This summer, as the global creative industry gathered in the south of France for the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, Brandcenter played an integral role in the 2025 Lions Educators Summit. From organization to execution, Brandcenter community members were featured throughout the program, including senior leadership, Director’s Council members, alumni and faculty.
Brandcenter Executive Director Dr. Vann Graves organized the program in collaboration with Cannes Lions Head of Learning and Brandcenter Director’s Council member Steve Latham. The summit brought together educators and industry leaders from around the world to address the future of creative learning and workforce readiness.
“The summit is not about talking at educators, but creating bespoke community and conversation,” said Graves in an interview with the Lions Daily News. “Every session has an educator on the panel, so we get the right conversational balance.” Across seven high-impact sessions, the summit tackled topics ranging from curriculum innovation and AI integration to soft-skill development and inclusive mentorship.
Graves, who previously served as Dean of the Cannes Lions Creative Academy and earned 19 Lions in his time in the industry, moderated panels throughout the week. “Preparing Curriculum Strategies for Tomorrow,” was a lively panel featuring Brandcenter Director’s Council member Perry Fair, Head of Creative at Mattel Inc., alongside Nick Brien of Outfront Media and NYU professor Milos Bujisic. They explored how advertising education can evolve to meet industry expectations while still cultivating curiosity and craft.
Another group of experts joined Graves for “Preparing Students for the Creative Workforce.” Debra Sercy, Managing Partner at The Blueprint and another Brandcenter Director’s Council member, shared insights alongside University of Miami’s Meryl Blau, Xanthe Wells, VP of Global Creative at Pinterest, and author and CMO advisor Lola Bakare. Held at the Pinterest Beach, the panel emphasized the importance of developing both technical and interpersonal skills, with an eye toward presentation confidence, storytelling, and relationship-building.
The theme of real-world readiness continued into the “Accelerating Talent Development and Acquisition” session, where additional Brandcenter Director’s Council member Joe Maglio, CEO of McKinney and Barbarian, joined Adrianne Smith, Founder of Cannes Can: Diversity Collective, and Dionna Dorsey CEO and Co-founder of Creative Ladder, to discuss inclusive mentorship, recruitment pipelines, and how to support emerging talent across the industry.
Brandcenter Strategy Chair and Director of Curriculum and Instruction Jess Collins (Strategy, 2010) who was in Cannes leading the second year of Brandcenter’s Study Abroad program in conjunction with the festival, also acted as a speaker and moderator for the Summit. She led the panel “The Future of Hires in a Changing Industry,” a conversation focused on portfolio development, job search strategies, and early career success. Collins was joined by Brandcenter alumni Genie Gurnani (Strategy, 2011) of Dream Sequence, and Kris Kennedy (Copywriting, 2016), Manager of Creative Strategy at Reddit—both of whom shared insights from their own post-Brandcenter journeys. As a panelist, Collins also participated in “Transforming Learning Styles for Today’s Students,” joining industry leaders to discuss ways educators can better support student well-being, mental health, and resilience in a fast-paced, digitally saturated world.
Throughout the summit, Brandcenter community members helped shape the conversations around the creative skills of tomorrow. Lucas Heck, Global Creative Lead of WhatsApp at Meta and Brandcenter Director’s Council member, spoke on how educators can incorporate AI tools into the classroom ethically and effectively, balancing new technologies with enduring human creativity. David Shing, digital prophet of Shingy and recent Brandcenter graduation speaker, also participated in discussions around AI and the creative workforce—reminding attendees of the importance of human perspective in a tech-enhanced future.
With over 40 educator participants from around the world, the summit created a rare, cross-disciplinary space for learning, listening, and building the future of creative education.
“We’re often working in silos,” Graves reflected, “this is an opportunity to explore how we’re all addressing issues like AI, inclusion, and how to better prepare students—both creatively and emotionally—for an industry that’s evolving fast.”