Nick Law, vice chairman/global chief creative officer of R/GA, will serve as the 2017 AICP Next Awards judging chair, and master of ceremonies at the AICP Next Awards presentation on June 6.
This year, reflecting the proliferation of new platforms for brands to tell stories, the AICP Next Awards continue to expand with a new category: Experiential–Live Events/Broadcast. The category honors brand promotion in the moving image produced as a live experience for an active audience, including performances, live commercials, pop-up events and other event-based experiences intended to be experienced in “real-time” by a live audience or distributed for later viewing.
Other categories include: Integrated Campaign, Experiential, Viral/Web Film, Website, Branded Content, Mobile, Cause Marketing, Social, Virtual Reality, and Innovation. Law 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 2017 are:
- Integrated Campaign – Jaime Robinson, co-founder/chief creative officer, Joan
- Branded Content – Jonathan Mildenhall, chief marketing officer, airbnb
- Cause Marketing – Jimmy Smith, chairman/CEO/CCO, Amusement Park Entertainment
- Experiential – Tereasa Surratt, global GCD/executive director of experiential, Ogilvy
- Experiential – Live Events/Broadcast – Kerstin Emhoff, co-founder/president, PRETTYBIRD
- Innovation – Vivian Rosenthal, founder/CEO, SNAPS
- Mobile – Tim Allen, president/chief creative officer, Wolff Olins
- Social – Jill Applebaum, creative strategist/Creative Shop Studio, Facebook
- Viral/Web Film – Susan Credle, global chief creative officer, FCB Worldwide
- Virtual Reality – Chris Milk, co-founder/CEO, WithIn & co-founder, Here Be Dragons
- Website – Winston Binch, chief digital officer, Deutsch North America
“It’s an honor to chair such an accomplished group of people.” said Law. “It will be awesome to spend time with them judging the best, most inventive work and the courageous talent behind it. Here’s to another year of jaw-dropping creativity at the AICP Next Awards.”
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 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 at large will be: Gerry Graf, chief creative officer of Barton F. Graf (and 2014 Next Awards judging chair); Jess Greenwood, VP Content and Partnerships at R/GA; Jeff Kling, chief creative officer at Fallon (and 2016 Next Awards judging chair); Karl Lieberman, executive creative director at Wieden+Kennedy; Tor Myhren, VP, Marketing Communications at Apple; and Rob Reilly, global creative chairman of McCann Worldgroup (and 2015 Next Awards Judging Chair).
“Nick is an expert at synthesizing creativity, strategy and technology,” said Matt Miller, president and CEO of the Association of Independent Commercial Producers (AICP). “His history of involvement in the Next Awards includes stints as a judge and as a Jury President. We are excited about the energy, perspective and talent he is sure to bring to this year’s Next Awards judging process.”
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 one of the tent-pole events of AICP Week, which also includes the AICP Show: The Art & Technique of the American Commercial, premiering June 7 at The Museum of Modern Art in New York, as well as AICP Week Base Camp (June 5-7). 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.
The Call for Entries for the AICP Next Awards and the AICP Show are now open here. The deadline to enter work is March 3.
Oscar and Emmy-Winning Composer Kris Bowers Joins Barking Owl For Advertising, Branded Content
Music, audio post and sonic branding house Barking Owl has taken on exclusive representation of Oscar and Emmy-winning composer Kris Bowers for advertising and branded content.
Bowers’ recent film scores include The Wild Robot and Bob Marley: One Love, alongside acclaimed past works such as The Color Purple (2023), King Richard and Green Book. His contributions to television are equally impressive, with scores for hit series like Bridgerton, When They See Us, Dear White People, and his Daytime Emmy Award-winning score for The Snowy Day.
In addition to his work as a composer, Bowers is a visionary director. He recently took home the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Subject for his directorial work on The Last Repair Shop. The emotionally touching short film spotlights four of the people responsible for repairing the musical instruments used by students in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). The Last Repair Shop reflects the positive influence that musical instruments have on the youngsters who play them, and the adults in the LAUSD free repair service who keep them working and in tune.
Barking Owl CEO Kirkland Alexander Lynch said of Bowers, “His artistry, diversity of style and depth of storytelling bring an unparalleled edge to the work we create for global brands. His presence on our roster reflects our continued commitment to pushing the boundaries of sound and music in advertising.”
Johanna Cranitch, creative director, Barking Owl, added, “Kris first caught my attention when he released his record ‘Heroes + Misfits’ where he fused together his jazz sensibility with a deeply ingrained aptitude for melody, so beautifully.... Read More