“The Power of the flow: Emotional Intelligence vs Artificial Intelligence” is the 2024 theme for Creativity Day 2024 by #TheAlternativeSchool, taking place @Spaces Unirii, starting 6 PM.

Look who’s talking

Mădălin Dragnea, founder of Mad Animator, will debate about “Branding loves Animation. Performing beyond the AI temptation”, covering topics such talent, creative instinct, wit and their relevance in the context of the AI’s increased usage. Oana Ispir, the White Raven awarded illustrator, will speak about the power of emotion to create immersive experiences, thus helping people to escape time’s dictatorship. Oana’s presentation will guide creators and brands on their journey to reach out for the elusive consumer, seducing him through humor and delightful visual storytelling. Răzvan Ghilencea – former Young Lions Design competition gold winner & founder of Ayz & Hendz, and Dinu Panescu, founder of The Circus, Titanium winner and former Cannes jury member, will discuss how to win at the Lions’ festival and beyond, in the game of life, through emotional intelligence. Teodora Migdalovici, the school’s founder, will have a short intro about design feeling, projecting emotions and the art of creating magnetism through contagious enthusiasm & good mood.

For whom

The event is dedicated to competent, ambitious, deeply curious, talented people working in creative economies: branding, communication, design, digital arts, creative content, creative PR, game development, strategy.

Age groups:

Over 30 – willing to update to the latest in the field

Under 30 –Talent interested in the Young Lions competitions

How much & what’s in it for them

The Young Lions Basic package is 320 Euros + VAT per team of two, granting access to Creativity Day on April 1st and the three competition briefs to be solved in order to qualify for the Cannes Lions under 30 dedicated competitions.

Young Lions Romania: New Competition Rules

Starting from 2024, young creatives with international aspirations and ages up to 30 can access the local competition for Young Lions at Cannes and within the specializations of #TheAlternativeSchool, as well as independently of them.

Why Young Lions without in depth studies?

"In the past 18 years, TheAlternativeSchool has evolved from a platform offering guidance and training for Young Lions candidates to an elite structure, akin to a Mini MBA, offering the newest, most interesting content to branding, digital arts, marketing, and communication enthusiasts. Over the years, an increased number of industry seniors have wanted access to the updates the School’s provide annually, within the context of the Module preceding the Cannes festival. Simultaneously, we wanted to give the freedom to apply only to the competition for those talented individuals up to 30 years old, who sometimes work and study 24/7. From 2024 onwards, we will always have a pricing category for those who only want access to the competition plus minimal updates via Creativity Day and another for those who want to stay up to date, additionally, with industry relevance, globally, in a concentrated program, anticipating Cannes, from the comfort of their own couch," said Teodora Migdalovici, festival ambassador and founder of #TheAlternativeSchool.

Young Lions Extended

With access to Future Proof Creativity, The Young Lions Extended package costs 420 Euros + VAT per team and, beyond access to the Young Lions competition & Creativity Day, offers creativity enthusiasts a feast of information about contemporary branding, design and visual languages, gamevertising, cutting-edge amplifications in social media, immersive experiences, the relationship with the elusive consumer, emotional intelligence, Artificial Intelligence in advertising, and last but not least, ethically aligned leadership.

The themes are interpreted by over 30 Romanian and foreign speakers, reputable practitioners, within the context of the "Future Proof Creativity: How to brand 24+" Module, taking place from March 18th to April 21st.

About Young Lions Romania 2024

Regardless of the category they apply for - Basic or Extended - Young Lions aspirants will solve three real briefs, with a focus on design and digital, in teams of two. One of the teammates must be fluent in visual languages. The works are evaluated by a jury consisting of awarded practitioners, both Romanian and foreign. The team with the highest score will benefit from the Cannes Lions experience (June 17-23) and access to the 24-hour competition at Young Lions Digital, with fees and accommodation covered for the duration of the festival.

About the briefs:

#TheAlternativeSchool briefs’ solving simulate the same conditions required in the Cannes 24-hour competition.

Explore Creativity Day mouth-watering menu

A Bit of History

Since 2005, fueled by immense passion for creativity, knowledge, and connection with other cultures, #TheAlternativeSchool has sparked local appetite for large-scale international competitions, implicitly lobbying for a creative Romania on the world stage. Thousands of marcom practitioners have been trained within its programs. Agencies and clients have received consultancy regarding niche training, festival submissions, strategy, qualitative research, or recruitments.

With the sponsors’ support, 18 generations of Young Lions and Roger Hatchuel alumni have benefited from the Cannes Lions, Eurobest, or Dubai Lynx experience. Many of the school's veterans have ended up with heavy metals in their portfolios and perhaps, more importantly, with a communication culture and a valuable reference system, echoing in the environments where they ended up working.

Since 2015, the program has also included #LadiesFirst, a platform for promoting Romanian female talents, as well as #TheFutureOf series of events.

Details about registrations for Young Lions and the deadlines for the three competition briefs can be found on the school's website and at marina@thealternativeschool.com.