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Cannes Lions

Diary

Day 1

 Bonjour Cannes! Ready, set, GROW!  

The Cannes Lions are the epitome of FOMO. With an abundance of people, events, impressions, inspiration, and glamour — combined with the famous Cotê d’Azur heat and Rosé, there is never a dull moment. After a delayed midnight arrival, the first morning simply consisted of quickly getting dressed, and heading out. Crossing the street en route to the Croisette, serendipity struck, and I ran into graphic design icon David Carson. Which was awesome since I was planning on meeting him right before COVID hit. We later met for an in-depth conversation on art, design, advertising, and the power of the designer’s eye. See more below.

After an initial exploration along the Croisette, stopping by to see the lovely folks at the Embassy of Dutch Creativity and dipping my toes into the warm waves of the Mediterranean, I arrived at my favorite Cannes Lions installation: Vogue x Snapchat: Redefining the Body. It was one of the most inclusive, fun, educational and flawlessly executed augmented reality (AR) installations that I’ve recently experienced, beautifully showcasing the future of fashion and the role of AR. Bravo Snap and British Vogue!

“As digital technology evolves, so the nature of how we experience fashion – engage with it, take inspiration from it and even wear it – has changed. Luxury fashion’s physical universe is evolving, with pioneering luxury brands harnessing AR to encourage engagement with the online world, a landscape that is boundary-less, democratic and inclusive.”

— British Vogue
British Vogue Press Communique

“From London to Lagos, these designers are pioneers in subverting and challenging notions of the physical body, across gender, race, size, age and sustainable and digital design. They challenge societal norms, stereotypes and expectations, offering radical interpretations of how both the physical form and online form – and the clothing that is designed for it – is viewed today.”

— British Vogue
British Vogue Press Communique

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GROW with Mia Dahlmer
(Tapojärvi)

The pandemic confirmed what I have always known...I really need people. Growth is in numbers...We grow together, learn together and are stronger together. Together is key. And flexibility is key. Thus I want to continue creating projects that build bridges, bring joy and help us GROW together.

Founder and Design Director of C/BY/C and OPEN Topics

Day 2

 Oui, c’est la Fête de la Musique!  

This day was filled with music, conversation, empowerment, and reunions. The Fête de la Musique, France’s welcome to summer, started the first day of summer with streets filled with music. At the Shutterstock Pavilion, I enjoyed a musical champagne breakfast and learned about their 3D stock photos.

Next stop, Meta Beach, with its abundance of engaging events and much needed supply of iced drinks. At The Art of Conversation session, Hasan Minahj discussed the comic principle of “less is more” and how his global team has enhanced his life and career.

“At the Daily Show, Trevor Noah was an amazing comedian out of South Africa, Ronny Chieng was a comedian out of Australia (via Malaysia and Singapore), they’ve made my world bigger, they’ve made my worldview bigger and they’ve made my comedy better.”

— Hasan Minhaj
Comedian and former Daily Show Correspondent

The excellent Female Equality (FQ) lounge featured Bozoma Saint John passionately urging women (and men) to break out of their box, without waiting for validation. Meanwhile, at the Contagious Villa, with its equally engaging events, I only caught the tail end of the conversation on staying human in the digital age. Luckily, though, I was still on time to enjoy the delectable French pastries. Thank you Contagious. I promise to be punctual next time.

“My biggest career regret? I was trying to fit a mold that didn’t fit, that didn’t belong to me, and it was created by people who had not considered me. I wish I had broken out of that earlier.”

— Bozoma Saint John
Author and Global Chief Marketing Office Netflix

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GROW with Andy Sobel

If nothing else, my self-awareness has sharpened. Not from sitting around thinking during the long periods of isolation, more from observing my visceral reaction to the various developments during the Covid crisis. For example, this is when you learn whether you are a risk-taker, with your own life and that of others; how you think you are consistent but maybe you aren’t, not so much; can you go for long, long periods of time without seeing your adult children or your parents? Before Covid, these aren’t questions that one would normally encounter. But we did.

Next steps? Learning to live without dogma, without doctrinaire thinking, with maybe more flexibility in approach. Take a few more chances, within reason. Be more understanding of others, to a point. Lighten up some, but don’t let your guard down.

Editor of C/BY/C and OPEN Topics

Day 3

 Syncing in progress...  

Another day of synchronizing my calendars, and deciding what can be accomplished and what can be crossed off the list in favor of enjoying lush Mediterranean scenery.

An unexpected gem was the discussion on Fighting Bias Through Interactive AI on the Vayner Yacht. Including a much needed meditation session with Mala Collective’s Ashley, who also gifted me a beautiful selenite necklace to promote peace and calm. (Thanks Ashley!)

“The Shirley Card, which was originally used to calibrate photography, was leaning towards caucasian skin—therefore photography was biased towards lighter skin. That exposé was enlightening for most people, as we all feel that the camera is telling us the truth.”

— Vida Cornelious
Executive Creative Director at New York Times T Brand Studio

The conversation on the portrayal of skin tones in photography and its influence on the images surrounding us, was eye-opening and such an important topic. And, learning about Getty Images, Snap, and Google's initiatives to incorporate artificial intelligence in creating a more inclusive depiction of the world was really encouraging.

“Post the George Floyd murder in 2020 there was so much attention in bringing black people into photography, but what we saw over the following 12-months was that there was still colorism in the choices of those images.”

— Dr. Rebecca Swift
Global Head of Creative Insights Getty Images

“And, determining skin tone is one of the holy grails in defining who is in the image and training AI to understand what is skin color, lighting or image processing.”

— Dr. Rebecca Swift
Global Head of Creative Insights Getty Images

Last, but not least, meeting Paris Hilton at the conclusion of a Media Link event was surprisingly exhilarating. She was easy-going, gracious with her time, and loved my rainbow earrings (Paris, a pair is still on the way). We had a brief chat about her media agency, 11:11 Media (now collaborating with Klarna!), and my day concluded with a delicious Mediterranean fish dinner.

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GROW with Chloe Sobel

I’ve developed a keener sense of what I want to do with my creativity and my interests. What’s next is continuing to pursue these things and keep trying to bloom creatively!

Head Photographer at OPEN Topics

Day 4

 A grand wave of emotions and the final fête.  

The second to last day began overcast, hot, and humid. At Inkwell Beach, Manuel Oliver’s raw account of his son Joaquin’s murder at the Parkland shooting was a perfect fit for the overall mood. Learning about his strategy of “non-violent creative confrontation” to advocate for the abolition of the gun violence epidemic in the United States was something I didn’t realize I needed to hear, but I’m glad I did. Find out what you can do at ChangeTheRef.org.

“Some [politicians] will say, ‘Our hearts are with the families.’ Well, guess what? The families don’t need your freaking hearts. They need their kids. And their kids are not there anymore.”

— Manuel Oliver
Father of Parkland shooting victim Joaquin and Founder of ChangeTheRef.org

Back to Meta Beach for a laugh-out-loud session with Nigerian-American comedian Yvonne Orji about the importance of global exposure for her work, particularly African exposure. Testing Meta x Ray-Ban Stories Smart Glasses’s better-looking version of pathbreaking Google Glass was intriguing. I played around with more Meta AR and VR experiences until the sun came out and I was on my way again.

“For my comedy special Momma, I Made It! we went back to Nigeria and HBO said this is the air date in America. And I said, America is great, but where is the international roll out? Where is the South African roll out? I’m from the global streets. I plan on bringing not just the people from America with me, but the continent, and beyond.”

— Yvonne Orji
Nigerian-American Comedian and Actress

The final FQ session focused on female-led businesses and their diverse and family-friendly approach. So much inspiration from such a welcoming group of ladies, thanks FQ!

“Most women owned companies are more diverse, we have more diverse talent rosters, it’s just something that we think of. It’s something at Honor Society Films that we pride ourselves in.”

— Megan Kelly
Founder of Honor Society Films

“People have walked onto our sets and said, wow, there are so many women here, there’s so much diversity! It’s what we do, because I know what it’s like to fight for diversity and I want to make sure that other people come through and have that control and freedom in their lives as well.”

— Megan Kelly
Founder of Honor Society Films

The last item on the agenda was to let loose and dance the night away (yeah!). I also reconnected with some favorite folks I last saw at the Cannes Lions 2019 at our SheSays + Google + C/BY/C = Rare collaboration on diversity and female empowerment: the fabulous Laura Jordan Bambach (read her OPEN Topics interview on Diversity) and Tea Uglow (read her OPEN Topics interview on Radical Transformation).

Party like it’s 2019

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GROW with Anna Ratman

In the past couple of years I have learned that clearing your mind is not the only way to tap into your resources. The inspiration comes from the most unexpected places and situations. Empathy equals growth. Exercising your creativity in the eye of the storm is what gives you the strength to be kind to others. Which is why I am looking forward to the future and grateful for today.

Let’s GROW Together!

Creative Director at C/BY/C

Day 5

 Goodbye Cannes. Salut Antibes!  

After recovering from the previous night, I relocated to Antibes, Cannes’ artistic little sister, a mere 20-minute train ride away. Later that afternoon, I had the pleasure of meeting David Carson, for an inspiring discussion on the Cannes Lions and the state of the creative industry.

Enjoy David’s provocative ideas on art, design, craft, and communication — and why curiosity is the key to longevity.

“That is why you need a design specialist who really has that eye; if you don’t have that eye, you’re never gonna do amazing work, you’re gonna do solid work, it’s a little bit like decision by committee, you’ll rarely get anything horrible and you’ll rarely get anything great.”

— David Carson
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