Creative LIAisons rising stars sit in on real LIA jury debates as Statue discussions unfold

Creative LIAisons attendees have been given a rare seat inside the LIA jury rooms in Las Vegas, watching Statue discussions unfold in real time on day four of the program. It followed a third day of sessions on sport, creative leadership, entertainment and creator IP, including a panel featuring Australia’s Stephen de Wolf, National Chief Creative Officer at Clemenger BBDO.

Day four: A rare seat inside the jury room

After three days of listening, questioning and even trying their own hand at judging, Creative LIAisons attendees reached one of the program’s most distinctive experiences: sitting inside LIA Statue discussions as the jurors debated the work.

Given rare fly-on-the-wall access, they watched jurors challenge one another, defend instincts, test whether an idea was genuinely fresh and interrogate the details that can move work from Bronze to Silver, Gold or Grand LIA. They saw instinct collide with analysis, cultural context reshape a conversation and jury presidents guide debate without dictating its outcome. Even details as basic as entering the right subcategory, or clearly explaining the cultural context behind an idea, suddenly took on much greater significance.

The experience also revealed that jurors evaluate more than a clever thought in isolation. They consider freshness and surprise, but also the difficulty of getting an idea sold, the ambition behind its execution and whether the case study makes the most important part of the idea unmistakable. For attendees, the lesson was practical: know the category, strip away what muddies the story, understand the audience and trust your instinct enough to defend a point of view.

Day three: Sport, leadership, entertainment and creator IP

Australia’s Stephen de Wolf joined fellow members of LIA’s inaugural Sports jury for a session moderated by Creative LIAisons Host Chris Smith, Principal and Chief Creative Officer at Plot Twist Creativity. The panel also featured Jury President Shannon Washington, Chief Creative Officer, Managing Partner, 11 OUNCES, Brooklyn; Thomas Heyen, Creative Lead at Jung von Matt Group; Damaune Journey, Global Chief Growth Officer at 72andSunny; and Isabel “Issie” Mandry, Senior Creative at MSQ Sport and Entertainment.

Together, they explored how brands can build ideas around what athletes, fans and sporting communities already do naturally rather than simply attach themselves to the game. The jury also challenged rising stars to think harder about where limited budgets can make a difference, including underrepresented spaces such as women’s sport.

Says Mandry: “When you solve a real problem for a fan, they’ll remember you.”

In a session moderated by Liz Taylor, Global Chief Creative Officer at Ogilvy, attendees put their questions to Jeff Benjamin, Global CCO at Tombras; Marjorieth Sanmartin, Chief Creative Officer at Philipp und Keuntje; and Magnus Jakobsson, Nordic Creative Director at NORD. One clear takeaway: anyone can aspire to be a CCO, but being a CCO is not for everyone.

Says Taylor: “The world doesn’t know you’re on round 28.”

Elsewhere, Geoff Edwards, Managing Director, Creative at GALE and Jury President of Entertainment & Content and Cultural Catalyst, led a panel of fellow jurors on how brands can genuinely belong in entertainment rather than simply make ads more entertaining. Chanel Lake, SVP, Influencer Marketing at Weber Shandwick, urged brands to enter creator worlds with the mindset of a fan.

Says Lake: “The best compliment sponsored content can get is, ‘I didn’t even notice it was an ad. I’d watch this on purpose.’ That’s when the brand has truly earned its place.”

Day three also saw Susan Credle, former Chair and Global Chief Creative Officer of FCB, presented with the 2026 LIA Legend Award by LIA President Barbara Levy. Introducing Credle, Levy reflected on a legacy that reaches far beyond campaigns and trophies, including her contribution to the very first Creative LIAisons in 2012, then known as Creative Conversations.

Says Levy: “Susan has mentored, she has led, she has nurtured. Her generosity of spirit, and the goodwill she has left on the pages of advertising history, will be felt for years to come.”

In a fireside chat with Smith, Credle shared lessons from a career spent staying curious, watching culture and surrounding herself with talented people. She spoke about leadership that challenges the work without diminishing the person, the importance of play in finding bravery, and resisting the urge to simply emulate what already exists. Her philosophy came back repeatedly to generosity: creative leadership is not only about making great work, but also creating the conditions for other people to become better too.

Says Credle: “You can be tough on the work, but you can still leave the person whole.”

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