Nisha Ganatra of Chelsea Pictures topped the directorial rankings in the global Lions Creativity Report, which benchmarks creative success across the industry. The rankings are compiled using data from Cannes Lion-winning and shortlisted work across the 2020 and 2021 Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity.
Ganatra’s strong showing came on the basis of “#wombstories” which she directed for feminine hygiene brand Bodyform (Libresse outside the U.K.) from AMV BBDO, London.
Ranked second among directors was Markus Ahlm of Colony, recognized for Burger King’s “The Moldy Whopper” out of agency DAVID. Taking third place was the directorial team Similar But Different (Charlotte Fassler, Dani Girdwood) for Diesel’s “Enjoy Before Returning” out of Publicis Italy.
The global rankings within the Lions Creativity Report record the performance of the world’s most creative companies, people, and regions.
The official rankings were revealed at Lions Decoded, a one-day broadcast designed for international Lions Members to learn and be inspired. Tuning in from across the globe, Decoded audiences saw 11 multi-Lion-winning ideas deconstructed and brought to life.
The LIONS Creativity Report is available to all Lions Members and an expanded version is available to subscribers of Lions’ insights and intelligence platform The Work.
Simon Cook, managing director, Lions, commented, “Alongside the definitive rankings, the Lions Creativity Report contains actionable insights that can support the creative community to learn from the global talent behind the world’s highest ranking creative work. The report spotlights the companies and people producing game-changing work and sets the benchmark for the future of creativity.”
The official rankings are announced as follows. Full rankings are found within the report:
Creative Location Rankings:
1. USA
2. United Kingdom
3. Brazil
Creative City Rankings:
1. New York
2. London
3. São Paulo
Creative People of the Festival Rankings:
Director of the Festival:
1. Nisha Ganatra, CHELSEA PICTURES, New York, USA
2. Markus Ahlm, COLONY, Stockholm, Sweden
3. Similar But Different (Charlotte Fassler / Dani Girdwood), SMUGGLER, London, United Kingdom
Creative Director of the Festival:
1. Jean Zamprogno / Fernando Pellizzaro, DAVID, Miami, USA
2. Niels Sienaert / Tim Schoenmaeckers, FCB CHICAGO, Chicago, USA
3. Jim Hilson / Toby Allen, AMV BBDO, London, United Kingdom
Art Director of the Festival:
1. Felipe Antonioli, DAVID, Madrid, Spain
2. Andy Tamayo, DAVID, Miami, USA
3. Dwight Williams / Mateus Cerqueira, FCB CHICAGO, Chicago, USA
Copywriter of the Festival:
1. Luis Giraldo, DAVID, Madrid, Spain
2. Alexander Allen, DAVID, Miami, USA
3. Jared Schermer, DAVID, Miami, USA
Regional Network of the Festival – Asia Pacific:
1. DENTSU
2. OGILVY
3. DDB WORLDWIDE
Regional Network of the Festival – EMEA:
1. PUBLICIS WORLDWIDE
2. BBDO WORLDWIDE
3. OGILVY
Regional Network of the Festival – Latin America:
1. DDB WORLDWIDE
2. AKQA
3. OGILVY
Regional Network of the Festival – North America:
1. FCB
2. OGILVY
3. McCANN WORLDGROUP
Nikki Baker Becomes CEO At Fallon
Fallon has appointed Nikki Baker as its new CEO. Baker, who joined the creative agency in 2018 and has served as co-chief creative officer with Leslie Shaffer since 2021, succeeds Rocky Novak, who has been in the role since 2019.
Baker’s promotion to CEO comes at a time of significant momentum for the agency, including six consecutive years of growth and award-winning work.
Baker’s recent career highlights include creatively leading the Walmart partnership with the Publicis Groupe team and spearheading innovative campaigns such as the award-winning “RomCommerce” 23-episodic series and the internet-breaking Mean Girls campaign, among hundreds of other campaigns together with the brand over the past few years. Together with Shaffer, Baker has also been instrumental in elevating Fallon’s creative output for longstanding clients like Arby’s, Mattress Firm, and Front Door/American Home Shield.
“I’ve always been an admirer of Fallon, even before I joined. The chance to lead the agency is an absolute honor. Fallon is a place like no other with amazing talent and a legacy of building big, innovative, creative ideas,” said Baker. “Rocky has represented the best of Fallon. He’s been a great leader, and I couldn’t be more excited to take the reins and lead the agency through to the next chapter. With creativity at our core, we’re going to be as ambitious as ever, push boundaries, and continue embracing emerging platforms to deliver work that truly resonates in culture.”
Prior to joining Fallon six years ago, Baker held positions as creative director and art director at agencies including DDB and GSD&M, working with major brands such as McDonald’s, Southwest Airlines, and Wrigley. Her work has been recognized by... Read More