MANILA, PHILIPPINES — Franc Kevin Mangahas, Associate Creative Director at Octopus&Whale, was among a group of talented Filipino creatives who had the opportunity to attend this year’s Creative LIAisons, an exclusive global training program held alongside the LIA judging week in Las Vegas. Selected from a pool of emerging talents worldwide, Franc joined 125 creatives in this enriching experience designed to inspire and sharpen the next generation of advertising professionals.
In this write-up, Franc shares his personal insights on the program and reflects on how this incredible journey helped him “level up” his skills and perspectives as a creative.
Leading up to the LIA Creative LIAisons program, I was on an all-time high — literally! It was my first time flying outside of Asia on a 14-hour flight. After catching up on my series and games, and with hours still left before landing, I finally had time to reflect and prepare myself for the conference. As a fan of RPG games, I saw this conference as a rare bonus quest to gain XP — an opportunity to collect ‘loot” that could help me level up as a creative. I even told myself that to maximize the experience, I’d try being an extrovert for the week!
In a room with 125 other young creatives, you could feel the excitement and eagerness to connect and learn. It was a jam-packed week, but here are my top takeaways from the LIA Creative LIAisons that helped me level up as a creative:
Collaborating with experts outside our field brings out the best version of the work
An inspiring insight came from Emma de la Fosse, Chief Creative Officer at Edelman, who shared their work on “Move to -15,” a movement transforming the global shipping industry. They brought in and collaborated with researchers and scientists to find the solution, showcasing the power of involving experts to create more impactful work.
Finding inspiration outside of Pinterest
When I thought the conference would be five days of talks in a room, the trip to the desert to see the Seven Magic Mountain was a pleasant surprise. If art can exist outside traditional gallery settings, we, as advertisers, can also find new ways to communicate and move our audiences. The Seven Magic Mountain was actually part of my side trip, so I was thrilled to experience it instead with my fellow mentees and with Malcolm Poynton, Global CCO of Cheil Worldwide, as our guide for this experience.
Entering your work in the right category is vital for winning
Watching the dynamics inside the jury room was a fascinating experience. It was clearly a safe space for open discussion. Jurors would even defend ideas that stood out to them, and their diverse perspectives brought value to the deliberation process. I saw the importance of having a diverse jury to ensure fair deliberation. I can only imagine how some great ideas could go unnoticed if everyone in the room had the same perspective. It was fun to see my CCO, Joey Tiempo, as part of the jury. I was even texting her on the side, asking why she didn’t raise her hand to vote for some ideas I felt strongly about. That’s when I learned the importance of entering your work in the right category in order to thrive and win. Even in the jury room, outside our usual Google Meet links, I was still learning from Joey!
Helping others shine helps you become a better creative
I found it incredibly fitting to end the conference with a talk on Generosity in Creativity by Susan Credle, Global Chair of FCB and IPG Creative Director. A key takeaway was that sharing and collaborating on ideas with your team becomes a collective effort. This approach allows everyone to have a voice and perspective in the discussion, nurturing their creative confidence while fostering an inclusive environment.
Generosity in creativity is about helping and allowing others to grow and shine as well. It reminded me of what my creative director, Marcél Lácap, often says: “When we help other people shine, the world gets brighter.” This talk reinforced the kind of creative I aspire to be and the positive culture we should have in our very competitive industry.
Despite my chapped lips, horrible jet lag, and what felt like a hole in my back pocket after unknowingly spending PHP800 on coffee (and tip!), I flew home with new friends, a bag of goodies from Trader Joe’s, and wonderful stories and learnings I can’t wait to share with my friends and colleagues back in Octopus&Whale.
Shoutout to Barbara, Laurissa, and the LIA Creative LIAisons Program team for creating this wonderful experience for us!
