The Cannes Lions Entertainment 2017 jury presidents are set: PJ Pereira, co-founder and chief creative officer of Pereira & O’Dell, will head the Entertainment Jury while Olivier Robert-Murphy, global head of new business for Universal Music Group, will preside over Entertainment Lions for Music.
Lions Entertainment is the two-day event, which will run from June 21-22nd, 2017, at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.
“Agencies have to provide a return on the money brands are investing but also the time consumers are spending with the work,” Pereira said in a statement. “That balance is the ultimate challenge the industry faces today, and that’s what the Entertainment Lions Jury will be looking for.”
Pereira, a native of Ipanema, Brazil, has always been a vocal advocate for gender equality and diversity in the ad industry so those themes will also factor in determining the winners. His agency took the lead on Free The Bid, an initiative that guarantees women directors an equal opportunity to bid on commercial jobs in the advertising world.
Pereira’s firm, Amy Poehler’s Smart Girls, and Koya Leadership also teamed up with IGNITE to release a PSA short video that addresses the messages society should be sending young women about their political ambition.
“We’ve had a curious year with brands and consumers trying to find harmony in tumultuous times. Tumultuous times are a great opportunity for visionaries and I’m looking forward to seeing the work that reflects our current climate to stand out in modern storytelling,” he told DIVERGE, referring to the past year’s state of affairs with the refugee crisis, Brexit, the 2016 election, equal rights, equal pay, immigration policy, etc.
The Entertainment Lions focuses on “unskippable creativity” and aim to showcase work that elevates branded content into the cultural mainstream, communicating a brand message or connecting with consumers in a new way.
This year’s content themes are:
* Brands as broadcasters, talent as rights holders and distributors as content creators – showcasing opportunities in this ever-changing landscape and learning from the experts;
* Winning the attention war – revealing how entertainment models might work in an era of infinite choice;
* Funding the way forward – defining new business and creative models powering entertainment, from creation to distribution;
* Raising the bar – enhancing entertainment experiences to win fans and shape cultural conversations.
Shortlisted entries for the Entertainment Lions and the Entertainment Lions for Music will be announced and showcased during the Festival, and the winners revealed at the Awards ceremony on June 21.
