A busy Epica Awards London Showcase took place on the rooftop of production company GCRS in Great Marlborough Street on January 31.
The event was designed to give London audiences a chance to enjoy the work awarded at Epica’s ceremony in Berlin in November.
At the well-attended event, creatives Giles Hepworth and Bill Hartley of J. Walter Thompson London were congratulated for their award-winning entry “Ashes to Art”, which led to the agency becoming Epica’s UK agency of the year.
Campaign
Campaign’s global editor-in-chief, Claire Beale, who joined the Epica jury for the first time last year, praised the work.
But she also encouraged more British agencies to enter Epica in the future. “I saw so much inspiring work from other countries; I felt sort of humbled really. It was a fantastic opportunity to appreciate the breadth of work from around the world. But I also thought: ‘Come on the Brits, where are you on this?’”
J. Walter Thompson’s campaign involved encouraging artists to turn ashes from a catastrophic fire at the Glasgow School of Art into original artwork. This was then auctioned off to help pay for the school’s restoration.
Bill Hartley remarked that the hardest part of the campaign was convincing the artists themselves to take part. “In the end we resorted to good old-fashioned direct mail, sending them charred pieces of wood in the post.”
Creative Review
Regular Epica juror Eliza Williams, associate editor of Creative Review, remarked that the awards show had seen an increase in brand-purposed or charity work recently. She added: “The best thing for me is not only seeing the work, but getting the journalists’ impression of it…You get a perspective that perhaps you don’t get in any other setting.”
Daily Squib
First time attendee at the Epica soirée, Daily Squib editor, and champion of creativity, Aur Esenbel, was truly impressed by the show of advertising and media talent: “Meeting with Mark Tungate and other denizens of the advertising, publishing world was inspiring.
“It has been a great honour to have been accepted as a juror for the creative Epica awards, and one has to say that the essence of all creative work lies in intricate controlled chaotic exploration.
“Defining that singular moment in the creative process when out of the ether, the creative plucks out an idea, an essence, a cherished spark that is then catapulted further with experimentation and work, to eventually create the final polished output, is not easily described.
“Every day, the Daily Squib works its creative juices whether in literature or illustration, and we are dedicated to the field of Creative Science in constructing our satire and news stories.
“In line with Claire Beale, from Campaign magazine, the Epica Awards definitely needs more British input. Hopefully in 2018, the awards will see a bigger Brit emphasis.”
