From Momentum to Condé Nast: meet the jury for The Drum Awards for Experience 2020

Just as the experience sector had secured a place at the high table, given how quickly people have adapted to the concept of lock down and a restriction on how our sector is going to be able to function for the forseable future as we approach the new normal, we are being challenged as to the future of events and experiences,. However rather than see this as a barrier, its important to recognise just how important and inbuilt into our DNA, the need for experiences are and in particular, shared experiences. The need is still very much there and therefore the opportunity to connect with people, consumers, audiences and guests not just through what we say or do but how we make them feel, is huge. The Drum continues to be a champion of creativity and innovation within the experience sector and it is these very aspects that will ensure that together we thrive as an industry. This year, I will be particularly looking for entries that demonstrate a rich combination of data led insight, innovation and inspirational creativity to deliver a powerful idea rooted in a truly people first experience. Our sector is undergoing rapid transformation, from live to virtual to hybrid. This is the year of Reimagining experiential.

Raybe launched Destiny’s Child and Def Jam in the UK and has over 15 years’ experience in the UK, USA and Europe. He works across clients including American Express, SAP, Imperial and Microsoft across conferences, exhibitions, experiential and live events. Prior to joining Momentum he led the production team at Secret Cinema, building brand experiences across multiple film franchises. Passionate about growing the next generation of BAME professionals, Raybe is an active mentor in this community.

Gencel has been doing consultancy with brands such as Huawei, Burger King, Secoo, Coca Cola. Besides consultancy he also work with experiential and event agencies as a creative director as he named Guru of Experiences. After he left his role at Ogilvy & Mather Shanghai, Gencel had been working with WPP network remotely and started to more on focus on brand experiences, brand activations and events before he joined Fosun China as in-house creative director to lead Fosun’s retail and fashion businesses.

Tooley is the senior vice president, experiential for Vice Media Group, the world’s largest independent youth media company, overseeing their live events and experiential marketing division. Katherine joined Vice Media Group in 2019 as senior vice-president, Experiential for Refinery29, focusing on the expansion of their award-winning 29Rooms as well as the continued growth of their experiential co-branded content and white label business. As of January 2020, her position has expanded to oversee all of Vice Media Group’s experiential marketing and live events offering. Katherine leads the experiential creative, design and production teams for Vice Media Group’s partnership work, as well as the development of their own branded events and experiences.

As a partner and executive creative director at global brand experience agency 2LK, Sexton’s vision has been key to long-term success, shaping their award-winning work for clients like TikTok, Canon, Intel and HSBC. Driven by a passion for design effectiveness, the business was founded around the mantra ‘Effective Experiential’. In addition to speaking at events, lecturing at universities and writing for various industry publications, Andy also supports the Design Business Association as part of their mentor scheme.

As chief strategy officer at Stadiumred, Kaplan focuses on delivering innovative omnichannel solutions to clients around the world, while looking to find synergies across Stadiumred Group’s portfolio of agencies to ensure strong results for clients. Prior to joining the company, she served as head of experiential marketing at WPP’s Geometry NA (formerly OgilvyAction) where she was a cross functional and an integrated marketing leader for some of the most recognizable brands and companies in the world, including Jim Beam, E&J Gallo Winery, and American Airlines. Kaplan also led the Global Experiential leadership community.

Hailing from Auckland, New Zealand, Hook first plied his trade in Middle Earth, working at boutique shop Generator for five years. Then in 2005, restlessness took hold of him, so he packed his bags and set sail for Singapore. Hook first landed at the venerable Batey Ads. He was promoted to executive creative director of Batey at age 32, and managed the global relaunch of Qatar Airways out of the Singapore office. He then joined DDB in 2010 as creative lead for the Health Promotion Board (HPB). During his tenure, HPB was voted Marketer of the Year, and picked up multiple golds at both the Effies and regional Appies. In mid-2014, Hook took over the reins at Havas Singapore, and was appointed chief creative officer in early 2017. During his tenure, his team’s work was recognised at a wide variety of shows, including Cannes, Spikes, One Show, D&AD, New York Festivals, and the Effies. The agency also picked up metal at the Campaign Agency of the Year Awards in back-to-back years. He was appointed regional executive creative director of VCCP Singapore in April 2019.

Poskitt is the senior producer at Secret Cinema. She joined the company in 2019. Prior to this she held senior roles at the Lyric Hammersmith and Leeds Playhouse. She collaborated with Marshmallow Laser Feast on Oceans of Air At the Sacchi Gallery. As the founder and artistic director of Look Left Look Right. Her directing credits in theatre include work at the Royal Court, Roundhouse, Covent Garden, Coney and the Old Vic New Voices. In addition, her work has toured across the UK and worldwide including Sri Lanka, Australia and Nigeria. As an assistant producer for ITV and the BBC, she won a Royal Television Society Award for a documentary about 9/11 and was nominated for The Hospital Club’s h.Club 100.