Maurice Lévy reveals what it was really like to guest edit The Drum
With the Cannes issue of The Drum – or should we say Le Drum – taking over this year’s festival, Publicis Groupe chief executive Maurice Lévy has shared his experiences of being guest editor.
“The Drum entrusted my team in a way that was incredible. We had the right to choose the people we wanted to interview and choose the way in which we wanted to organise the interview, and to have that freedom was fantastic,” said Lévy at The Drum’s Cannes Party.
“It was tough to make the magazine consistent,” he admitted, revealing a new found respect for journalists. “I saw how hard it was to get interviews, to get people to spend time with you and to get the story right,” he added.
Of Lévy’s involvement The Drum's editor-in-chief Gordon Young said: “Maurice has been involved in every single stage of this publication. He helped us choose the contributors, he helped us choose the front cover, he suggested who he wanted to interview and who he wanted us to interview.
“His attention to detail has been fantastic… if he ever does step down he has a strong career waiting as a magazine editor.”
With the bumper issue the talk of La Croisette, Lévy revealed it was important to him as guest editor that the issue went back to the roots of Cannes as a celebration of creativity.
“I don’t wish this big event, which is maybe becoming a little too big, to be about something other than the idea, the creativity, the new things, the innovation and how we are communicating and defending brands,” he said.
And though a success in the end, Lévy joked one thing did make him suffer over the last few months – understanding Young’s Scottish accent.
The Drum's Cannes issue, guest edited by Maurice Lévy, is available to buy now from The Drum Store, featuring interviews with Philippe Starck, David Guetta, Christian Dior's Sidney Toledano and more.
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