For the first time in the 9-year history of NYF’s Executive Jury, a president will preside over this panel of international chief creative officers. Matt Eastwood, who has just become global chief creative officer of McCann Health, will be that first president.
“It is an incredible honour to be asked to be the first ever Jury President of the prestigious New York Festivals,” Eastwood stated.
“As the jury president, I want to encourage the judges to award work that not only actively engages consumers but also achieves results. But my hope is to go even further than that. Bill Bernbach once said, ‘All of us who professionally use the mass media are the shapers of society. We can vulgarise that society. We can brutalise it. Or we can help lift it onto a higher level.’ We’ll be looking for work that works. But, more importantly, we’ll be looking for work that lifts creativity and, indeed, society to a higher plane.”
Eastwood brings creativity, leadership skills and Executive Jury experience to his role as Jury President. The founding member of the recently formed New York Festivals Advisory Board has served three terms on NYF’s Executive Jury and helped to guide the competition’s recent transformation.
“We are beyond thrilled to have Matt as our inaugural Executive Jury President,” Susan Glass Ruse, executive director of New York Festivals Advertising Awards commented. “His reputation as an inspiring leader, ground-breaking creative and all-around good guy makes him the perfect choice to lead the judging sessions. Matt is truly collaborative, and we are lucky to have his ongoing support in our shared goal of evolving and improving New York Festivals. We are excited to have his expertise, working together with his highly-regarded peers, to ensure that great work from around the globe is recognised and awarded.”
Formerly the worldwide chief creative officer of J. Walter Thompson, Eastwood was described by Britain’s Campaign magazine as a “unicorn” in the communications industry. He has overseen some of the most innovative and recognisable creative projects in advertising today. Eastwood was a founding partner of M&C Saatchi in Australia before joining DDB Australia as national creative director and vice chairman. In 2010 he moved to the US to become chief creative officer for DDB New York.
He was named the 5th most awarded chief creative officer worldwide in AdAge’s 2013 Award’s Report. In 2016, he led J. Walter Thompson to its 80 Lions win, more than the agency had ever won in its 150-year history. He has also led his agencies to become Campaign Brief Agency of the Year, Clio Health Network of the Year, Australian Creative Hotshop, AdNews Agency of the Year, Creativity’s Agency to Watch, B&T Agency of the Year, Spikes Network of the Year, and Campaign magazine Network of the Year.
Eastwood and the Executive Jury will meet this April during the 9th annual Executive Jury judging sessions in New York City April 29 to May 3.
The 2019 competition entry deadline is January 31. Enter here.
Download Categories, Rules & Regulations, and the Entry Process Guide here.
