Pat Baron’s Adfest Diary – day one

Pat Baron, executive creative director at McCann, Melbourne is on the Film Lotus & Radio Lotus jury at Adfest, in Pattaya, Thailand. He writes exclusively for Campaign Brief.

Adfest 2015 is held at its traditional home, the Pattaya Exhibition and Convention Centre Thailand in the stunning surrounds of the five star Royal Cliff Hotel. This week I’m representing McCann Melbourne on the Film Lotus & Radio Lotus jury. Adfest has long established its reputation of creative excellence in the Asia Pacific region and I’m honored to be amongst the delegates invited and entrusted to continue this tradition. I’m also excited to get started as Adfest can set the trend for the year to come.

I’m warmly greeted at the centre by a friendly and helpful army of organizers pointing me in the right direction, making sure I don’t get lost before meeting my fellow jurors. The Film Lotus & Radio Lotus jury includes Johnny Tan Chief Creative Director, BBH China Shanghai, Til Hohmann Vice President & Executive Creative Director Grey Group Asia Pacific Singapore, Shinichiro Hashizume (pictured above, right), Senior Creative Director Hakuhodo Tokyo, Andrew Petch Executive Creative Director Ace Saatchi & Saatchi Manila, Satit Jantawiwat Chief Creative Officer JWT Bangkok and our jury chairman Bachara Mouzannar Chief Creative Officer Leo Burnett MENA Beirut.

Rei Inamoto, the Adfest Grand Jury President and Chief Creative Officer & Vice President of AKQA New York, reminds the jurors of the iconic American comedian Steve Martin, who when asked how to succeed in show business replied “be undeniably good”. As our first task is to pull together the shortlist from seven hours of footage I’m looking to find and celebrate creative that is so undeniably good it can’t be ignored.

Some of the other jurors today tell me they’re looking to “get really really jealous and really really angry”, others for “ideas that are intrinsic to each country” and some for “justice”.