MANILA – Eira Gemanil took time away from her role as art director at BBDO Guerrero last year to join ADFEST 2017 as a Young Lotus competitor.
With less than two months to wait until this year’s Young Lotus teams arrive in Thailand, we thought we’d ask Eira what it’s like to take part in this mentoring program for young creatives. Eira competed alongside Isabela Martinez, Associate Creative Director at BBDO Guerrero.
What was it like to be a Young Lotus competitor last year?
It was my first ever international competition so it was a lot of things for me – it was exciting, interesting, a bit intimidating, but also very insightful and eye-opening. It was great being able to meet other creatives from other countries, sharing stories and experiences and learning from each other. It was also a moment of pride for me, having been able to represent my country together with all the other young creatives in the region.
The 2017 workshop was hosted by Cheil Worldwide. What was the most important (or memorable) thing you learned?
One of the most memorable things I learned from the workshops was about not forgetting your roots / culture, but instead finding a way to incorporate it in your ideas and campaigns.
You only had 24 hours to respond to a brief during the Young Lotus competition. What was the toughest part?
We spent a great deal of time brainstorming, and I guess that was the toughest part for us. Because the brief was a bit broad, we needed a lot of time to figure out which insight we felt strongest with, and how to subsequently turn that into a great idea.
Has Young Lotus opened any doors?
Participating in the Young Lotus competition has really opened my eyes and given me more insight into the whole creative advertising industry.
Do you have a hero or mentor who inspires you?
One of my favorite teachers from college was Dan Matutina, founding partner of Plus63 Design Co. What inspires me about his work is how he always finds a way to connect design and purpose and his belief that design can be and should be used to do good.
Can you tell me about Manila’s creative scene, and how the city inspires you?
Manila definitely has a very creative scene going on and what I love about it right now is how local artistry is taking center stage – from artists to artisans, to brands, and more. There’s a growing pride with supporting local, and I think it’s a big step towards pushing our local creative talents towards the international scene.
