David Angelo, Outdoor Lions juror
Sunday, June 22, 2008 - So, as I look back on the past week, I want to leave you with this one Cannes moment.
It happened Tuesday night at the Carlton. I was knocking back some
beers with a few friends from 180 Amsterdam, when I was approached by
this guy who said he knew me and that I probably wouldn’t remember what
he was about to tell me. He told me that we had met 12 years ago while
he was a bartender working at the Riviera Café in NYC.
According to him, I was there with a bunch of ad folks and he asked
what we did for a living. I told him I was a creative director at this
hot shop down the street and how cool the job was. He told me he had
always wanted to be a copywriter and would do anything to see how it
all worked. He said I was kind enough to invite him to the agency a few
days later. There I showed him our agency reel and introduced him to
some of my colleagues. He then asked if I remembered any of this. At
that point, even after three Heinekens, it was slowly starting to come
back to me. He went on tell me that he had never forgotten what I did
for him and how it impacted his decision to truly get into the
business.
As he was telling me all of this, I slowly started to remember. He
continued to tell me that he was a creative director now and that his
work was being considered for the Grand Prix award and that he wanted
to thank me personally for what I did for him 12 years ago. I was in
shock. I told him that I just gave him the push and that he did all the
work. I hugged him. Told him I was proud of him and said it was his
turn to pay it forward. A few days later, his work won the Grand Prix.
Congratulations, my friend. You did it!
Sunday, June 15, 2008 (part two) - Didn't
mean to leave you hanging there. Alright, so where were we? Oh,
yeah—the medal round. It all started when the handheld tickers
malfunctioned (don't you love when technology sucks?!), causing a huge
delay in the voting process. But rather than wait for the machines to
be fixed, we opted to talk about the work, piece by piece.
Here
you could really tell how a fellow judge felt about the work without
hiding behind the machine. For instance, I learned that Finland is just
about as anal about art direction as we are, and the Argentines like
dry humor over belly laughs. And that the Aussies are always the first
to say "I've seen that done for another product in Melbourne." All
great stuff to know, especially when you're searching for this year's
Grand Prix winner.
So, we started by laying out the nine golds
right in front of us. First, there was the outdoor work for Penguin, a
very simple yet incredibly thought-provoking campaign. We all agreed it
was great. Next up, the Jeep execution—a beautifully art directed
amalgamation of animals and sheet metal. Genius! Then, there was the
Adidas work from China, a campaign that literally picks you up off the
ground. All great ideas, screaming "Pick me, pick me!" But the more we
talked, the more we kept asking ourselves: What idea signals change for
the category? Do we have a game breaker here? And of course, only one
idea truly answered the call: the HBO "Voyeur" execution.
We knew
when we saw it the first time, and we knew it in the end. We hugged.
Gave each other high fives. Not only because we picked the right work,
but because we were done judging and had the rest of the week to
celebrate!
Sunday, June 15, 2008 (part one) - Today
is the beginning of crazy. Up to now, the streets of Cannes have been
relatively quiet. Off to the Palais for my last day of judging—and
compared to most shows where you're locked away for weeks in a
two-by-two cell, this one has been quite pleasant. I mean, things could
have been really torturous! I could have been picked to judge Radio.
The judges are very much aligned on what is worthy of a Lion.
I
have learned a lot about what works in this show particularly (formats,
presenting video versus two-dimensional layouts, etc.) and have found
what I've always known: that no matter what your presentation tactic
is, a great idea stands above everything. Speaking of that, it’s time
to announce the Grand Prix winner. How we got to that decision was
pretty amazing. Stay tuned.
Saturday, June 14, 2008 - It’s a beautiful
morning in Cannes. Great day to be locked away for 12 or so hours.
Judging is an honor, but never glamorous! Up to now, half of us have
only seen half the work. Today is shortlist day. This is where we
decide what makes it to the medal round and what stays merit. Paper
verses medal. Futures are being decided. Will an art director become an
ACD by winning gold or a writer move out of his cubicle with a silver?!
The world hangs in balance. The work is really looking up. Amazing
stuff from all over. Some of the best work I've seen in years! At this
point, I realize how cool it is to be part of this show—so this is what
they meant by the “Cannes experience”?! The moment goes away, and I’m
back to judging. The work continues to get better. Just saw a brilliant
poster campaign from Braun—nostril stitches, how fricken cool is that?
The Adidas work from China is pretty badass as well—boy, look at those
reprints! As the day continues, there’s more and more eye candy. And
despite the sudden splurge of goodness, we’re all very conscious of one
thing: What we pick is what gets displayed in the parlor, so we better
make damn sure it’s worthy of viewing!
Friday, June 13, 2008 - A bit dazed and
jetlagged, I wandered over to the Palais for the first day of judging.
This was my first authentic international show, so I really didn't know
what to expect. My fellow judges: a diverse collection of all-star
talent from around the globe—most of whom I've only read about or seen
attached to great work in annuals throughout the years—were pretty cool
in person. Despite our cultural differences, we all seem to agree on
one thing: Bill Berbach was a genius. The judging got off to a painful
start—a lot of familiar ads for Super Glue, batteries, and anti-aging
cream! Fortunately, it's Outdoor and Poster, a medium that's quick to
read and easy to get. Since English is my first language, I'm able to
breeze through the muck much quicker than the judges from Bangkok. One
thing's for sure: Good is good and bad is bad in any language.
Thursday, June 12, 2008 - After an 11-hour flight and a
five-hour layover in Munich, I arrived in Cannes tired, but ready to
judge some of the world's finest work. This is my first trip to the big
show, let alone judge, so please excuse me if I sound like an overly
excited Cannes virgin. Hopefully, judging won't be as difficult as
getting here.
—David Angelo is chairman and chief creative officer of David&Goliath and an Outdoor juror.
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