Matt Miller, president and CEO of the Association of Independent Commercial Producers (AICP), announced that Jeff Kling, chief creative officer of Fallon Worldwide, will serve as the 2016 AICP Next Awards judging chair, and emcee at the AICP Next Awards presentation on June 7. This marks the 10th Anniversary of the Next Awards. The Call for Entries for the AICP Next Awards and the AICP Show are now open here. The deadline to enter work is March 4.
“I’ve watched Next grow year after year, and am pleased to chair the Judging Panel during this important anniversary year, which promises to be the biggest Next Awards yet,” said Kling. “The Next Awards honor the most forward-thinking work in our industry. I’m excited to lead a jury that will reward the kind of ingenuity that shapes what is possible.”
This year, reflecting the proliferation of new platforms for brands to tell stories, three new categories are being added to the AICP Next Awards. They are: Virtual Reality, Experiential Architecture, and Innovation. The AICP Next Awards honor advertising across 11 categories; other categories include: Integrated Campaign, Viral/Web Film, Website, Branded Content, Experiential, Mobile, Social, and Cause Marketing. Kling has selected the Jury presidents for each category, who will in turn select the judges for that discipline. Serving as AICP Next Awards jury Presidents for 2016 are:
Integrated Campaign – Susan Credle, Global Chief Creative Officer, FCB Worldwide
Branded Content – James Frey, Author & Founder, Full Fathom Five
Cause Marketing – Kirk Souder, Co-Founder, enso
Experiential Architecture – Anthony Sperduti, Co-Founder, Partners & Spade
Experiential – Franklin Tipton, Co-Founder, Odysseus Arms
Innovation – Nick Law, Global Chief Creative Officer, R/GA
Mobile – Erica Hoholick, President, TBWA|Media Arts Lab
Social – Jaime Robinson
Viral/Web Film – Colleen DeCourcy, Global Co-Executive Creative Director, Wieden+Kennedy
Virtual Reality – Chris Milk, Director, Vrse.works
Website – Winston Binch, Chief Digital Officer, Deutsch North America
In addition to selecting the judges for their respective categories, the Jury presidents serve on a Curatorial Committee that selects the Most Next Award (the top prize for the Next Awards) from among all of the categories, as well as review the findings of each jury to ensure proper eligibility and appropriateness to category. Joining the Jury presidents as curators will be: Enrico Balleri, VP of Global Brand Communication at Nike; Gerry Graf, founder and chief creative officer of Barton F. Graf (and 2014 Next Awards judging chair); Benjamin Palmer, chairman at The Barbarian Group; and Rob Reilly, global creative chairman at McCann Worldgroup (and 2015 Next Awards judging chair).
“Jeff’s career has been an enviable accumulation of some of the industry’s most compelling and innovative work,” added Miller. “His history of involvement in the Next Awards includes stints as a judge and as a jury president. We are excited to have him lend his energy in this capacity.”
At the AICP Next Awards presentation, winners of the Integrated Campaign category present cases studies exploring the creative and strategic thinking behind each winning piece. The AICP Next Awards will be held at the Tishman Auditorium at The New School. It is the kickoff event for AICP Week, which also includes the AICP Show: The Art & Technique of the American Commercial, premiering June 9, 2016 at The Museum of Modern Art in New York, as well as AICP Week Base Camp (June 7-9). Base Camp, which is open throughout AICP Week at The Helen Mills Theater at 137 W. 26th Street, will feature thought provoking seminars, exhibitions, and serve as a gathering spot for AICP Week attendees.
The work of the AICP Next Awards winners, along with that of the honorees of the AICP Show, The Art & Technique of the American Commercial, becomes a part of the archives of The Department of Film at The Museum of Modern Art in New York City.
