Media.Monks launches competition for young creatives with Cannes Lions and Netflix
Media.Monks has launched Young.Monks – an initiative for the next generation of creative talent, in which they will answer one of three briefs during a weeklong competition developed alongside advisors from Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity and Netflix.
The Young.Monks competition includes three core categories that focus on digital-first competencies
Developed by Media.Monks creative Johanna Lubin, Young.Monks is described as a grassroots initiative that aims to inspire the next generation of talent to continue both crossing and pushing boundaries.
Designed to highlight the different strengths, skill sets and interests of Media.Monks’ diverse employee base, the Young.Monks competition includes three core categories that focus on digital-first competencies: innovation, film and interactive.
What are the categories?
-
Innovation.Monks are teams of future-facing visionaries. They’re ace at sniffing out innovative ideas and turning them into reality using the latest in emerging tech, formats and even the metaverse, resulting in groundbreaking experiences and new possibilities
-
Film.Monks film cinematic stories for screens of all sizes. They’re an inclusive bunch of thinkers and tinkerers that have a knack for original concepting, scriptwriting, visual treatments, film treatments, shooting, directing, editing, VFX, post and everything in between. Together, they believe that film has the power to connect people and expose us to stories that we’ve never seen or thought about before
-
Interactive.Monks are driven to build creative experiences that go beyond the mundane. They put the audience at the heart of the moments they craft, giving them the opportunity to immerse themselves within compelling, transformative digital experiences that build lasting memories
Johanna Lubin explains her idea for Young.Monks was born from her “ambition of helping and supporting young talents by giving them an opportunity to shine on a global stage, plus the inspiration of the Young Lions competitions.
“Add to that the help of my incredible colleagues across the world combined with the trust and drive from the Media.Monks leadership, and I’m thrilled to see that we’ve been able to make Young.Monks come to life. My aspiration is to continue to build Young.Monks to be a recognized and annual institution in the advertising industry.”
Speaking on the development of the scheme, Jouke Vuurmans, global chief creative officer at Media.Monks, says: “Giving talent the opportunity to thrive both within our company and on a global stage through Young.Monks is one of the ways we build toward our ambition to change the industry. We want to change the work and what the work can do, but also change who does the work. Johanna’s initiative opens up a myriad of possibilities for talent to work together across borders, flexing their creative muscles no matter what their expertise.
“I’m excited for us to have Netflix and Lions on board – two heavyweights when it comes to creativity – and the guts to go off the beaten path. I can’t wait to see the work our Young.Monks will come up with.”
Following the established participation rules of the Young Lions Competitions, Young.Monks is open to all Media.Monks employees aged 30 and under, who will participate in self-selected teams of two from March 9 to March 16. Submissions will be evaluated by an esteemed jury including Media.Monks’ co-chief innovation officer Henry Cowling, along with executive leadership from Netflix, Media.Monks and more.
Winners will be announced on April 8, and the top teams in each category will travel to the festival in the French Riviera. The overall winner will earn a spot on the Cannes Lions Creative Academy, an exclusive group open to just 30 creatives worldwide.