Coaches: John Mescall, Global ECD / President Global Creative Council, McCANN Worldgroup, New York; Anna Fawcett, Executive Producer, Filmgraphics, Sydney and Icaro Doria, Chief Creative Officer, Hill Holliday, Boston
Who we met
After a harsh year of quarantine, Creative LIAisons was a breath of fresh air. It’s a unique opportunity to gain insight and experience from some of the biggest talents in our industry.
We were lucky enough to meet John Mescall, Global ECD of McCann Worldwide. Icaro Doria, Co-founder of W+K Sao Paulo, former CCO of DDB NY and now CCO of Hill Holliday in Boston. And fabulous Anna Fawcett, Co-founder of the production company, Filmgraphics in Australia.
What we learnt
John Mescall taught us that the secret of a well-crafted campaign depends on 3 conditions: time, money and freedom. If at least 2 of these conditions are not present, the exercise is difficult. Despite the talent. We also talked a lot about management. Put your ego in your work, he said. Finally, one sentence particularly caught our attention: In this job, you lose more often than you win. For one success, you have to count many failures. There's no great career without great frustrations.
Icaro Doria taught us how essential clarity is when you found an agency. You can’t survive without having a clear positioning and sticking to it. He also told us a lot about his background and the mindset in Brazil: In Brazil, creatives are obsessive. If you want the ball, take the ball! We don't give you a golden brief just because you ask for it.
As for Anna, she passed on her passion for craft and production. If we had to pick one sentence: Don't treat the client like your enemy. A good relationship between the director, the agency and the client is essential. The more a client feels listened to, the more he will listen to the proposals of the director and the agency.
What’s next?
Today, whenever the opportunity arises, we continue to talk. Our discussions allow us to sharpen our vision of the advertising world. But also the perception of our own country. France is a beautiful market. But a small market. A market with a sense of beauty and intelligence. But we dare not think always big even when we have the ability to do so. Always think about what creativity can do, said John. Let’s see where this piece of advice can lead us…
Additional Comments
Since we’ve started the Creative LIAisons program, we’ve met all of our coaches: John Mescall, Anna Fawcett and Icaro Doria. And firstly, we want to highlight their involvement! We expected only one meeting with each of them. Actually, we met them every month. They are kind, patient and passionate.
Here is what we think about the LIA mentoring program: We’ve been part of the Young Lions competition a few years ago. And we were quite disappointed by the experience. Competition is good. However, nobody interacted with anyone out of your country, except during the award ceremony. LIA Creative LIAisons is different.
You enjoy quality time with amazing talents from all over the world. Each meeting is a unique opportunity to ask all the questions you have about your job, your career, the industry… questions you can’t share with your actual colleagues or managers. You benefit from the experience of creative leaders from different cultures, which helps you to be prepared for the next steps of your journey in advertising. Creative LIAisons is a terrific experience!
And well, at least, it's a good occasion to practice your English…
Coaches: John Mescall, Global ECD / President Global Creative Council, McCANN Worldgroup, New York; Anna Fawcett, Executive Producer, Filmgraphics, Sydney and Icaro Doria, Chief Creative Officer, Hill Holliday, Boston
After a harsh year of quarantine, Creative LIAisons was a breath of fresh air. It’s a unique opportunity to gain insight and experience from some of the biggest talents in our industry.
We were lucky enough to meet John Mescall, Global ECD of McCann Worldwide. Icaro Doria, Co-founder of W+K Sao Paulo, former CCO of DDB NY and now CCO of Hill Holliday in Boston. And fabulous Anna Fawcett, Co-founder of the production company, Filmgraphics in Australia.
John Mescall taught us that the secret of a well-crafted campaign depends on 3 conditions: time, money and freedom. If at least 2 of these conditions are not present, the exercise is difficult. Despite the talent. We also talked a lot about management. Put your ego in your work, he said. Finally, one sentence particularly caught our attention: In this job, you lose more often than you win. For one success, you have to count many failures. There's no great career without great frustrations.
Today, whenever the opportunity arises, we continue to talk. Our discussions allow us to sharpen our vision of the advertising world. But also the perception of our own country. France is a beautiful market. But a small market. A market with a sense of beauty and intelligence. But we dare not think always big even when we have the ability to do so. Always think about what creativity can do, said John. Let’s see where this piece of advice can lead us…
Here is what we think about the LIA mentoring program: We’ve been part of the Young Lions competition a few years ago. And we were quite disappointed by the experience. Competition is good. However, nobody interacted with anyone out of your country, except during the award ceremony. LIA Creative LIAisons is different.
You enjoy quality time with amazing talents from all over the world. Each meeting is a unique opportunity to ask all the questions you have about your job, your career, the industry… questions you can’t share with your actual colleagues or managers. You benefit from the experience of creative leaders from different cultures, which helps you to be prepared for the next steps of your journey in advertising. Creative LIAisons is a terrific experience!
And well, at least, it's a good occasion to practice your English…
So thank you all at LIA for making it possible.
It’s precious.