Yang Yeo, Glenn Osaki and Michael Hilliard named Spikes Asia 2012 jury presidents

Spikes Asia, the regional creative advertising and communications festival for Asia Pacific has announced that this years final three jury presidents are Yang Yeo (pictured left) who will chair the Design Jury, Glenn Osaki will lead the PR Jury, and Michael Hilliard has been appointed the first Branded Content & Entertainment Jury President.

Delegate registration for Spikes Asia is now open, with anyone registering before 1 August benefiting from the early bird rate. Click for further information on the Festival and how to register.

Yang Yeo, chief creative officer of JWT Shanghai, president of the Design Jury, is famed for shaping advertising creativity in China since his arrival in Shanghai in 2006. He led China to its first-ever Gold Lion at Cannes in 2008 with the adidas Beijing Olympics campaign, and made history once again by winning Chinas first-ever Cannes Grand Prix in 2011 with the Samsonite ‘Heaven & Hell’ print ad, which also went on to win three further Grands Prix at Spikes Asia last year in the Print, Outdoor and Print & Poster Craft categories.

Under Yeo’s leadership, JWT Shanghai won the ‘Agency of the Year’ accolade at AdFest in 2009, and Campaign Asia-Pacifics ‘Agency of the Year’ in 2011. Yeo was also named Campaign Asia-Pacifics ‘Creative of the Year’ in 2011 for his astounding accomplishment in Greater China.

Yeo is a member of the first Cannes Chimera, mentoring the first ‘Grand Challenge for Communications’ initiative organised by Cannes Lions and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Says Yeo: “Design is where I started before advertising, and I look forward to going back to my roots where it’s a lot more pure, aesthetic, and immediate.”

Glenn Osaki, Asia president of MSLGROUP, Publicis Groupes strategic communications and engagement agency, has been appointed president of the PR Jury. Osaki oversees the Asia operations, which include 38 owned offices and more than 1,675 employees, as well as a strong integrated network of affiliate partners across the region. In addition, Osaki chairs the MSLGROUP Management Boards in Greater China and India.

MSLGROUP is the largest PR agency network in Asia, and is #1 in the fast-growing markets of Greater China and India. In March 2012, MSLGROUP was awarded “PR Agency Network of the Year” by Campaign Asia-Pacific.

A 25-year veteran of MSLGROUP, Osaki’s vast Asia experience includes regional management for clients such as Procter & Gamble, Coca-Cola, United Technologies, World Gold Council, Sunkist, Underwriters Laboratories, SPX Corporation, Business Software Alliance and numerous assignments for the 2010 Shanghai World Expo and 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

Says Osaki: “I am thrilled to lead the PR jury for Asias most celebrated creativity awards festival, to help define and honour the ground-breaking creativity that is being practiced in our industry every day. Too often, PR’s creativity is misunderstood in comparison to other communications disciplines. However, creative skills in relationship and community management, problem-solving, issues avoidance and resolution, for example, are the PR industrys points of difference. This value must be recognised.”

Michael Hilliard, executive producer of Finch, Australia, will lead the inaugural Branded Content & Entertainment Jury. Hilliard is a film, television and transmedia producer.

His work with a range of award-winning actors, musicians, artists and sports figures including Robert Redford, Cate Blanchett, Tom Ford, Jeff Koons, Kobe Bryant, Paul Simon and P. Diddy, blends pop culture with documentary and television. His work has been recognised by Cannes Lions, The One Show, the Directors Guild of America, and the Emmys, and has become part of the permanent collection at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Hilliard’s television series credits include ICONOCLASTS, Fast Cars and Superstars, KOBE Mentu, The Art of Walking, and, most recently, the International Emmy Award-nominated The Great Crusade for Qantas and Tourism New Zealand. His feature film credits include the Beastie Boys’ multi-camera, user-generated concert film Awesome, I Fuckin Shot That!, the Slamdance-winning Better Housekeeping, and Lovely by Surprise, which premiered at the Seattle Film Festival.

Hilliard is a member of the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, the Australian Film Institute, the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) and the Screen Producers Association of Australia. He has served as a judge for the International Emmys, the AFI Awards and most recently as a member of the inaugural Branded Content & Entertainment jury at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

Says Hilliard: “It is a privilege to serve on the first Branded Content and Entertainment jury at Spikes Asia. In the inaugural year for the category at the Spikes, it’s very important that the jury gets it right. It will really set the standard for the years to follow. Singapore is kind of like a fountain of youth. Singaporeans have been able to curate and build on a rich history of trade and a large expat community that cycles through the town – the country’s position as a global hub for business, investment and talent means that there is always a stream of fresh thinking and fresh talent coming into the city. It’s a great place to come together to recognise the best work from the region.”

Says Terry Savage, chairman of Lions Festivals says: “Yang, Glenn and Michael have outstanding track records and strong leadership skills. We are honoured to count on their expertise to lead their juries in awarding the best work in the region. We look forward to welcoming them to Spikes Asia.”