Octopus&Whale Philippines’ Franc Kevin D. Mangahas’s wrap-up of LIA’s Creative LIAisons

Franc Kevin D. Mangahas is Associate Creative Director at Octopus&Whale Philippines. Mangahas was one of the 125 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 he wraps up his learnings from the week.

1. What were your expectations coming into the Creative LIAisons program and did it live up to your expectations?
I knew we were going to be listening to creative giants, but I wasn’t ready for the amount of knowledge and effort they all put into each part of the program. They were very generous in sharing their stories, POVs, insights, and tips especially during the Q&A portion.

2. What were your 3 to 5 individual highlights of the Creative LIAisons program? Explain why (This can be a speaker, a session, an experience, an insight passed on to you etc)
• Collaborating with experts outside our field brings out the best version of our work.
An inspiring insight came from Emma de la Fosse, Chief Creative Officer at Edelman, who shared their work on “Move to -15,” a movement transforming the global shipping industry. They brought in and collaborated with researchers and scientists to find the solution, showcasing the power of involving experts to create more impactful work.

• Finding inspiration outside of Pinterest
When I thought the conference would be five days of talks in a room, the trip to the desert to see the Seven Magic Mountain was a pleasant surprise! If art can exist outside traditional gallery settings, we as advertisers can also find new ways to communicate and move our audiences. The Seven Magic Mountain was actually part of my side trip, so I was thrilled to experience it instead with my fellow mentees and with Malcolm Poynton, Global CCO of Cheil Worldwide, as our guide for this experience.

Seven Magic Mountains and 125 young creatives from around the world (above).

• Helping other shine help you become a better creative
I found it incredibly fitting to end the conference with a talk on Generosity in Creativity by Susan Credle, Global Chair of FCB and IPG Creative Director. A key takeaway was that when you share and collaborate on ideas with your team, it becomes a collective effort. This approach allows everyone to have a voice and perspective in the discussion, nurturing their creative confidence while fostering an inclusive environment. Generosity in creativity is about helping and allowing others to grow and shine as well. It reminded me of what my creative director, Marcél Lácap, often says: “When we help other people shine, the world gets brighter.” This talk reinforced the kind of creative I aspire to be and the positive culture we should have in our very competitive industry.

3. What was it like sitting in the back of the LIA Statue jury discussions? What did you learn?
Watching the dynamics inside the jury room was a fascinating experience. Jurors would even defend ideas that stood out to them, and their diverse perspectives brought value to the deliberation process. I saw the importance of having a diverse jury to ensure fair deliberation. I can only imagine how some great ideas could go unnoticed if everyone in the room had the same perspective. It was fun to see my CCO, Joey Tiempo, as part of the jury. I was even texting her on the side, asking why she didn’t raise her hand to vote for some ideas I felt strongly about. She replied and that’s when I learned the importance of entering your work in the right category in order to thrive and win.

I couldn’t turn off my (JP) phone’s shutter sound, and I really wanted to capture the moment inside the jury room, so I drew them instead. However, I was able to take a pic during their break. Haha!

4. What’s your advice to anyone attending next year?
As an introvert, I unnecessarily stressed myself about the amount of small talk I would have to make. However, everyone was just so warm and welcoming. You could literally just walk up to anyone and start a conversation. We all wanted to have a great time and maximize this once in a lifetime opportunity. I met so many new and interesting people from different parts of the world. So, make the most of the experience and connect with as many people as you can.

Also, the coffee is good and cheap at Krispy Kreme. Blistex was the best for my chapped lips. Takis are now my favorite chips. The Sphere is definitely a must-watch show. And if you can drop by, Tacos El Gordo and Siegel’s Bagelmania are Vegas must-tries for me!

Team Philippines at the taco place I’m still daydreaming about. Mangahas pictured front and center.

(Shoutout to Barbara, Laurissa, and the whole team of the LIA Creative LIAisons Program for creating this wonderful experience for us!)