Fresh Talent In Your Face
Cream is the annual competition and private view, held by The Talent Business, the world leader in executive search for creative businesses. Cream supports emerging talent globally, by introducing them to the creative leaders of the world’s top agencies and creative businesses. For the past 22 years, Cream has provided a platform for creatives who have gone on to deliver famous, award-winning work, and to become high-profile CDs/ECDs as well as successful agency founders.
Once again, sadly due to the pandemic, Cream was unable to run in a physical format in 2021, so alongside adam&eveDDB and Gadgetmedia, The Talent Business built a virtual exhibition space, to ensure that this year’s winners received the exposure they so richly deserve.
Building on The Talent Business’ commitment to ensuring Cream is an inclusive platform that promotes diversity, they have continued to evolve the competition to ensure the inclusion of a broader cross-section of high-potential talent, on less typical routes into the industry. This year they once again invited creatives, who hadn’t had the benefit of college training, to join the competition. In the run up to the virtual exhibition, these brilliant individuals were given a 10 week intense mentorship by Creature, Anomaly, dentsu mcgarrybowen and Wonderhood, helping them produce the work that was showcased at the exhibition, alongside winners from the top colleges worldwide.
This year The Talent Business partnered with adam&eveDDB, led by their CCO, and former Cream winner, Rick Brim, to create a 90’s themed virtual exhibition space, with a nod to the year of Cream’s inception, 1999. The exhibition, built by Gadgetmedia, included individual booths for each winner, where invitees were able to interact with their work, and get to know them via an introductory video. Within the first 48 hours of launch, the platform had received over 1000 visits from individuals all over the world.
The incredible ongoing support that The Talent Business has from the hosting agencies, the judges around the world, and from those who attend the annual Private View (albeit virtually), means that Cream can continue to support the next generation of creative talent, and the creative leaders of the future, regardless of background.
Will Knox, European Head of Creative and Design at The Talent Business, said “Emerging talent is critical to the future of the creative industries, and considering the challenging times we’re living in, it’s even more imperative that the industry continues to support them. We’re proud that Cream has continued to evolve over the past 22 years to ensure that this fantastic platform for that talent exists.”
Richard Brim, adam&eveDDB’s Chief Creative Officer, said: “Getting future talent in front of the industry – and indeed the industry in front of future talent – is essential to the health of what we do. Cream is now in its 21st year, and is more relevant and important than ever. Fresh talent is our lifeblood . The talent search keeps expanding to hunt out the best new creatives from as wide a pool as possible, meaning extending the search wider than just the usual schools and overcoming educational and social barriers along the way. The best ideas come from everywhere and everyone could have a home in this industry.”