CANNES, FRANCE — See It Be It is a female latent acceleration program at Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity that aims to achieve equal gender representation of creative directors and leaders across the global industry through inspiring talks and empowering conversations among some of the most promising women in the industry.
This year, Filipina creative Lex Remalante, Global Creative and Art Director at The Barn, was among the participants that made the cut after not making it to the list in 2018 when she first applied. In this adobo Magazine exclusive, Lex shared her experience at See It Be It 2023 and looked back on the moments that will stick with her forever.
It was 2018 when I got shortlisted but didn’t make it as a finalist for the See It Be It (SIBI) program. That time, the thought just cycled in my head: “Maybe I don’t deserve this.”
Five years later, my life as a female creative changed — I found my sense of purpose, did a lot of meaningful work I was extremely proud of, and moved to a creative agency in a different continent. And there’s no denying that big moves can sometimes make you feel small again. During the days I was navigating this unfamiliar landscape of new global briefs and municipality paperwork, I found myself applying for the See It Be It program one more time.
My application served as a self-reflection of who I am. There were no expectations until that minute they sent me an email that out of over 700 applications, I am one of the 16 cohorts this year. My immediate thought after that jolt of happiness was “Why me? Do I even deserve this?”
Imposter syndrome was the communal feeling of all female creatives this year. Most likely even last year, and the years before that. But that was a hot topic in this week-long program. As Madonna Badger mentioned, “The best use of imagination is creativity. The worst use of imagination is anxiety.” And that we should remind ourselves that “feelings are not facts.”
The whole experience was empowering, and emotional at the same time. It was true to its theme of “Know Your Power,” of how women can identify their grit, acknowledge their unseen strength and their vulnerabilities, showcase their greater capabilities and their talents. Knowing that you’re not the power, but a power to shine your light for others to succeed.
So much so that we were illuminated through conversations with the industry’s most respected leaders, like Susan Hoffman of W+K and this year’s Lion of St. Mark lifetime achievement awardee, Shayne Millington, Anna Qvennerstedt, Grace Francis, Bruno Bertelli, Laura Visco, Christine Guifoyle, and Xanthe Wells, among many others.
Speed mentoring was the ultimate favorite in the SIBI program. I was fortunate to exchange conversations with Luciana Cardoso, Zarna Surti, and Alex Bennett Grant. More than the mentoring and the insights I could gather, it was those moments where it was not just me asking them questions, but them asking about me. The session felt like I’ve gained a friend that would be there for me when I need them the most. When I was opening up to Luciana about the fears of being a woman in the industry, she left me with the question that is now embedded in my heart, “What’s the worst thing that could happen?” Followed by, “Is that really the worst thing that could happen?”
Another impactful moment was with Josy Paul telling us about the power of a good fight. He enlightened us that the moment you’ve found your purpose in your work, “the light is so strong that you don’t see a fight.” He reminded us that creativity is sensitivity for the world that’s not listening and that we should be the voices to speak up for the truths worth fighting for.
Lunch with the Glass: Lion Jury was an emotional ride. Headed by Tea Uglow who made us realize that life’s journey would always have bumps and holes on the road. But it is our purpose to fill in those holes for everyone who’s about to go through that path and never have to experience the same hardships again.
That whole week, we learned to express our burdens and our hurdles, and that we shouldn’t let those stop us from taking the leap. We learned to accept who we are and appreciate where we stand now. We learned to understand that it is inevitable to fall down and inexcusable to back down. We learned to stand up, brush off the pain on our knees, and keep on going. We learned. A lot.
Together with my fellow SIBI cohorts, we had the most wonderful sessions and beautiful dinners by the beach. And at that moment when Tea Uglow made us all stand up and let the whole crowd inside Palais see us before she announced the Glass: Lion for Change winners, I realized that this whole program was a celebration – more than the learnings, the tools, the connections, and the conversations – this program is a celebration of women leadership in the creative industry. A celebration for all the hard work and sacrifices that we relentlessly and resiliently powered through for the work we love.
And looking at the crowd applauding, looking back at my fellow SIBI cohort and the SIBI alumni from afar cheering, it finally dawned on me – “The women, the underrepresented, deserve this. We all deserve this.”
