Programme

Robot and scarecrow: How new technology allied with traditional craft can shape the creative landscape

Chris O’Reilly, Co-Founder & CCO, Nexus Studios

In this session, Chris O’Reilly, Co-Founder and CCO of Nexus Studios, explores a creative landscape shaped by an apparent contradiction: increasingly intelligent and responsive tools arriving alongside a renewed value for the handmade, the intuitive and the imperfect.

Leveraging Nexus Studios’ Emmy- and BAFTA-winning legacy, Chris looks at what happens when different ways of thinking and making are brought together from the outset, rather than treated as opposing choices.

The next generation is watching: Engaging with younger audiences

Soraya Selinger, Co-founder, Attention Culture

In this session Soraya Selinger, Founder of Attention Culture, explores the need to re-examine how the creative industry approaches and engages with younger audiences.

In a time where it has become standard practice for advertisers, brands and marketeers to routinely compete for the attention of younger audiences, it’s never been more crucial to consider the impact of those actions. In the wake of the U16’s social ban, Selinger reflects on marketing standards, ethical behaviour and the overall responsibility the creative industry has in creating and distributing meaningful compelling and creative stories, free from the constraints of harmful content, or addictive algorithms driving engagement.

And crucially, how we raise the bar without stifling creativity or compromising commercial objectives.

Designing brand DNA: The strategic power of Sound

Aurélien Rubod, Partner, BLEUE

We obsess over logos, colour palettes, and brand consistency at every touchpoint. Yet, sound, the sensory trigger most directly linked to emotional memory and purchase intent, gets only half a day in post.

Jessica Entner, VP of Warner Chappell Music and Aurélien Rubod, Partner at Bleue.tv are making the case for sonic identity as a core strategic tool, backed by neuroscience, measurable impact, and some of the most iconic sound decisions in modern branding.

Confessions from the agency side

Kristie Girvan, MD & EP, EXF.STUDIO

What do agency heads of production really think about triple-bidding, procurement pressures, shrinking timelines and rigid 30-second box-ticking? And what makes one leave the agency side behind to champion a more streamlined, director-led studio model?

Drawing on her experience on both sides of the fence, Kristie Girvan lifts the lid on the realities that often go unsaid, while also exploring what it means to lead as a female EP, build healthier production cultures and protect creative ambition in an increasingly pressured industry.

The art of making a scene: Exploring the practical magic of physical filmmaking

Jonny and Will, Director duo, Blinkink

BAFTA-nominated directing duo Jonny and Will, bring the extraordinary to life through handmade puppetry, inventive practical effects and a healthy dose of humour.

Through their work for brands like IKEA, Prada and Nike, they’ve excelled at finding intricate handmade solutions to ambitious creative ideas.

In this session, they’ll get into the magic of the physical craft, sharing the tricks, challenges and happy accidents that come with bringing characters to life, and why now more than ever, you just can’t beat a handmade approach.

The Masterplan: How Oasis were brought to the big screen

Filmmakers Will Lovelace and Dylan Southern, alongside producer Sam Bridger, join broadcaster and DJ Yasmin Evans to discuss making their hugely acclaimed and successful documentary, Don’t Look Back in Anger.