Emily Bull’s Cannes Diary #1

June 15 2019, 9:11 am | BY Ricki Green | No Comments

Emily Bull (pictured), co-founder and managing director at Hellofuture.TV is on the Cannes Entertainment Lions jury. Here Bull writes about the first two days of judging.

Day 1

After 31 hours of flying, Pablo and I arrived in sunny Cannes with an afternoon to ourselves. After an hour rambling my tummy (and heart) is now filled with fromage and ready for a week of judging.

The prejudging has been epic for Entertainment, with some entries around the 190min mark! The Entertainment jury is the largest jury – numbering 16 in all, and there’s a divide and conquer strategy that will be happening so we can get through the vast quantity of work.

I’m looking forward to having the usual debates about what classifies entertainment, and when is something just product placement, but having had a catch-up with the judges and our esteemed jury president Scott Donaton of Digitas Global last night we’ll be looking for the Nirvana of branded entertainment. The marrying of true entertainment with a branded idea that deepens both the audiences engagement and their connection to brand. We’ll be looking for killer stories, top-shelf production values and a supporting distribution strategy.

We have an 8am start this morning and I can’t wait to get cracking!

Day 2

It was lucky we had an 8am start yesterday as we had an epic 9 1/2hours of content to get through, but, they were some of the fastest 9 hours I can remember! (Which tells you just how amazing the work we’re judging is.)

Yesterday was all about the long form category, with work averaging around the 90min mark. I feel like the quality of long form submissions this year is outstanding and some bold brands doing some courageous and important story telling. Can’t wait until I’m able to talk about the work!

My colleagues on the entertainment jury are all super human crush material and it is such an honour to be working along side then and hear all the unique perspectives they bringing to the work.

We have:
Our fearless leader Scott Donaton, Global Chief Creative & Digitas, Brent Anderson, Chief Creative Officer TBWA Media Arts Lab USA, Tamara Howe, Chief Content Officer EMEA – Vice, Vivian Yin, CEO Fremantle China, Asawin Phanichwatana, ECD Greynj United Thailand, Daniela Busoli, CEO Formata Producoes e conteudo, Brazil, Jenny Orru, Director of Branded Content, No Filter, France, Thijs Bontje, CD, N=5, Wale Gbadamosi Oyekanmi, Founder and President Dare.Win, Jesus Revuelta, Chief Creative Officer, FCB Spain, Matt Hyde, CD and Co-Founder Glitchers, UK, Rick Brim, CCO Adam and Eve DDB, UK, Jill Willfert, Vice President Global Licensing & Entertainment Lego, Global, Mindy Hamilton Senior Vice President, Global Marketing Partnerships, Marvel Entertainment Global, Ryan McManus CCO VML Y&R South Africa.

(Particular thanks to my new bestie Mindy who cheered on the Matilda’s with me … I’m pretty sure our cheering from an Irish pub in Cannes is the reason they beat Brazil!!!)