Last month Workhouse Creative made its very first appearance at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. Our Executive Producer Eli Martin volunteered to spend five days attending seminars, events, and yacht parties while surviving on a diet consisting only of rosé and crostinis.
Well… that’s maybe a slight exaggeration… While in-between a packed schedule of events, Eli spent his time meeting with clients and directors, as well as making many new connections with the likes of the hundreds of agencies and companies represented at the festival.
Over the past few years, attending Cannes has become more about the events, parties and networking than the actual awards ceremony. Most of the people Eli met didn’t even have a pass and were focused on the countless other opportunities for professional development, networking, and of course, partying, all while under the warm Riviera sun (which in most cases included lounging on a beach). It seems that the best festival experience can be achieved without a pass, which hints at a new wave of festival-going in the future.
Pictured clockwise from above:
Eli met with our recently signed director Pascal Heiduk from Dussledorf. They were joined by Nathalie Winkler Executive Producer from no-o-agency.
Heard remarks from Andrew Freston, Vice’s Strategic Partnerships Director at the Carat/Vice panel.
Making new friends at the AdAge x TheTradeDesk party with Shayne Thomas Shayne Thomas (Principal, Founder at Le Bon Vivant Media), Anne Halllock (VP Marketing at TheTradeDesk) and Tina Greenberg (Freelance, Ad Sales).
Next is the Yahoo! Battle of the DJs Party. Who knew a sand dance floor would be so tricky to handle? Never thought we’d have to ditch our sensible shoes and go barefoot!
Some shots from the Opening Night Gala. We had the distinct honor of seeing Mary J Blige and Busta Rhymes. Next is Eli and new friends Hayley Ard (Head of Consumer Lifestyle, Stylus), Sandra Rivera (Lead Strategist, LatinWorks), and Rylan Holey (Partner Manager, Hootsuite) starting the Festival off right.
Finally, the spectacular view from a rooftop party.
