Three Humber Advertising Copywriting grads have roared into prominence at this year’s Globe and Mail Cannes Young Lions competition.
Noah Feferman, Jamie King, and Cam Hudson, each working with a partner as part of three separate teams, all won gold, silver or bronze in the competition, which highlights the work of young creative professionals in Canada.
Feferman captured gold and King won silver in the Print category, while Hudson garnered a bronze in the Cyber division.
“Winning the Globe and Mail Young Lions award was a surreal experience,” explains Feferman, who’s now working at OgilvyOne. “Every creative advertising pro strives to create work that not only yields business but gets recognized too – so when it gets noticed, it’s hard to believe it’s real.”
It was definitely real. In fact, Feferman’s gold earned him a spot representing Canada at the Young Lions’ international competition, part of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in Cannes, France.
The Young Lions competition, designed for young professionals who are under 28, involves creating a print or digital ad, a 30-second commercial, or a media/contact strategy – all in the space of 24-48 hours. This year, competitors created material for the YMCA of Greater Toronto.
It’s a day of intense work, roller coaster emotions, little sleep, and, in this case, a certain amount of restraint.
“The competition was held on St. Patrick’s Day,” says Hudson, who now works at TAXI. “So while most of our friends were out celebrating, we were working from 9 a.m. to 4:30 a.m. the next morning.”
All three winners credit Humber’s Advertising Copywriting program with helping them hone their craft.
“Humber was challenging and exciting,” says King, who graduated from the program in 2011 and is currently working at DraftFCB. “I met so many talented people, both teachers and friends, who made the experience worthwhile.”
According to Hudson, Humber’s influence extends far beyond the year of the diploma.
“Wander through the halls of pretty much any agency in Toronto and you’ll discover that most of the writers came from Humber,” he says. “Humber is where I learned all the fundamentals that helped me get where I am: having a blast doing what I love at an agency I never thought I’d get into.”
