Luke Chess’ Cannes Diary: Day One
Luke Chess, creative director at Clemenger BBDO, Sydney is Australia’s representative on the Cannes Outdoor Lions jury. Chess, along with most of the Australian and NZ jurors, will of course be reporting exclusively for CB.
I Should Get Outdoors More.
I already feel like a winner. I’m in the airline lounge, having negotiated the usual phalanx of stony-faced officials and heartless bureaucrats to get here.
Take the agency finance department, for one. If you’re a suit heading off to a six-day strategy workshop in Chicago, expenses are okayed no problems. But I’m a creative – admit that you’re eagerly anticipating a week of judging on the Riviera and the result is your claim becomes a case study in forensic accountancy.
Once that hurdle’s cleared, it’s on to management. Because no matter how many times you remind them of your flight details, it’s only when you’re standing at the elevator, passport in hand, that the realisation sinks in. Suddenly, you – the guy who sleeps under his desk on Friday afternoons – are more crucial to operations than clean hands and a scalpel.
Talk your way past them and it’s traffic’s turn. Till now, I thought a ‘hand over’ was a technique variation on the ‘reach around’. Turns out instead that it involves sitting through a two hour meeting where you find out who’s going to do the work you’ve always pretended to do, while you’re away.
And then there’s the 50-odd new Facebook friends I have to accept or decline every day. Each, coincidentally, with a campaign or two entered into Cannes this year.
Well, buenos dias Miguel, bonjour Phillippe, hello there Quentin and kia ora Jim. I’ll see you all, and your work, on the Côte d’Azur.
And, with the finance department now negotiated, I must say I’m quite looking forward to it.
4 Comments
that was funny and entertaining.
that was entertaining and funny
Great read, Chessticular Cannes Sir.
Send CB a new photo. You’re much greyer than that these days.
Good read but!