Entries are officially open for the 2019 Snapchat Young Lions Competition … have you entered?
The competition covers three of the seven Young Lions categories including media, digital and marketer.
Now in its eleventh year, the Young Lions competition searches for the best young talent in the media, marketing and creative industries to represent Australia at the 2019 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativiy.
All entries will be assessed by a team of over 60 high profile industry judges, with successful entrants taking part in a second round 24-hour brief.
In order to help first-timers with their entries – or those who have entered before but want some insider tips from past winners – we’re running a new series on B&T: If They Cannes, You Cannes (we know, we’re so punny).
From advice about entering to tips for the live pitch and what Cannes is really like, we’ve got the inside scoop to help this year’s entrants put their best creative foot forward.
Today, we’re chatting with Myles Haslam. Check out what he had to say about the whole experience below!
When did you win/what category?
I won the 2018 Media Young Lions Category.
What advice would you give this year’s entrants about entering? Anything you’d wish you’d known when preparing your response? Any tips for the live pitch?
We were super fortunate to be working with Grace Espinoza, the 2017 winner, who gave us a lot of really helpful tips. The biggest one for me is that when you crack your idea you should IMMEDIATELY write down why you love it, because you’ll sit with it, criticise it, tear it, bend it, stretch it – it’s really easy to fall out of love with it. Having your reasons why you love your idea is crucial!
Beyond that? Make sure you are your partner can be open and criticise each other’s ideas without any personal issues. Trust your gut, take a risk in your idea, and most importantly, have fun!
What was your experience at Cannes itself like? What can this year’s winners expect?
It’s incredible – you meet some seriously impressive minds. There are so many great talks. It’s ground zero for both networking and inspiration, and obviously, the parties are wicked.
I would suggest you soak up everything and try to get your fingers in as many pies as possible – I was super regimented in my approach, with each day being broken down into hour-long blocks – whether that be a talk, a wine on a yacht, exploring some of the work, meeting someone, and even a cheeky party or two.
Have you been back to Cannes since Young Lions and how was the experience different or similar?
Not yet – but I’m hoping to win it again this year!
How important is Cannes Young Lions for the industry?
This is an industry that has an awesome talent pool coming through – and giving young guns the opportunity to go out of their day-to-day, and tackle a whole brief, it’s really valuable.
Beyond that, it encourages young people to think outside the box, to challenge & push themselves. It’s really good internal PR, and it ultimately celebrates creativity.
It’s a really unique offering that I don’t know exists in many other industries, and one I would implore every young person in media to take advantage of.
