VMLY&R ECD Kim Pick and DDB ECD Gary Steele to represent New Zealand on Ad Stars 2019 juries

Ad Stars has announced that Kim Pick, executive creative director at VMLY&R and Gary Steele, who is joining DDB NZ as executive creative director in May from TBWA\Singapore, will represent New Zealand as final judges at Ad Stars 2019.

Pick will judge the Direct, Media, Promotion, PR categories and Steele will judge the Interactive, Integrated, Innovation, Mobile, Data Insights, Social & Influencer categories.

Says Steele: “With any awards show the most exciting thing is sitting down and only focusing on the work. This is why I love being on judging panels as it is the pure focus and the ability to see work you would never have seen from around the world all wrapped up nicely in a few days. In AD STARS’ case, this is even better as the work is from around the region and it is not often you get to see what is happening in markets at other award shows. This really gives you a perspective of the region and where it is headed.”

Established in 2008, Ad Stars received over 20,300 entries last year, cementing its status as one of the world’s biggest international advertising festivals – and one of the only not-for-profit global festivals to accept entries free-of-charge. Burns and Ford will join a panel of 30 Final Judges from around the world.

Ad Stars has also announced its final executive judge: Robin Fitzgerald, chief creative officer at BBDO Atlanta.

She completes the line-up of Executive Judges for Ad Stars 2019 joining Melvin Mangada of TBWA/Santiago Mangada Puno in the Philippines; Jureeporn Thaidumrong of GREYnJ United in Thailand; Dentsu Asia Pacific’s Ted Lim, who is based in Singapore; and Joanna Monteiro, FCB Brazil in Sao Paulo.

Fitzgerald has worked at many of America’s most acclaimed agencies including Crispin Porter + Bogusky and TBWA\Chiat\Day in Los Angeles. In 2016, she moved to Atlanta as BBDO Atlanta’s chief creative officer, becoming the network’s first female chief creative officer in the United States.

Says Fitzgerald: “I’m excited to be travelling to South Korea in August, which is certainly a mecca for technology and innovation right now. More than that, I’m drawn to the fact that Ad Stars is a creative festival that doesn’t profit from entry fees, so it’s inclusive of smaller agencies as well as bigger networks. I’m looking forward to experiencing first-hand what the festival is all about.”

At Crispin Porter + Bogusky, where she worked from 2002, Fitzgerald helped to launch MINI’s highly awarded U.S. campaign. At Chiat, she created work for Gatorade, Visa, Energizer, and every model of Nissan vehicle. Then in 2010, Crispin Porter + Bogusky lured her back to work on major brands like Old Navy, Grey Poupon, Vitaminwater and Paypal – she actually helped to launch PayPal’s first-ever Super Bowl ad.

Says Hwan Jin Choi, chair of the Ad Stars Executive Committee: “Robin is a trailblazer when it comes to fighting for great work, tapping into popular culture, and incorporating technology and analytics into her ideas. Having worked at many of America’s top agencies, she brings a unique perspective to our jury panel and we are honoured to welcome her to Ad Stars 2019.”

Fitzgerald has won countless awards, and she’s an experienced juror having participated on juries for D&AD, Clios, Art Director’s Club, One Show and New York Festivals. But even more exciting is the fact that her work has been consistently picked up by the non-advertising world, being parodied on Saturday Night Live, featured on the NBC Nightly News, NPR, Entertainment Weekly and US Weekly. She has even been nominated for an Emmy.

Fitzgerald (pictured below) is traveling to Ad Stars from Atlanta where she lives with her husband, two kids, and her cat, Mush.

Entries to the 12th Ad Stars Awards close on May 15th 2019. Ad Stars 2019 takes place at the Busan Exhibition and Convention Centre (Bexco), South Korea from August 22nd to 24th 2019. For more information, visit www.adstars.org.