LIA created Creative LIAisons educational program in 2012, as a way of giving back to the industry that supports us. The entire program is funded by LIA and its mission is to develop, educate, inspire and nurture emerging talent from around the globe. LIA added its virtual mentoring and coaching program in 2021, to augment the onsite Creative LIAisons program held in Las Vegas.
Beginning in May and continuing through November, approximately 200 mentees will begin their Creative LIAisons virtual coaching journey. As part of the program, each mentee will have three one-to-one bespoke coaching sessions with three different well-known, well-awarded and well-established industry leaders from around the world.
“Challenger, cheerleader, coach, confidant. Our coaches are all of these and more to the mentees. To the 200 mentees joining this program, we urge you to make the most of your sessions. Grasp your personal sessions with both hands. It’s a rare opportunity to be mentored by not just one, but three industry greats. Push yourself (and your mentors) out of your comfort zone. Let it be your purpose to get the best out of yourself, and in time you’ll be able to pass on the lessons you’ve learnt to coming generations,” stated Laurissa Levy, Creative LIAisons director & events director.
This year, there are 11 mentors from Australia and 8 from New Zealand. Among the list of mentors are:
AUSTRALIA:
- Jake Barrow, Group Executive Creative Director – Sydney & Melbourne at VML
- Adrian Bosich, Managing Partner / Creative Founder at AIRBAG, Melbourne
- Dave Bowman, Chief Creative Officer – Australia and New Zealand at Publicis Groupe
- Gavin Chimes, Executive Creative Director at Howatson+Company, Sydney
- Shane Geffen, Executive Creative Director at HERO, Melbourne
- Avish Gordhan, Chief Creative Officer at Saatchi & Saatchi, Sydney
- Jim Ingram, Group Chief Creative and Co-Founder at Thinkerbell, Melbourne
- Sarah McGregor, Executive Creative Director at Dentsu Creative, Sydney
- Iggy Rodriguez, Executive Creative Director, Sydney
- Abby Sie, Head of Sound at MassiveMusic, Sydney
- Keir Vaughan, Head of Craft at Thinkerbell, Sydney
NEW ZEALAND:
- Melanie Bridge, CEO at The Sweetshop, Auckland
- Matty Burton, Group Chief Creative Officer at DDB New Zealand, Auckland
- Leisa Wall, Chief Creative Officer at FCB Aotearoa, Auckland
- Tom Johnson, Associate Creative Director at Special Group Auckland, Auckland
- Cassie Roma, Founder & Director at CR&Co, Auckland
- Damon Stapleton, Chief Creative Officer at The Monkeys New Zealand, Auckland
- Gary Steele, Chief Creative Officer at DDB Group Aotearoa, Auckland
- Lee Sunter, Executive Creative Director at Saatchi & Saatchi, Auckland
View all 2024 coaches and 2024 mentees.
“I’ve been part of the LIAisons coaching academy for a number of years now and I have met some wonderful talent from all over the world. There is nothing else like it and it is important for the growth of our industry at large. Plus helping people to come to their own conclusions, realise things they already knew but didn’t quite ask the right question to get the answer they needed is something I get a great big kick out of. I’ll keep putting my hand up for this for as long as it continues, which I hope is for a very long time,” stated Matty Burton, group chief creative officer at DDB New Zealand.
The importance of mentoring cannot be over stated. Some of the most famous people had mentors. The film director, J.J. Abrams, for instance, has always been inspired by Steven Spielberg. As a teenager, Abrams was hired by Spielberg to clean old reels and organize old Spielberg films. Over time, Spielberg came to appreciate Abrams’ passion for the craft and agreed to help him. Abrams credits this mentorship for helping him in production and opening up opportunities for him. J.J. Abrams has been called the next Spielberg.
Avish Gordhan, chief creative officer at Saatchi & Saatchi Sydney, stated, “Being a Creative LIAisons coach is not only a huge honour and responsibility but an opportunity. I find it invigorating to hear what the brightest young minds of our industry are thinking. I can’t wait to learn from them and I hope I can offer something of value to them in return.”
These mentoring/coaching sessions aim to cover all disciplines with emphasis on skill development, elevating ideas and boosting creative confidence to fast track careers. Creativity is fluid, so there are no set rules or a prescribed formula for the sessions. Each mentee and their mentors are at full liberty to design how they want to conduct each session. The end game? To hone the skills of young creatives, so they can reach their full potential and rise to greater heights.
Mentees are able to submit their wish list from the list of 200 mentors but there are a few criteria we abide by. The rule of thumb is that no mentee will be mentored-coached by someone in their own company, either locally or globally. The focus is on the mentees – to give them greater length, breadth, height and depth with these sessions. So careful consideration is given to the mentees’ requests.
To be eligible for the program, mentees have to be currently working in the industry or a related business and be between the ages of 21 – 30 years old. LIA does not select mentees directly. Agencies and agency networks that support LIA may put forward candidates. To cast the net even wider, the Creative LIAisons Virtual Program does accept a certain quota of self-nominations.
