John Merrifield, chief creative officer of Google Asia Pacific, has been named the 2015 London International Awards (LIA) jury president for The NEW. The NEW was created by LIA to reward compelling, breakthrough work that refuses to be categorized in any other way.
LIA has re-vamped The NEW for 2015 by adding the following categories: Brand Content, Brand Experience, Brand Technology, IP and/or Licensing, Media Innovation, Self-Promotion and Technology Development. The additional categories were added to stay relevant in this rapidly evolving industry.
“Every year jury presidents of The NEW find it difficult to explain precisely what it entails. This year is no different. I think this is its core strength. By definition, something new this year won’t be new the next. The goalposts move. As well they should, otherwise where’s the new?” said Merrifield. “Broadly speaking, the work that wins in The NEW category should feel orphaned in other categories. It should feel like a step change. We should be looking for work that’s delivered with a freshness that makes its impact ever more potent. Work that attempts to be category defining in and of itself.”
Based in Singapore, Merrifield joined Google in late 2012 as chief creative officer for Asia-Pacific and leads as team that is hubbed in Singapore, Tokyo and Sydney. He has won multiple Gold Lions at Cannes, multiple Gold Pencils at the One Show, the Grand Prix and multiples Golds at the Clios, twice best of show alongside multiple Golds at AdFest, multiple Golds at Spikes Asia, multiple Golds at AWARD and the ADC prize in Tokyo.
The LIA 2015 Entry System is now accepting entries. Judging will take place from October 1-10. The shortlists will be announced as each judging session concludes, with winners being announced November 2.
After 20 Years of Acting, Megan Park Finds Her Groove In The Director’s Chair On “My Old Ass”
Megan Park feels a little bad that her movie is making so many people cry. It's not just a single tear either — more like full body sobs.
She didn't set out to make a tearjerker with "My Old Ass," now streaming on Prime Video. She just wanted to tell a story about a young woman in conversation with her older self. The film is quite funny (the dialogue between 18-year-old and almost 40-year-old Elliott happens because of a mushroom trip that includes a Justin Bieber cover), but it packs an emotional punch, too.
Writing, Park said, is often her way of working through things. When she put pen to paper on "My Old Ass," she was a new mom and staying in her childhood bedroom during the pandemic. One night, she and her whole nuclear family slept under the same roof. She didn't know it then, but it would be the last time, and she started wondering what it would be like to have known that.
In the film, older Elliott ( Aubrey Plaza ) advises younger Elliott ( Maisy Stella ) to not be so eager to leave her provincial town, her younger brothers and her parents and to slow down and appreciate things as they are. She also tells her to stay away from a guy named Chad who she meets the next day and discovers that, unfortunately, he's quite cute.
At 38, Park is just getting started as a filmmaker. Her first, "The Fallout," in which Jenna Ortega plays a teen in the aftermath of a school shooting, had one of those pandemic releases that didn't even feel real. But it did get the attention of Margot Robbie 's production company LuckyChap Entertainment, who reached out to Park to see what other ideas she had brewing.
"They were very instrumental in encouraging me to go with it," Park said. "They're just really even-keeled, good people, which makes... Read More