McKinney takes the Cannes Lions stage with Serial

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Chief Creative Officer Jonathan Cude talks binge-worthy journalism with Serial host Sarah Koenig and the team of award-winning journalists behind the world's most popular podcast

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McKinney

May 26, 2015, 12:27 ET

DURHAM, N.C., May 26, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- This June, at the 2015 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, Chief Creative Officer Jonathan Cude will join Serial host and creator Sarah Koenig, executive producer and co-creator Julie Snyder and producer Dana Chivvis to talk about their serialized, real-time investigative reporting that captivated millions of listeners worldwide and reimagined podcasting.

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On Friday 26 June 2015 at 11.00 CEST, the creators of Serial will meet on a global stage to discuss, "Binge-Worthy Journalism: A Conversation with the Producers of Serial," in the Grand Auditorium Theatre, Palais des Festivals, Cannes, France.

Koenig, Snyder and Chivvis will reveal what made Serial an addiction for an average of 7 million listeners per episode during Season One in the Fall of 2014. Attendees will get a behind-the-scenes look at how creative storytelling combined with rigorous reporting reinvented a medium and turned the record-breaking podcast into a global cultural phenomenon.

Cude returns to Cannes for the first time since he and Cheil's then Head of Innovation Daniele Fiandaca presented "Every Company is a Media Company" in 2013. As CCO of McKinney, Cude's work has most recently won two Lions at Cannes for Big Boss Brewing's beer-dispensing arcade game, The Last Barfighter and Sherwin-Williams' Chip It!.

Since its launch in October 2014, Serial has been downloaded more than 86 million times — the largest audience of any podcast since the medium started 10 years ago. In April, Serial became the first podcast ever to win a Peabody Award, and Koenig was named to Time Magazine's 2014 list of the "100 Most Influential People in the World." The New York Times said, "When you listen to Ms. Koenig slowly heating up a cold case, doing interviews that are built on conversations, not sound bites, and taking up to an hour to unfurl a single episode, you are getting aesthetic storytelling that feels like the best of public radio."

Before launching Serial, Koenig spent more than 10 years as a producer of the beloved public radio show This American Life. She's produced and reported some of This American Life's most popular shows, including "Dr. Gilmer and Mr. Hyde" and "Habeas Schmabeas," a Peabody Award-winning show about Guantanamo Bay.

Snyder has been a guiding force behind two of the most successful ventures in audio broadcasting. Before creating Serial with Koenig, she was the senior producer of This American Life, which she ran side-by-side with Ira Glass. Snyder began at This American Life in 1997 and has produced many of the show's most entertaining and ambitious episodes, including "24 Hours at the Golden Apple," "Notes on Camp," and the Peabody-winning shows "Harper High School."

Chivvis reports, edits and produces Serial alongside Koenig and Snyder. Before she joined the Serial team, Dana was a fellow at This American Life. She also covered education as a reporter and digital producer for NBC News and AOL News and was a photo editor at National Geographic.

About McKinney
Founded in 1969, McKinney's mission is to help our clients by creating big ideas that grab people emotionally and change the way they think, feel and behave. McKinney is recognized for having one of the most innovative business models in the industry, focusing on delivering influence through creativity. The agency has been honored by the industry's most prestigious award shows, including the Cannes Lions, the Effies, the One Show and the One Show Interactive, and the IAB MIXX Awards (including two Best in Show). Named an Agency to Watch and one of the Best Places to Work in Marketing & Media by Advertising Age, McKinney is also one of One Magazine's agencies setting the standard for creativity. The agency's clients include Samsung, Nationwide, Nationwide Financial, ESPN, Travelocity, Sherwin-Williams, CarMax, Crocs, Sennheiser, Mentos, Big Boss Brewing, Dognition and Urban Ministries of Durham. McKinney is part of Cheil Worldwide, one of the world's leading marketing communications networks with 44 offices in 37 countries. One agency with two doors, McKinney has offices in Durham, North Carolina, and in New York. To learn more, visit mckinney.com and follow @mckinney.

About Serial
Serial is a podcast from the creators of This American Life, and is hosted by Sarah Koenig. Serial tells one story — a true story — in episodes that unfold week by week over the course of a season. Each season, Serial's host and producers will follow a new plot and characters wherever the story takes them. And they won't know what happens at the end of the story until they get there, not long before listeners get there with them. Each week they'll bring listeners the next chapter in the story, so it's important to listen to episodes from each season in order, starting with Episode 1. Listeners can subscribe to the Serial podcast for free on iTunes and other audio platforms, or stream the show at serialpodcast.org. For help understanding how podcasts work and how to listen to one, watch this tutorial. Season One of Serial has wrapped, but all of the episodes are still available for free. Stay tuned for Season Two later in 2015. Serial, like This American Life, is a production of WBEZ Chicago, which also produces these podcasts. **Please Note: Serial and This American Life are not NPR shows**

About Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity
The International Festival of Creativity, also known as Cannes Lions, is the world's leading celebration of creativity in communications. Founded in 1954, the Festival takes place every June in Cannes, France.

As the most prestigious international annual advertising and communications awards, close to 37,500 entries from all over the world are showcased and judged at the Festival. Winning companies receive the highly coveted Lion trophy, a global benchmark of creative excellence, for Film, Print, Outdoor, Interactive, Radio, Design, Product Design, Promo & Activation, Film Craft, Mobile, Branded Entertainment and Integrated advertising, as well as the best Media, Direct, PR, Titanium, Creative Effectiveness, Creative Data and Innovation ideas. The Festival is also the only truly global meeting place for advertisers, advertising and communication professionals. More than 12,000 delegates from 95 countries attend a weeklong program of exhibitions, screenings and talks by worldwide thought leaders. As the networking and learning opportunity of the year, Cannes Lions is the must-attend event for anyone involved in brand communications.

Lions Festivals
Lions Festivals is the organizer of Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, Lions Health, Lions Innovation and Eurobest, as well as co-organizers, with its joint venture partners, of Dubai Lynx International Festival of Creativity, Spikes Asia Festival of Creativity, and the Asian Marketing Effectiveness & Strategy Awards. www.lionsfestivals.com

Lions Festivals is powered by Top Right Group.

Media Contacts

Janet Northen
McKinney
919.313.4062
[email protected]
@jnorthen

Rachel Hammerman
Serial
314.322.5478
[email protected]
@rhammerman

SOURCE McKinney