Introducing the New Beach on the Block at Cannes Lions

CANNES, France, June 11, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- UPDATED: – The 66^th Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity is doubling down on its effort to galvanize the advertising industry toward change by partnering with the Cannes Can: Diversity Collective (CC:DC) to launch Inkwell Beach Cannes during the 2019 festival. "CBS This Morning" Co-Host Gayle King will kick-off the week at Inkwell Beach, leading the Cannes' C-Suite Session Courageous Conversations on Monday, June 17, at 10 a.m. Additionally, actress and activist Gabrielle Union – a 2019 America's Got Talent judge – will lend her might to the conversations that aim to drive systematic change as will model, actress, businesswoman, and humanitarian Naomi Campbell.

While festival organizers have steadily increased the number of panels addressing the dearth of industry diversity in recent years, still less than 2 percent of attendees are people of color or under represented communities. Inkwell Beach – aptly named after the infamous beach in Martha's Vineyard, Mass., frequented by African American vacationers starting in the 1890s – will celebrate the contributions and perspectives of under-represented communities to the creative, media, marketing, entertainment, technology, and communication fields.

"Cannes Lions is where the best creative work in the world is judged to the highest standards," said Cannes Can: Diversity Collective Founder Adrianne C. Smith. "Each year the stakes are raised and access to inspiration via the internet and technology mount but the audience at the festival has remained the same. We can and must do better."

Under the creative direction and design of Juan Woodbury SVP, experiential creative director and executive producer at Leo Burnett and experience communications agency DFlash, Inkwell Beach will be the place that highlights how inclusive creative will drive brands to greater heights and tap into the zeitgeist of today's diverse consumers. Panels will focus on building talent channels through non-traditional pathways, feature conversations with a diverse group of C-suite executives and rising stars. Content will include trending topics related to creativity, technology, and innovation.

Cannes Lions' Chairman Philip Thomas said he hopes that the Cannes Can: Diversity Collective will become part of the Festival's fabric. "We're grateful to the organizers of CC:DC for creating a focal point around the issue of diversity and inclusion at the Festival. The industry has moved forward greatly in recent years, and it's through initiatives like this that it will continue to do so."

In addition to hosting the Inkwell Beach Cannes with the support of agencies and brands including ADCOLOR, IPG, BBDO, FCB, Grey Essence Global, Google's Creative Campus, Ogilvy, Landor, Moxie, MRY, Zenith, TV One, Wunderman Thompson, VMLY&R, and WPP, the CC:DC is helping 25 rising stars participate in the Young Lions Academy and CC:DC's Ambassador Program. Inkwell Beach will also feature thought leadership from partners including the 4A's, OBERLAND, P&G, Dentsu, Egami Group, Leo Burnett, UniWorld Group, Turner, YouTube, VIRTUE, La Reyna, and more.  

"I first experienced the magic of Cannes and all the Festival had to offer in 2017," said Smith, the managing partner at Vision Corps Media Group that creates content for current and emerging media outlets. "But I was dismayed that there were not many people who looked like me. My dismay quickly turned to inspiration. I felt like it was my duty to change that. Industry thought leaders seem to be in agreement as they are lining up to be subject-matter experts at Inkwell Beach Cannes. Having Gayle King join our movement to kick things off will certainly amplify our efforts."

WPP CEO Mark Read plans to share the holding company's vision for the future and how to bring about industry change.  "At WPP, we have made building the company's culture one of our strategic priorities, and you can't have a strong, positive culture without diverse and inclusive working environments," said Read.

Featured elements of Inkwell Beach Cannes will also include Morning Meditation in the Mediterranean Sea, Trending Topics, and "Courageous Conversations" with leading CCOs, CMOs and CEOs from agencies, brands, and holding companies.  

"Our vision is bold," said Smith. "We want to transform the advertising industry – the space that controls the images of how we view the human condition – to be a radically inclusive space where the devaluing of human creative capital becomes repulsive to the DNA of the industry. Therefore, the current culture of "isms'' will be eradicated by a full embrace of equality, diversity and inclusion. Together, we will show how diversity of individuals and ideas is an industry win-win." 

Contact:
Adrianne C. Smith
[email protected]
646-217-9995

SOURCE Cannes Can: Diversity Collective