Udit Joshi is Copy Supervisor at BBDO India. Joshi was one of the 125 talented young creatives, selected from around the globe, to attend the LIA Creative LIAisons training program that runs concurrently with the LIA judging week at the Encore Hotel in Las Vegas. Here he wraps up his learnings from the week.
There were more creatives than there were casinos in Vegas during the final judging week of ‘London International Awards’.
And like any good gambler, we were ready to go all in. Let the chips fall where they may, and the cards unfold as the days go by.
I don’t have a lot of experience attending advertising awards but it’s a little like if you’ve seen one you’ve seen them all.
Except, I hadn’t been to LIA.
‘Cos this was different. LIA makes room (Literally. They housed us at a fancy hotel) not just for the leaders who’ve made it to the finish line but also for the ones just starting out in their careers.
Nothing and no one around could prepare me for what was in store during the Creative LIAisons program because an opportunity like this is rare.
I flew in expecting to be dazzled and inspired by the illustrious jury and panellists, but it was my 126 creative peers who left a mark during this 5-day workshop. Their hunger to know and learn worked up my appetite to learn and grow with them. It made me realize that great ideas travel across borders.
It left me speechless to see their talent shine during the Create and Make workshop, where we were asked to work on a live brief and given only 6 hours to come up with a new line of toys for an evil capitalist corporation.
I won 175 dollars in gambling at one of the casinos, but I would happily give all that and more just to be in the jury room discussions again. It was here that we learned what it takes for a piece of work to win a Gold, Silver, or Bronze. That kind of access at our level is priceless. But please take my humble 175 dollars anyway and invite me again.
By the last session on the 5th day, when I was homesick and a little tired of all the constant shop talk happening around me, I was jolted from my fever dream by someone I should’ve known but didn’t.
Susan Credle’s (pictured below) incredible talk on ‘The strange math of generosity’ made me fall in love with my job all over again. It was the only moment during the program when I felt the need to walk up to a panellist and have them notice me.
I didn’t. Susan if you’re reading this – Hi!
It was a moment of unbridled joy and excitement to hear her talk about uplifting others and uplifting us in the process of doing so.
I wish every creative gets to experience what we experienced.
I wish more jury rooms make space for young creatives like us.
And like Susan said, I wish more of us do the kind of work that makes people say, ‘Thank you’.
To sum up my experience at LIA, I would like to quote one of my favourite songwriter Taylor Swift – It was rare. I was there. I remember it, all too well.
Each year the Creative LIAisons program is fully funded by LIA. There are no delegate fees and flights and hotel accomodations for all attendees are covered by LIA. As a result, attendance is extremely competitive.
