Ben Sharpe of Blink’s Cannes Essentials

Blink Productions EP Ben Sharpe has been trying to go to Cannes for the past five years - booking flights, convincing someone to let him sleep on their floor, and RSVPing to all the parties - but work work seems to keep getting in the way of fun work.

Most devastating was the time he was shooting an ad in LA, racing the Delorean Time Machine from Back to the Future down a runway against a private jet – trailed by a Russian Arm. Just his luck, the jet got a flat tyre, which meant an insurance claim, another shoot day, and a missed flight connection to Nice. Not so nice.

(Hopefully) that won’t happen this year. Ben is gearing up and looking forward to his first ever stroll down the Croisette.

Over his decade in advertising he’s been getting unsolicited advice on how best to prepare and pack for the festival so we asked him to share some of his hottest tips with shots - illustrated by the notorious Al Murphy at Blink Art (Instagram: @al_murphagram)

Pack Light

I’ve been told to assume I’ll be sleeping at the foot of someone else’s bed, or in the corner of the Gutter Bar, so I’ve made sure to keep my packing to essentials only - and the most compact versions of those essentials.

Don’t forget about the locals.

I’ve heard that speaking the local language is the only way to get any service at the Carlton. Like all good Canadians I studied French for most of my school-age-life…but also like most Canadians, I’ve forgotten every word of it – with the exceptions of Tabernac, Poutine, and Zut Alors! So I’ve packed my trusty phrasebook.

Make your own party.

Everyone I know will have lost their phone, be too pissed to remember where we were meant to meet, or be busy trying to get onto Craig David’s yacht. Sounds like the best plan is to just embrace losing all my friends, colleagues and clients and make my own party.

Cannes is now for brands

Everyone keeps telling me that Cannes has been invaded by brands. I’ve decided that if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. Want to hear about my new mobile tech startup?