From liability to liaison: Dentsu Creative Philippines’ Malik Bernardo on how the LIAisons program changed his love for advertising
Malik Bernardo, Associate Creative Director at Dentsu Creative Philippines, was one of the near 130 talented young creatives, selected from around the globe, to attend the LIA Creative LIAisons training program that runs concurrently with the LIA judging week at the Encore Hotel in Las Vegas. Here Bernardo wraps up his learnings from the week.
When people hear that I work as a creative in advertising, the same question pops up every time: “do you love your job?”
I’ve always said that I do. But not in the way that an employee blurts out with a forced smile in front of their boss. More like a relative who swears that the answer to all of life’s problems is to just “pick yourself up by the bootstraps”-problematic, but loved nonetheless.
That sort of relationship might have been the exact thing holding me back as a creative. In just five days, the 2026 Creative LIAisons program changed all that.
It changed how I view creative leaders – from surface level respect to deep reverence. It’s one thing to read about their various successes from online articles. But it’s completely different being in the room with them. As these globally lauded creative minds gushed for hours over creativity and craft, I found myself rediscovering the passion that called me to this profession. I became an instant fan of almost every panelist and jury that I saw.
During every talk, panel, and casual conversation, I kept thinking to myself: “This person really loves this.”
“Your career is special-if you want it to be.”
– Matt Murphy, Global Chief Creative Officer, 72ANDSUNNY
LIAisons changed how I approach my work – from something that pressures me to compromise, to the thing that allows me to chase the high of creating something new.
Through the many panelists and the 127 other LIAisons delegates, I learned that everyone goes through the tension I experience back home: how to push the work, how to get it all made, and how to make an international jury to appreciate what you’ve created.
These people talked about the work with no ego, but shared creative expertise like masters. We all shared the fear and doubt with what was happening in the world, but also the hope and drive to become part of the solution.
I learned that in this age of AI slop, the friction in the creative process is necessary to make work that is deeply human. Almost every panel or fireside chat talked about how our creativity and unique human experiences are what will help us survive the uncertain future.
“The best thing about AI slop is that it’s given us an enemy to unite against. They’ve been sold algorithms and metrics. But people crave humanity in the craft.”
– John Mescall, Global Chief Creative Partner, Dentsu Creative
My appreciation for the industry changed – from competition to community.
I used to be someone who stuck with his own. I thought everyone who wasn’t part of my team or agency was out to get me-and to be fair, they still might be. But what the LIAisons program taught me is that we probably have more in common than what makes us different.
I was told to meet people and network. But spending five days as a LIAison brought me out of my comfort zone, allowing me to meet the most interesting set of creative individuals. I wasn’t just shaking hands and smiling for pictures. Finally, I was seeing the people behind the work. Before I realized, I was making connections that would last way after Vegas.
“We are better with each other.”
– From “Everything you wanted to as a CCO but you were afraid to PT. 2”, LIAisons 2026
The Creative LIAisons program changed my love for what I do. As I fly back to the Philippines, I’m taking home a notebook full of learnings to share, a following list full of my peers, and a strong belief that experiences like this help shape the future of our industry.
The next time someone asks me if I love my job I’ll say, “Let me tell you why I do.”
