Day three compounds into three Lions for Talented 

Our guest author talks about her 16-month-old agency and how Cannes Lions was never on the year one agenda.

You're surrounded by world-class work. You know, as a fact, that only three per cent of the work wins at Cannes. 

You're part of a 16-month-old indie agency called, Talented, that decided to take a punt and reimagine the agency business to create more equity for creative talent. And 16 months later, that effort gets rewarded with two Bronzes (Social and PR) for Why is this a Swiggy ad and a Media Silver (Or travel with Cleartrip). You realise how none of this was on the agenda for year one. And then you realise, that it's hard not to do great work when you're getting great sleep.

I've seen the teams behind this work put their neck on the line for it. They fought the good fight for their ideas. And showed that when more people feel empowered to do their best work - that when you break the power dynamic between the agency and the client; and the agency and its partners, you inadvertently make room for powerful ideas.

Lucky for everyone at Cannes Lions, Gautam Reghunath and PG Aditya (Co-founders Talented) will be speaking at the festival on how to start up. Their session 'Don't quietly quit, loudly start' will be an incredibly generous one for anyone who wants to know how they can go independent. Yes, they will be outsourcing their culture code and more. 

Naturally, it was also incredible to see campaigns across the world show the transformational power of ideas - from 'Opt Ink' that made more room for organ donation to Dove's 'Cost of Beauty' - that told Mary's story.

'The Artois Probability' that studied historical art, 'Never stop evolving Serena' which was goosebump-inducing. 'Are you press worthy' that calculates the chances of you being covered by the regional and national press if you go missing - based on your age, gender and ethnicity. 'Runner 321' brought competitors together and created equity in sports for people with Down Syndrome. This one left me feeling that there's so much more to do and unpack. 

Creativity is a powerful answer to the world's problems. Let's never forget that.

The author is co-founder and creative, Talented.