CICLOPE 2013 - Francisco Condorelli Interview

CICLOPE 2013 - Francisco Condorelli Interview

Purveyors of top notch advertising 'craft' will be reorganising their shelves in preparation for next month's CICLOPE festival and awards in Berlin. The only international festival fully dedicated to the "craft" skills in advertising, CICLOPE has become a platform for directors, CGI artists, producers and creatives to share knowledge, be inspired and celebrate the best work.



Over the course of three days in early November (6th-8th), some of the industries brightest lights (including *cough* representatives from SourceEcreative) will be getting up on stage and sharing their insights into what makes great creative great!

We managed to grab Festival Exec Producer Francisco Condorelli to chat to us about how the event was looking, how he put together the programme and what elements he is specifically looking forward to.

The CICLOPE Festival is a month away. How are the preparations going?

Well, we´re happy with the results so far. Lots of very interesting people have confirmed their presence, and almost 70% of the room has been sold already. I can´t complain at all.

What were the key topics and themes that you hoped to cover with the talks / seminars / panels?

The topic for this year is 'Love', so most of the talks will play around that concept: love for this profession, love stories, etc. Besides that, we´ll have lot of contents related to digital production, branded content, new directors, various case studies based on very successful campaigns such as ´Dumb Ways to Die´ (Australia) that was watched by over 70 million people around the world, or the "Evian Babies" spot. And we´ll close the days with heavyweights, such as directors Danny Kleinman (Rattling Stick) and Sebastian Strasser.

What's the wildcard? What are we going to hear that we might not at other festivals?

I think no other festival in the world gathers that many top-notch people from the advertising world at the same time, in the same place. In such an intimate environment, it´s not so much what you hear but what you experience by interacting with other people. It´s difficult to explain… it just happens.

Are there any particular speakers that you're looking forward to?

Jamie Madge , for sure ;-)

I think the goal of CICLOPE is to deliver diversity, so there is not one in particular but everyone. I´m really looking forward to hearing from Vellas, a director from Brazil, or Julian Frost, the guy who created the characters of Dumb Ways to Die... which was a huge success! Also, to see Daniel Kleinman speaking is always a great experience.

Are there any panels / talks that you urge people to check out that might be overlooked?

I think Fresh Market, because it's an activity in which production companies have the chance to meet agency creatives and heads of TV face to face. Companies have to apply to this in advance, since slots are very limited. I´d suggest doing it ASAP through the website (http://www.CICLOPEfestival.com/fresh-market/)

What's been the most anxious moment so far?

Today?

What aspect of the festival is the most satisfying?

Everything… from getting positive feedback from a speaker who accepts your invitation to seeing the great work included in the competition.

How can people get involved?

By sending their work to the competition, and by attending! it will be a three-day celebration, full of inspiration, business and fun.


You can find out more about the festival by visiting the site - http://www.ciclopefestival.com/