This year’s international creativity festival, Cannes Lions, which will take place from June 16 to 20, will include Slovenian representative Janez Rakušček, Executive Creative Director of the Luna \TBWA agency, as a jury member.
Throughout his career, Janez has served on numerous Slovenian and international juries and has lectured at advertising festivals across Europe and Asia (SOF, Golden Drum, Kyiv International Festival, ADStars International Festival Busan, South Korea, Ad Black Sea Batumi, Kaktus Belgrade, etc.), and now adds the Cannes Lions to his list.
Commenting on the invitation, he said:
“Being invited to serve on the Cannes Lions jury is an honor I accept with great pleasure, but also with even greater responsibility. This is the most influential and prestigious event in the creative industry – a dazzling and glamorous spectacle that constantly tries to convince us that the advertising world is doing just fine.
This illusion is enhanced by the celebrities who take the stage at the Festival Palace, briefly offering us a glimpse into their exclusive, closed-off world; I remember one occasion when I almost touched Dennis Hopper as he rushed to the stage.
This year’s lineup includes Serena Williams, Sir Martin Sorrell, Sir John Hegarty, Mark Ritson, Marc Pritchard, Tor Myhren, and several other names that any self-respecting creative should be able to recognize even in the middle of the night. Everyone in the room – whether sitting or standing – will be trying to catch at least a glimmer of the stardust these famous and successful figures spread around them.
Being part of the jury that decides on the Cannes winners is, of course, both an honor and recognition for Slovenia. We must admit that Slovenia doesn’t often appear on the Cannes map of participants and winners. But one must understand that even submitting a legitimate entry to the Cannes Lions festival is a complex process.
I’ve been to enough meetings of creative directors within the \TBWA network to know how demanding it is to win a Cannes Lion. It’s not just about the idea and its execution, but above all, about its presentation, which requires substantial resources – both human and financial.
It’s a project that demands a lot of time and money: larger agencies have special teams solely focused on festival entries, who study the festival rules in detail (a deeper dive into the Cannes categories and subcategories reveals a series of interesting and surprising opportunities), analyze statistical data about which categories are ‘easiest’ to win in, and produce countless versions of the case film edit, which are then reviewed with the global team of creative directors to determine which version might resonate best with the jury.
Of course, all that effort and investment do not guarantee an award, but they are almost a prerequisite.
I’m looking forward to the judging process. I know there will be a lot of work and long hours, but I also know it will be inspiring, fulfilling, and incredibly valuable.”
