AW: Who had been the largest supporters of making certain that it occurred?
PU: The largest assist Got here from the Black at Cannes workforce/ members who noticed the imaginative and prescient of making alternatives for us. The primary 12 months was 2022 got here to Cannes as a workforce. Pinterest and WPP had been supportive of our initiative by making areas accessible for us at their venues at Cannes to host our members. This was the primary 12 months we test-ran the thought.
We got here again in 2023 with assist from manufacturers like Jordan (Nike), P&G, Unilever, Ebony Journal, New UK, Linkedin, TBWA Chiat LA, amongst others.
AW: What has 12 months one achieved up to now? It appeared to actually minimize via when it comes to consciousness at Cannes Lions—did you discover that?
PU: 12 months one achieved the next:
- Improve Black Juror illustration,
- The primary West African company to win a Cannes Lion due to the various jurors within the room.
- Recognition for Black creativity with the award going to Spike Lee, extra Black attendees to Cannes and connecting with one another from a B2B perspective.
- Giving Africa its first main dialog on the primary stage speaking about progress within the continent.
- Making a second residence for Black creatives to really feel welcomed at Cannes referred to as The Black Home with a range of occasions this 12 months like The Creatives at Sea, the Sneakers Ball, the CMO brunch and over 20 occasions organized by Black at Cannes
Subsequent steps
AW: Assuming there will probably be a 12 months two and past—the place do you hope to take the initiative and deepen its ties throughout the advert sector? The place subsequent for Black at Cannes?
PU: We’re evolving as Cannes has turn out to be the beginning of a world motion to have interaction with one another and discover out what alternatives lie inside. Come Dec. 1, Black at Cannes will probably be evolving with an announcement that we are actually often called “BLACK AT,” and whereas Cannes Lion will nonetheless be our residence and targeted on creativity, we’re increasing our 1,000-strong senior Black executives with the introduction of an app-based platform.
This platform will join international manufacturers to small Black companies and Black companies to attach with one another, creating the primary international Black market for entrepreneurs within the inventive area that’s particularly engineered to the inventive trade. This will probably be a hub for present social platforms to plugin and create an emersed person expertise for creators attending international occasions and discovering a spot they can join with one another.
We wish to improve our partnerships for 2024 as we’re returning to Cannes with new surprises and extra Black creatives with the Launch of the Black At platform to debate the way forward for Black tradition on creativity. Our street to Cannes begins in January 2024 in cities like Davos, London, Johannesburg, Los Angeles, Toronto, Nairobi, Lagos, Chicago, New York and Sao Paulo, with prospects like Dubai and Tokyo coming quickly. We may even proceed our pop-up at numerous occasions throughout the globe. So, we will probably be BLACK AT a metropolis close to you.
