, where we faced the tremendous tragedy of The Great East Japan Earthquake in March 2011. In Japan, I have to say that the nature of the industry itself is changing rapidly. I personally believe that the meaning of design for society has remained essentially the same for some time. On the other hand, we are seeing significant change in the interplay of design and industry.  The role of communication has also shifted so dramatically ever since. Having this feeling with me, meeting and sharing the passion toward creation with creators around the globe was a rather special moment. 

Big thanks to LIA for giving me this opportunity.

Personally, I enjoyed the talk with Neil French and the intellectual and stimulating lecture of Faris Yakob.

Advertising is dead. Or is it? It is. Or is it? This was a recurring theme in many of the talks this year. I left with the conclusion that no, it isn't. The program itself was a fresh change from a typical awards show. We got to meet other young creatives from around the world and talk with world class judges and speakers one-on-one.

There were a lot of great points I took away from the experience (too many to list here), but one of my favourites was that our job isn't just to tell stories anymore, it's to solve problems with creativity.  Sometimes an advertising solution doesn't have to be an ad.

Being a newcomer to this industry is a very exciting and scary thing. I think that’s what I loved most about the LIA Junior ‘Creative Conversations’.  It was a place to acknowledge and appreciate the fact that fear and excitement are two key drivers of success in advertising.

From both a personal and professional perspective, this experience was invaluable.  What a privilege it was to be in the company of industry luminaries, listening to their stories and having their wisdom imparted on us.  I left Las Vegas with a group of new friends, a fresh perspective on advertising and a laundry list of book recommendations. Not to mention very little money left to buy them with. But of all the wonderful things I got out of this experience, I think the most valuable thing I walked away with was reassurance.  Reassurance that we’re not crazy; that everyone’s been there; that we are this job.

I think that’s the one thing we can all agree on about advertising (other than the fact that it’s NOT a dying industry): everyone who starts out working in it feels like they’re not good enough. But, as Ted Royer shared with us, “if not you, who?”  And so here we are. The next generation of advertisers. The next generation of leaders. The next generation of people — should we be so lucky — to be sitting in those same panelist seats of those who came before us.  And, of course, it’s always important to be reminded of the oft forgotten fundamentals of advertising: our job is easy (thanks, Neil), have fun (thanks, drive-thru guy at The Little White Wedding Chapel) and do good work.

Thank you, LIA, for making this such an amazing experience. I can only hope all young creatives have the opportunity to participate in something as inspiring as ‘Creative Conversations’.

What do a matador, a club bouncer and a porn director have in common?

The name Neil French.

After having the opportunity to share a table and countless thoughts with this veteran of advertising, I realized that I'm working in one of the best businesses in the world. He's like a grandfather; full of wisdom and great stories that everyone could interpret in their own way. I left his discussion (one of many I had during the week) thinking of the power we have in our profession and the responsibility we have to do good with this power. Later that day, I found myself sitting in a room full of young creatives. As I sipped some Earl Grey Tea I found myself thinking of the immense power of the ideas that can come from this single room. The power one simple idea can hold combined with another idea can be life altering. An idea like tea and honey. I suppose someone had to think of this genius idea, it definitely altered my life for the better, at least so far. But then I found myself thinking what’s my tea and honey idea? What can I do for the world? Maybe create a new brand of sweetened tea and call it 'Jimmy Jamz Tea Factory'? It's our job as humans to make the world a better place. To some that may be creating a new tasty tea and to others I guess it may mean something else. At LIA ‘Creative Conversations’, I really tried to think what that 'something else' is and while in Jonathan Ker's discussion, I think I found what he referred to as my ‘It’. I thought about what really drove me to pursue my ambitions and where those ambitions actually came from. Being selected for the first ‘Creative Conversations’, adds a motivation on my behalf to help accomplish and reach these goals.

The week of discussions brought a lot of new ideas to the table, ideas that really made me think of something I haven't thought about before and made them so easy to comprehend. I met a lot of fantastic people from all over the globe, other young creatives, veterans, and everyone in between, many of whom I hope to keep in touch with and cross paths with in the near future. I want to really thank everyone involved with making the creative conference possible. I think it was such a brilliant idea! Hopefully one day I can return and give my story, which will most likely pale in comparison to Mr. French's. ‘Creative Conversations’ really gave me that much needed time to reflect on my future, the role of advertising within it and how they both can work together in harmony. It's a great profession - Hey someone has to do it...

Thank you Mr. French for inspiring me not to do advertising. I have enrolled in bull-fighting classes and the stitches are healing nicely, unfortunately they say hands don't grow back. Also, thanks for inspiring me to do advertising. Yes, it is a pretty good gig.

To Bob Garfield, who said we all wouldn't have jobs in ten years, yeah, fair play, I'm surprised you still have a job. And to the great young creatives I met from all over the world, see you in ten years. Let's start a band.

Finally, a very big thanks to the great people at LIA, for getting us all together to inspire great work and excessive gambling.

Monday 9/24. Wheels touch down at McCarran International. Neon lights. Anxiety kicks in. What is LIA’s first ‘Creative Conversations’?

It's the Wynn/Encore. It's room 6023. It's meeting Latin star Ricardo Arjona (Google him, I took a photo for my mother). It's being lucky. Being a witness: London moves to Vegas. It's meeting old dudes. Listening. Learning. Asking. It's more neon lights. Gambling. Being 200 dollars poorer. It's Neil French. It's whisky. Yes, Neil French! More whisky. Being in Sin City. Being 300 dollars richer. Listening to analogic-mode Bob Garfield and his inspiring "Industry is Dead". It's lots of advice. It's more than you can record. It's 15 minute breaks. It's having Sonal Dabral singing as your new alarm clock. It's even more neon lights. Moving. Absorbing. Listening. It's Dörte Spengler-Aherns showing great stuff. It's loving the great stuff. Hating the ones that made it. It's making new friends. It's inspiring. It's exhilarating. It's interesting. It's…It's time to head back.

Thanks LIA. Thanks DDB. Thanks advertising.

During the ‘Creative Conversations’, I could not help but feel small being around these giants, young and old. I learnt a lot from everyone and I can only hope they learnt something from me, too. I felt like I'd grown in that short space of time. A highlight for me was being seated next to Neil French for an hour or two (or three. I can’t remember because time flies when you’re being entertained by his stories).

I think the idea of hosting ‘Creative Conversations’ instead of an award show is ingenious. It's a fantastic example of branded ad content. It was rad to meet ad people from all around the world and to hear what they are doing and thinking. I had a great time connecting with people like myself and learning from the industry greats. I took away some great one-liners to toss around in my brain and even rethink how I approach stuff creatively. The event was so good, in fact, that even without gambling or drinking I had a great time!

Given the changing landscape between brands and consumers, I applaud LIA’s efforts to deepen the conversation and interaction around this year's awards judging. While there's certainly more that can be done to make the Conversations less one-sided, I think LIA is off to the right start.

A conversation with NEIL FRENCH is quite different from simply reading about him (or even reading his book, which is a conversation in itself). The man who has been elevated to god status in the advertising world is, refreshingly, still just a man who simply has lots and lots of stories to tell and who’s had years and countless reams of paper to say it, while smoking endlessly and downing glass after glass of whatever’s good on hand. And ok to leave the glamorous advertising lifestyle and just raise your child is probably the best way to retire. One thing that I will remember he told me in the midst of all the advice about life, advertising, work and parenting (and which, I would suppose, one should firmly keep in mind to avoid slouching off in any of the above): Corey – shoulders back, sit up straight, always finish your drink.

It was such a great experience to participate in the LIA Conversations and I am so glad and grateful to be chosen to take part at this huge event. I liked the combination of the group lectures and the small group conversations, so every speaker gave us time individually.

Personally, I got to know a lot of people from all over the world.  It was so fruitful to exchange experiences with people from different agencies and different countries. We had a lot of fun and hopefully I’ll stay in contact with a lot of them. My conclusion for the LIA Conversations: highly recommended!

 I had the chance to meet with young creatives, just like me, from all around the world. The interesting part was the fact that most of them didn't work in their own countries. We talked and shared our work experiences face-to-face.  These interactions really encouraged me to work abroad. Conversation sessions were also great. Advertising masters who have very long history in advertising spoke about the future of advertising; in other words; our future.

Faris Yakob’s ‘All ideas are remixes’ was really impressive. I think the whole theory sounds good for creatives because sometimes I can be very obsessed with originality and I'm more than sure that I'm not the only one feeling this way.

Conversations was a bit like an entire college degree condensed into three days:  Awe-inspiring lectures that made us re-think everything we thought we ever knew about advertising.  Opinionated seminars that tailed off into stories of matadors and porn producers. And drinking sessions that ended in windowless casinos surrounded by Dolly Parton look-alikes.

It was an incredible experience that everyone should harass their ECDs for the chance to do.

At some point, everybody is asked the age-old question: “if you could have dinner with anybody, who would it be and where?”

Well, that’s sort of what the LIA ‘Creative Conversations’ is like. But instead of being stuck in the Oval Office with men in periwigs, you’re with a few of the forefathers of advertising in a place where you can drink freely and gamble. To me, that’s as good an answer to that question as any.

If you’re at the junior level, rarely do you get open access to people this high up in advertising. Yes, because they usually sit a few floors above you, but the real challenge is finding the right opportunity to just sit down and talk with them one-on-one. I was surprised by how willing the speakers were to open themselves up to us for three full days.

With that much time to spend around industry veterans the tendency would be to think we’d come away with secrets, or tricks-of-the-trade or the holy grail of advertising. But unlike other industries (I’m pretending I’d know), I don’t think that’s quite how advertising works. There are no secrets; every challenge is different and there are probably multiple ways to solve them. That’s not at all to say that each of the speakers didn’t have an incredible perspective on how to solve advertising problems - they did - it’s just that the biggest things I took away were a little less specific.

As one speaker bluntly put it, “‘advertising isn’t important - stop caring so much.” And it’s great advice really. Advertising isn’t like most professions. Doctors can’t tell patients, “we try to come in stupid every single day,” or “we’ll know exactly how to put your arm back on - just give us two weeks and a hacky sack.” It’s a different kind of job - have fun or you won’t be good at it.

Broader lessons like that are the ones we remember best anyway. The common thread, as I saw it, was ‘get out there, meet new people, have interests outside of advertising and never stop trying new things. You won’t be good at this if you don’t.’ And to have that many interesting people in one place, many of whom were from outside the country, made it a pretty good place to start. I took away a lot of things from my experience, but if I had to choose one, it was that everybody I met there who had been successful seemed to be good at life first and advertising second. I think that’s a good thing to be aware of.

It was nothing short of a privilege taking part in the first year of the LIA Creative Conversations program. Of course I'm biased having just spent a week in Vegas with some of the best minds in advertising, but I think holding an educational conference instead of yet another award show is a masterstroke.

I learned so much from so many inspiring people, from what comes next after digital, to the fact that shoes are always optional (thanks Neil French).  

But being inspired by highly regarded creative geniuses wasn't the only benefit. Getting to spend quality time with other young creatives from around the world was the highlight of the program for me. After 4 days of chatting, comparing, debating and getting know these amazing folks, I feel hugely inspired, and only a little bit hungover.

The LIA Creative Conversations was a fantastic experience. It was great to take a step back from the day-to-day routines and really reflect on creativity in Advertising, how it’s changing and what we can do to improve on it. It was a rare and appreciated opportunity to sit down with some respected veterans in the industry and have a candid conversation.

Neil French was the highlight for me, he should come back ever year.   As great as the veterans were it was equally as interesting meeting the young creatives from around the world.

My one suggestion would be to possibly have one of the group sessions be about the young creatives and life at their agencies. It’s always interesting to hear how other agency’s operate especially from a global perspective. Also things such as creative process and culture differences are interesting topics to discuss. 

Hotel was great. Food was great. People were great. Thanks R 

I was invited as part of the "Creative Conversations" program for the London International Awards representing Argentina, and the experience was fantastic.

We were a group of 70 creatives from all over the world who had the chance to talk to people like Ted Royer and Neil French. The proposal was very good. We were groups of ten people at a table talking about how the world of advertising is changing, with different views and interactions of really talented people.

My contribution to improve next years program would be that the participants can observe the judging of the different categories of the festival. It would be an even richer experience.

Thank you very much for the invitation. I had a great time!