What the Young Lions US Team Learned From Its Cannes Competition

CANNES, France—The Young Lions competition ended last week with only one U.S. team making a shortlist, but the group of Young Lions came away with invaluable learnings and advice to the industry about elevating young creatives. The contest sent 10 U.S. winners to Cannes Lions to compete against nearly 20 countries across five categories: digital, film, print, public relations and media. One U.S. team, Chloe Bayhack and Victoria Rocha, was shortlisted in the print category for their work. National CineMedia represented the U.S. team, leading the U.S. competition and providing the squad with mentorship, while Delta Air Lines sponsored the travel for the group to attend the festival. "Our vision for 2025 and beyond is to expand our program with more innovative partners and sponsors, delivering value as a vital hub with career growth opportunities, and directly connecting the next generation of creative leaders to the industry's current leadership," said Amy Tunick, chief marketing officer of NCM, the U.S. representative of Cannes Lions. NCM is focused on driving more engagement between brand and agency executives with creatives at every career stage, Tunick told ADWEEK. She added that the new U.S. Lions Community is pairing rising stars with established leaders "via creativity, mentorship, networking and thought leadership." "There's nothing more important than helping young creatives take their careers to the next level," said Shannon Womack, Delta's head of commercial marketing. "As we think about our industry and all of the problems that we face, this is the future. And these creators will be the ones that help solve the problems that we face today." Advice from the Young Lions Following the competition, ADWEEK caught up with seven of the 10 representatives from the U.S. to get their advice for future competitors, their peers and senior creatives. What they learned Rachel Findlay, art director at TBWA\Chiat\Day"Perseverance. We spent so much time just to get here. [For the competition], we had a 24-hour turnaround. It's just important that we tried our best and persevere throughout the long, long night of coming up with an idea and making a board." Rocha, senior art director at DAVID New York"Trusting each other as a team but also as partners. Throughout the competition, it's really easy to get carried away and get lost in your own opinions and with your partner. It's about rebounding and knowing that you're here for a reason." On selling work Morgan Biles, copywriter at Weber Shandwick"You're not just selling your idea. You're selling yourself, too. You have to make sure that you're building a rapport with the judges. Your idea and your work matters, but you also need to them to want to believe in you." What they'll take back to their day jobs Lena Church, strategist at Weber Shandwick"We can do a lot in a little time. So don't get stressed out when it feels like there's a lot going on, because we literally did an entire thing in 24 hours." Tips for future Young Lions competitors John Chavez, senior designer at Weber Shandwick"Just really swing for the fences. If you think your idea's big, push it even further than you think you're already at. The expectations for this festival are really high. We can all meet that level with the talent that we already have." Chloe Bayhack, senior copywriter at Ogilvy New York"It all really comes down to craft. In order to succeed here, craft is table stakes. Commit early to a concept to spend most of your time fine tuning and executing. Make it as premium and as perfect as possible." How senior creatives should help young creatives grow Bayhack, senior copywriter at Ogilvy New York"Being a creative at a big shop, fostering that kind of talent and assigning mentorship and investing in younger talent on a personal level. It's easy to get lost in a big shop. So I'm hoping to get personalized attention from senior leadership to grow faster." Church"Figure out what your mentees' big skills are and really help them focus on those and improve those. Because once you're able to figure out what you're really good at, you're able to use that and apply it to things like this." Cannes will open new doors Emma LeMay, copywriter at Pereira O'Dell"People say that Cannes is going to change your career. And I recently moved to a new agency with a Young Lion who I met here last year. And so that was a testament that this festival will change your career because it will open new doors for your growth and career development."

Cannes Lions

What the Young Lions US Team Learned From Its Cannes Competition

NCM is the US rep for Cannes Lions, Delta sponsored the American team

Jameson Fleming

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Jameson Fleming