Gareth Cliff, 5fm DJ and Mnet Idols judge, is the MC for the Bookmarks Awards ceremony on 14 November at the Artscape Theatre in Cape Town. Never one to shy away from a microphone, Gareth's signature irreverent sense of humour and ballsy, entertaining opinions make him an ideal host for an evening that pays tribute to equally ballsy, innovative and creative digital players.
Organisers are thrilled to announce that the 2013 Jury President is John Dixon, CEO of Draftfcb South Africa (a position he has held since 2008), and current Financial Mail Agency Leader of the Year. John is a board member of the Association of Communication Agencies (ACA), and has served on the Financial Mail Adfocus and Finweek AdReview jury panels. His impressive digital agency scorecard is proof of the value he can add as Jury President.
While the fantastic line-up of industry leaders for the local judging panel is being finalised, the esteemed international judges are... (drum roll): Laura Jordan Bambach (International Agency Judge) and Sophia Stuart (International Publisher Judge).
As the Vice President of D&AD (she'll be President from later in 2013-14), Laura combines an experimental and innovative use of technological advances and digital media, with a deep understanding of changing customer behaviour and good ol' fashioned storytelling. Over two decades in the industry, she's consistently won awards - not only for her commercial work, but also in her personal capacity. These accolades include being voted by industry leaders as one of the '30 under 30 leaders in IT', and the New Media Age Greatest Individual Contribution to the Industry Award in 2011.
Sophia is a writer, photographer and award-winning digital strategist/creative director with over 17 years experience in building digital products for international publishing industries - not to mention the Hollywood movie industry (we know, right?). She is the winner of a Webby Award for Cosmo Mobile USA (2008), and was voted one of the 'Top 21 Social Media Superstars' by Min Online (2009). Among her many achievements, Sophia is responsible for the digital strategy for 300 international brands (including Cosmo, Harper's BAZAAR and Esquire) across five countries.
Nikki Cockcroft, Chair of the Bookmarks, says: "What distinguishes us from all other SA industry awards is the focus on 'measurable performance', in addition to creativity and execution. Who better to judge whether brilliant work not only meets high creative standards, but also adds value, than these two phenomenal women who have been doing just that throughout their impressive careers?"
Now in its sixth year of recognising digital excellence, innovation and expertise, the Bookmarks Awards aims to showcase and reward the people and projects that inspire the creative digital industry, pushing it to new limits.
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