Ascential plc has announced the appointment of Simon Cook as managing director of Cannes Lions, promoting him from his current role as VP creative excellence. Serving in leadership of the overall business, Cook will focus on accelerating the expansion of learning and advisory, and digital information services as well as the continued global benchmarking of the world’s best creative and effective marketing.
Philip Thomas, chairman of Cannes Lions and president of Ascential Events, said, “Following the successful reset year in 2018 under Jose Papa, Cannes Lions is now ready for its next chapter of growth. After an exhaustive and rigorous process both internally and externally, Simon proved himself to be absolutely the right person for the job. He has been the driving force behind many of Cannes Lions’ innovations over recent years and already leads a significant portion of the company, including the Awards, Jury, Learning and Advisory arms of the business. He has also been responsible for launching and spearheading many of our global, year-round initiatives and partnerships such as the ANA/Cannes Lions CMO Growth Council. Simon is a familiar face in the industry and he is well respected within the Lions business. His clear vision, breadth of knowledge and experience of the global branded communications industry mean he is brilliantly placed to lead the continued evolution of Cannes Lions.”
Cook has worked in the branded communications industry and Cannes Lions for over a decade. He worked agency-side before joining the business. Cook’s work has been critical to the success of Cannes Lions. He was the architect behind “The Tracks,” the organizing framework that helps the creative community navigate the awards and learning experiences across the Cannes Lions platform. During his tenure with Lions he has also overseen the creation and introduction of more than half of the Lions awards. Cook is deeply passionate about the work and is a tireless advocate for creative marketing excellence that drives business performance–something he has recently been championing across the Cannes Lions suite of experience-based learning and advisory programs.
Cook said, “Creativity, in its broadest sense, is powered by people. As the team and I take this exciting next step, we will be dedicated to helping people and their businesses unlock their creative potential because we believe that creativity is a catalyst for business and personal growth. I am delighted to guide this team as we continue our mission to connect, inform and empower the global, creative marketing community and help them make the case for effective, creative problem-solving, every day.”
First-Time Feature Directors Make Major Splash At AFI Fest, Generate Oscar Buzz
Two first-time feature directors who are generating Oscar buzz this awards season were front and center this past weekend at AFI Fest in Hollywood. Rachel Morrison, who made history as the first woman nominated for a Best Cinematography Oscar---on the strength of Mudbound in 2018--brought her feature directorial debut, The Fire Inside (Amazon MGM Studios), to the festival on Sunday (10/27), and shared insights into the film during a conversation session immediately following the screening. This came a day after William Goldenberg, an Oscar-winning editor for Argo in 2013, had his initial foray into feature directing, Unstoppable (Amazon MGM Studios), showcased at the AFI proceedings. He too spoke after the screening during a panel discussion. The Fire Inside--which made its world premiere at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival--tells the story of Claressa “T-Rex” Shields (portrayed by Ryan Destiny), a Black boxer from Flint, Mich., who trained to become the first woman in U.S. history to win an Olympic Gold Medal in the sport. She achieved this feat--with the help of coach Jason Crutchfield (Brian Tyree Henry)--only to find that her victory at the Summer Games came with relatively little fanfare and no endorsement deals. So much for the hope that the historic accomplishment would be a ticket out of socioeconomic purgatory for Shields and her family. It seemed like yet another setback in a cycle of adversity throughout Shields’ life but she persevered, going on to win her second Gold Medal at the next Olympics and becoming a champion for gender equality and equitable pay for women in sports. Shields has served as a source of inspiration for woman athletes worldwide--as well as to the community of... Read More