By Angela Thakur
I was lucky enough to be chosen by Y&R to attend the Young Lions Academy this year. What that meant was exposure to top talent in the industry in an intimate group setting so that I could listen, learn and actually speak to them. The deans of the Media Academy, Nick Brien & Jane Melvin, created a customized schedule for us that included chats with Google, Facebook, Nestle, IBM, Good Housekeeping, heads of agencies and so on. Apart from this we got access to key seminars at the Grand Audi (through a back secret door, no less). We even got an impromptu session with Scott Galloway.
I heard an endless barrage of quotable quotes, got brilliant advice, and got to learn about the work behind brilliant campaigns. Suffice to say it was an envy-worthy professional experience. Truth be told, it may take me a while to fully process everything I had the pleasure of hearing during my week at the academy but if I were only to take away one thing from the experience, without a doubt, it would be this: Anyone who benefitted from Cannes is morally obligated to give back to the industry.
While most people think of Cannes as an excuse to party non-stop, at its core, the festival is about learning and about renewing our passion for what we do. We get to see campaigns that change the way people live, we get to meet brilliant people, and we get to do it all with a killer view.
So paying it forward, for one, means passing on the awe and inspiration you felt during the week. And this isn’t that hard to do cause you could simply share the best of what you saw on social media, put together a photojournal, host a cascade in your office or even write an article for the Philippine Daily Inquirer. If you want to take it one step further, you could give a talk at your alma mater or host a workshop.
But more than that, it means being a mentor. Our industry is sorely lacking in the practice of mentorship partly because we expect those within to be as crazy, creative and passionate as we are and partly because we are too cynical to invest time in training people who may eventually leave us. But we do ourselves and our industry a disservice by not nurturing talent and just expecting people to grow through their own resources.
And paying it forward also means doing something greater with your skills. As creative people, we are able to provide new approach to solving problems. We also know how to get people’s attention and get them involved en mass. Our communities, our NGOs and our country need this fresh perspective and our industry skill set. So giving back also means getting involved in something bigger.
In light of my obligation to give back, I’ll be sharing a few infographics on social media about the things I’ve picked up from Cannes 2015 in the upcoming weeks. And for anyone who wants to have a chat about Cannes 2015, here is an open invitation. You can reach me at [email protected] ADVT
Angela is a senior strategic planner at Y&R Philippines. Her key accounts include Inbisco and Sun Cellular. Travel is one of her only vices, she does yoga for anger management and she falls in love with every dog she meets. You can contact her at [email protected] or +639989986149.
