EUROBEST ANNOUNCES JURY PRESIDENTS

2 September 2014 – Eurobest, the European Festival of Creativity, has announced the 10 jury presidents who will meet in Helsinki this December to award the greatest creative communications in Europe. “This year’s jury presidents are a dynamic mix of hugely talented individuals. They will set precedents in creative communications across the region and we’re delighted to have them working with us as we embark on a journey of discovery to find new talent, breakthrough ideas and ground-breaking creativity,” says Philip Thomas, CEO, Lions Festivals. Commenting on what they hope to discover at Eurobest this year, the jury presidents have been announced as follows: Rob Reilly, Global Creative Chairman, McCann Worldgroup, Global “Being from the States, you tend to focus mostly on what is going on in your own backyard. I am excited to see all the nuances of culture and creativity from each country in the region.” Film, Print and Print & Poster Craft Jury President | Integrated Jury President Anna Qvennerstedt, Creative Senior Partner, Chairman of the Board, Forsman & Bodenfors, Sweden ”I hope to have some preconceptions altered, some opinions changed, make some new friends and have some really good laughs.” Digital and Mobile Jury President Ami Dror, Managing Partner, Zaitoun Ventures, Israel “To me Eurobest seems to be about taking an exciting journey of discovery. As president, I can’t wait to discover Europe’s latest innovations, start-ups, rising stars and ground-breaking technologies.” Innovation Jury President Ami Hasan, Chairman, hasan & partners, Finland “I hope a lot of the work will be funny. December is dark and already now two out of three best selling prescription drugs in Finland are antidepressants.” Direct and Promo & Activation Jury President Bruno Stucchi, Owner/Strategic and Design Director, Dinamomilano, Italy “I hope to see excellent work with a strong ethic component too. Design that impacts positively on the life of people, not just ‘nice’ ideas.” Design Jury President Chantal Rickards, Head of Programming & Branded Content, MEC, EMEA “Helsinki’s Eurobest will allow me to help assess the best of European storytelling through content and that can’t have come at a better time. We’ve loved The Killing, The Bridge, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Borgen in recent years and I am expecting this invigorated interest in Nordic scriptwriting to come through loud and clear in this year’s Branded Content category.” Branded Content & Entertainment Jury President Kelly Walsh, Chief Strategy Officer, MSL Group “There has never been a more exciting time to work in Public Relations.  As the lines between advertising, PR and digital marketing become increasingly blurred and audience siloes breakdown, I’m looking forward to discovering how the best agencies and brands from across Europe are evolving their approach to communications.” PR Jury President Laura Gregory, Founder / CEO, Great Guns, UK “A monster year has kept me on my toes and hungry for what’s coming next. Eurobest is the perfect place for me to feed this energy and I can’t wait to discover and focus on European creativity.” Film Craft Jury President Mark Holden, Worldwide Strategy & Planning Director, PHD, Global “Award shows are the soup-kitchens for ad-folk in need of inspiration – where we can feed our minds on the thoughts and ideas of others.” Media Jury President Remi Babinet, Global Chairman and Creative Director, BETC, France I’m looking forward to seeing great ideas and excellent craft in the outdoor and radio categories and having great discussions with the best in the business.” Outdoor and Radio Jury President Eurobest takes place from 1-3 December and will see three exciting days of interactive content themed to invigorate and inspire attendees. The awards, which run alongside the Festival, allow Europe to pitch their creativity against one another, as the stand-out work is decided on and awarded by some of the greatest creative minds in the business. More information on how to enter, or be there as a delegate, can be found online at www.eurobest.com.