Cannes Lions has named Chloe Gottlieb, EVP, U.S. chief creative officer of R/GA, as the ambassador of this year’s See It Be It program, taking over from last year’s lead, Madonna Badger, CCO, Badger & Winters. Badger will continue to be involved with the project in the role of chair, in a three-year appointment.
Now in its fifth year, See It Be It is a career development and acceleration program for women in the creative communications industry who face diversity challenges and want to lead the way for change. Louise Benson, executive See It Be It lead for Cannes Lions, said, “Over the course of See It Be It history, we’ve had incredible responses from women applying to participate along with senior leaders offering their time and experience. Chloe is a shining example of the type of leader we strive to emulate, a truly talented creative leader who values mentoring and sharing her experience to foster others to become leaders.”
As ambassador, Gottlieb’s role will be to lead the group of highly talented women through a curated program of executive training, exclusive seminars, a dedicated mentorship and to provide insights and guidance throughout the process. Gottlieb commented, “It’s such a privilege to be named this year’s See It Be It ambassador. I have had the opportunity to attend See It Be It events with Madonna and have been blown away by how powerful the program is. It’s an amazing opportunity for these hugely talented women to recognize and realize their own potential as creative leaders in the industry and develop a network of people who can support them to move forward while inspiring others.”
The See It Be It chair is a new position to help steer the course of the initiative and guide its evolution. For a three-year tenure, Badger will act as spokesperson and advocate for the program. Through her involvement as 2017 ambassador and her advocacy for objectification criteria in the Cannes Lions judging process, Badger can provide expert guidance and advocacy to ultimately get to a point where gender parity is reached and the program is no longer required.
Badger said, “Being a part of See It Be It last year was such a wonderful experience. I had the privilege to meet incredible women who I truly believe can, and will, go forward and drive real change in the industry. It feels like a groundswell of change is occurring globally across a range of diversity issues and as the chair of See It Be It, I’m committed to being an advocate for progressing that change.”
Louise Benson, Cannes Lions executive lead for See It Be It, shared, “In recruiting a chair we wanted someone with a passion to change the ratio, the ability to lead and a prominent voice within the industry. We’re confident that in appointing Madonna we have found someone with all of these qualities and having been involved with See It Be It previously she also has first-hand understanding of the initiative.”
Building on the success of a series of global See It Be It events run throughout 2017, Badger will join Gottlieb and guests on February 28 at the R/GA offices. The free-to-attend events are an introduction to the See It Be It community and provide some key insights into leadership and confidence.
Potential candidates interested in being part of See It Be It 2018 should visit here to find out more about the program and how to apply. Applications open on February 12 with the final deadline for submitting on March 16.
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