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‘Superwoman’ Lily Singh and Aziz Ansari feature in Adweek’s Creative 100
MUMBAI: As the world comes closer and closer as a global village, the critical role played by content becomes even more evident. From funny jokes and memes around the internet to videos of war crime and police injustice, content has shown how mighty it can be — and the recent headlines on several international dailies is evidence of that.
While its dissemination through multiple channels has made content easy going; it has also become more elusive, especially when it comes to the advertising world. No longer boxed by conventional labels its loose definition has given several creatives sleepless night to crack the content code; while giving wing to a new breed of creators with brilliant ideas.
Adweek’s recently released Creative 100 is proof that the commercial world of creativity has come to terms with this fact, and has accepted these new age creators. The list honours 100 unique and fascinating problem solvers from the worlds of advertising, media, technology, branding, pop culture and more and this year the publication has segregated the list as – 50 Agency Creatives, 20 Content Creators, 20 Creative Celebrities and 10 Visual Artists.
It must be noted that the list is limited to U.S.-based creatives, and is not meant to be a definitive ranking of the absolute most creative people in these industries. Rather, it is an evolving mix of senior and junior talent whose work has shone brightly over the previous year. Also, everyone is honored equally on the individual lists within the Creative 100—the order of appearance does not indicate a ranking.
When it comes to the agency creatives, though not listed according to rank, the first creative directors that find their name in the list are Y&R’s veteran executive creative director John Matejczyk, who is responsible for breakthrough content for Google, Netflix, Audi and AAA; creative duo Rohan Cooke and Laura Petruccelli from Goodby Silverstein & Partners who devised the ingenious Sonic’s exquisite ‘Square Shakes’; and FCB’s global chief creative officer who came up with Secret deodorant’s ‘Mean Stinks’ anti-bullying work and Allstate’s Mayhem campaign. Double Grand Prix winners at Cannes, Alexander Nowak and Felix Richter from droga5 also found their mention on the list.
India’s very own Youtube sensation Lily Singh AKA Superwoman is amongst the top content creators on the list. With 9.2 million subscribers and 1.3 billion video views, she truly rules Youtube. “She’s worked with Coca-Cola to create buzzy content and starred in YouTube’s ongoing advertising campaign, which pitches the site’s most popular homegrown creators. In May, she even hosted the video giant’s annual Brandcast event to pitch brands on why they should shift significant television ad budgets to digital,” reads on of her accolades in the list. Apart from her, writer actor and producer Quinta Brunson of BuzzFeed’s viral video fame, Scott Bradlee from Postmodern Jukebox, and creative director Kai Hasson who founded content studio Portal A are a few names from the list of 20.
The list also honoured 20 creative celebrities in which wrestling world’s star John Cena, pop star Beyonce, actor Lupita Nyong’o of the 12 Year’s of Slave fame, comedian and TV host Louis C.K. and netflix star Aziz Ansari were mentioned.
Last but on the least were ten visual artists whose pathbreaking works compelled the industry to acknowledge their genius. Award winning costume designer of Star Wars: The Force Awakens opened the list, followed by Interaction Designer Ekene Ijeoma, punjabi boy and fashion designer Waris Ahluwalia from ‘House of Waris’, photojournalist Lynsey Addario and more.
Here is the entire Creative 100 list- http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/adweeks-creative-100-2016-list-alphabetical-order-172650
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Paramount set to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery in $81 billion deal
Shareholders back merger, combined entity could reshape streaming and studios.
MUMBAI: Lights, camera… consolidation, Hollywood’s latest blockbuster might be happening off-screen. Shareholders of Warner Bros. Discovery have voted in favour of selling the company to Paramount in a deal valued at $81 billion rising to nearly $111 billion including debt setting the stage for one of the biggest shake-ups in modern media. The proposed merger, still subject to regulatory approvals, would bring together a vast portfolio spanning HBO Max, CNN, and franchises such as Harry Potter under the same umbrella as Paramount’s own heavyweights, including Top Gun and CBS.
At the heart of the deal is streaming scale. Executives have indicated plans to combine HBO Max and Paramount+ into a single platform, potentially creating a stronger challenger to giants like Netflix and Amazon’s Prime Video. Current market data suggests HBO Max holds around 12 per cent of US on-demand subscriptions, compared to Paramount+’s 3 per cent, together still trailing Netflix’s 19 per cent and Disney’s combined 27 per cent via Disney+ and Hulu.
Paramount CEO David Ellison has signalled that while platforms may merge, HBO’s creative identity will remain intact, stating the brand should “stay HBO” even within a broader ecosystem.
Beyond streaming, the deal would redraw the map for film production. Combining two of Hollywood’s oldest studios Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros., the new entity aims to scale output to over 30 films annually, while maintaining a 45-day theatrical window. Warner Bros. currently commands around 21 per cent of the US box office, compared to Paramount’s 6 per cent, underscoring the strategic weight of the acquisition.
But scale comes with scrutiny. Critics warn that fewer players could mean reduced consumer choice, rising subscription costs, and potential job cuts as the combined company looks to streamline overlapping operations while managing billions in debt.
The news business, too, faces a reset. CNN would join forces at least structurally with Paramount-owned CBS, raising questions about editorial independence and positioning. The merger has already drawn political attention in the United States, particularly given perceived ties between the Ellison family and Donald Trump, though the company maintains that newsroom autonomy will be preserved.
If approved, the deal would mark another milestone in Hollywood’s consolidation wave shrinking the industry’s traditional “big six” studios to a “big four”, with Paramount joining Disney, Universal, and Sony at the top table.
In an industry built on storytelling, this merger may well become its most consequential plot twist yet.
