Ad Stars, one of the only not-for-profit global festivals to accept entries free-of-charge, is preparing for its advertising festival in Busan, August 22 – 24. With 20,300 entries received last year it is also one of the largest international advertising festivals.
It has now chosen its five executive judges:
- Robin Fitzgerald, Chief Creative Officer at BBDO Atlanta in the US, leading the Film and Video Stars juries
- Melvin Mangada of TBWA/Santiago Mangada Puno in the Philippines, leading the Design and Print juries
- Jureeporn Thaidumrongof GREYnJ UNITED in Thailand, leading the judging panel in Diverse Insights, Outdoor, Public Service Announcements, Place Brand, Radio & Audio juries.
- Ted Lim, Chief Creative Officer Dentsu Asia Pacific, who is based in Singapore, leading the Direct, Media, Promotion and PR juries
- Joanna Monteiro, FCB Brazil in Sao Paulo, leading the Interactive, Integrated, Innovation, Mobile, Data Insights and Social & Influencer juries
Robin Fitzgerald has worked at many of America’s most acclaimed agencies including Crispin Porter + Bogusky and TBWA\Chiat\Day in Los Angeles. In 2016, she moved to Atlanta as BBDO Atlanta’s Chief Creative Officer, becoming the network’s first female chief creative officer in the United States. At Crispin Porter + Bogusky, where she worked from 2002, Fitzgerald helped to launch MINI’s highly awarded U.S. campaign. At Chiat, she created work for Gatorade, Visa, Energizer, and every model of Nissan vehicle. Then in 2010, Crispin Porter + Bogusky lured her back to work on major brands like Old Navy, Grey Poupon, Vitaminwater and Paypal – she actually helped to launch PayPal’s first-ever Super Bowl ad.
Robin Fitzgerald
Jureeporn Thaidumrong attracted the attention of the industry when she steered Results/O&M to win Thailand’s first-ever Cannes Gold Lion in 2000. She was recently named 2018 Southeast Asia Creative Person of the Year by Campaign Asia and ranked #1 in Campaign Brief’s Asia Creative Director of the Year 2018 poll. She has been inducted into the Hall of Fame by the Bangkok Art Directors Association and is behind some of Thailand’s best-loved campaigns, from Smooth-E’s Love Story to KasikornBank’s Friendshit, which was a major winner at both Ad Stars and AWARD Awards this year.
Jureeporn Thaidumrong
Melvin Mangada is one of the most influential figures in the Philippine advertising industry. He has revolutionised the structure of TBWA/SMP and bucked some of the industry’s organisational norms in doing so. TBWA\Santiago Mangada Puno was the most awarded Philippine agency at Ad Stars 2018 for the second year running. It won a Film Grand Prix for its viral video, Disgusting Stories, (Bahay Tuluyan), two Golds, one Silver, two Bronzes, and two Crystals.
Melvin Mangada
Ted Lim works across 15 countries from China to Australia. He believes, “We are in the business formerly known as advertising” and has repositioned Dentsu Asia Pacific accordingly as an Innovative Business Solutions network beyond advertising. The non-traditional solutions his team has produced have won the Grand Prix in Cannes, Ad Stars awards and the Facebook Award for Innovation. Dentsu was crowned Campaign Brief Asia’s Most Creative Network in 2017 and 2018.
Ted Lim
Joanna Monteiro joined FCB Brasil in 2012. By 2014 she was named one of the World’s Most Creative Women in Advertising by Business Insider – the only Brazilian to make the list. She has also ranked in the Big Won Report’s ranking of Award-Winning Creative Directors and in AdAge’s Creativity 50 list.
Joanna Monteiro
Hwan Jin Choi, chair of the Ad Stars Executive Committee, commented, “Other global festivals earn profits from entry fees, yet almost all Ad Stars categories are free to enter. We are also the only festival to offer a US$10,000 cash prize for our Grand Prix of the Year winners so I encourage everyone to submit their most ground breaking ideas – you have nothing to lose and so much to gain.”
