Paul Wauters: The true challenge in the Radio & Audio category is that the work has to be better than silence

Photo: Paul Wauters, Co-Founder & Executive Creative Director of Babel

Paul Wauters, Co-Founder & Executive Creative Director of Babel, has been named the Radio & Audio Jury President for London International Awards (LIA) 2016.

Paul comments: “I am delighted to be part of LIA again this year, very honored to be presiding [over] the Radio & Audio Jury, and also quite happy that this Festival takes its radio as seriously as it does the ‘hot’ categories.”

“It’s incredibly difficult to get radio right,” he adds, “so I’m looking forward to honoring the brave men and women who never tire of rewriting the script, spending time on the length of the dramatic pause and the well-balanced Swedish accent. At the same time, I’m hoping to see innovative ideas and new ways to create connections with a scattered and ad-averse audience.”

Under Paul’s guidance, Babel has become the fastest growing independent agency in Paris. Paul has won a large number of national and international awards from Cannes Lions, LIA, D&AD, Dubai Lynx, Sharks and Creative Club of Belgium, while also frequently appearing on their radio juries.

The LIA Radio & Audio competition saw an increase in entries in 2015, over what was received in 2014, a confirmation of the large volume of effort and innovation that agencies put into the medium. The 2016 Radio & Audio Jury will do the first and second rounds of judging on the sun-drenched patio of Wynn/Encore Las Vegas, while the final round of statue discussions will take place in a private and comfortable indoor setting. In 2014, Paul’s first year of judging LIA, the judging took place in a cabana at the SLS Pool which was used exclusively by LIA.

Paul concludes: “The true challenge in the [Radio & Audio] category is that the work has to be better than silence.”

Radio & Audio Jury:

Paul Wauters – Co-Founder / ECD, Babel, Paris (Jury President)
Tom Eymundson – CEO, Pirate Group Inc., Toronto (2015 Jury President)
Oliver Handlos – Creative Lead of Activation, GREY, New York
Larissa Kirschner – VP, Creative Director, Publicis, New York
Mariana O’Kelly – Executive Creative Director, Ogilvy & Mather, Johannesburg
Chuck Rachford – Executive Creative Director, Cossette Chicago, Chicago
Chris Smith – Group Creative Director, The Richards Group, Dallas
Ralph van Dijk – Founder and Creative Director, Eardrum, Sydney

The LIA 2016 Entry System is now accepting entries. The initial Entry Deadline is 10^th June. Judging will take place in Las Vegas from 6^th October to 14^th October. The shortlists will be announced as each judging session concludes, with Winners being announced 8^th.