Back to work after a week at Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity with the Crispin & Stagwell teams. So many amazing moments, but here are the five things I will remember forever.
1. The vulnerability and humanity shared on stage at Sport Beach: These athletes spend their careers chasing excellence in sport, but behind the medals and accolades are real humans. Humans that are figuring out who they are beyond the athlete, and as brands and agencies we must embrace the whole person. I was humbled to share the stage with so many of them.
2. "Don’t take yourself too seriously," Jason and Travis Kelce said while recording their podcast. Make the creative process fun for everyone involved and create a space that nurtures all ideas. That’s the unlock to authenticity.
3. Best work happens in partnership. When you’ve built mutual trust in each other, the walls come down. We are at our best when agencies are listening and solving instead of simply serving, Daryl Lee of McCann Worldgroup reminded us all in a conversation with ADWEEK, Mischief @ No Fixed Address and FCB Global.
4. The execution of great ideas take a village. From Grand Prix winning work to experiences like Sport Beach, it's never just one person. Just as the best work takes the best partners, it also takes the best behind the scenes teams to bring it to life. Shoutout to all the comms teams, publicists, event staff and assistants who made this week magic for their teams. I'm looking at you, Maggie Garrison and Tonya Trejo. My two Queens.
5. Creativity truly comes from everywhere. The mix of perspectives at the festival is growing each year and it’s beautiful to see more voices beyond the C-Suite in the conversation. Let’s keep this going.
PS, it was amazing to close out my week in Cannes by hosting Sport Beach with Ben Lyons. These are what little girl dreams are made of and what an honor it was to represent the Crispin team! I was so nervous when Beth Lester Sidhu first texted me about the opportunity but I could not say no. Thank you always to Beth and the Stagwell crew for giving me these opportunities. It's not always easy being a female CEO but you have always believed in me. ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️