Day 1: Juneteenth

CC:DC Five Years and Growing

What does it take to move from promise to practice? Adrianne C. Smith will share the journey to making Cannes Can: Diversity Collective and Inkwell Beach a reality. Join this intimate conversation as we officially open Inkwell Beach- Cannes and celebrate FIVE years of not just talking about it, but being about it!

Disruptive by Design: Owning the Narrative and Making A Global Impact

From building products for a billion users, to creating award–winning content for fans around the world to having a meaningful conversation with the person next to you, owning and curating an authentic narrative is essential to being successful in any industry. Join Google’s Vice President, Diversity Partnerships and Engagements, Valeisha Butterfield Jones; and world renowned DJ, producer and cultural catalyst D-Nice as they discuss the power of owning one’s voice and elevating diverse perspectives to drive impact and inspire others.

The Future is Black: The Next Generation of Talent Can’t Wait

Developing and nurturing Black talent has been a topic of conversation in
organizations for decades. The marketing, advertising and creative
industries have made strides, but with very little movement at senior
leadership levels. How do organizations prepare and support Black talent
that allows them to reach levels where they can make the most impact for
organizations? Hear how The BECA Playbook is reimagining the careers of
mid-career Black marketers for a path toward CMOs and CXOs.

Equipping Adland Ecosystems For Radical DEI Accountability + Action

Pledges have been made. Black squares posted. And yet, a day in adland remains unchanged:

Agencies laying off minority talent they vowed to hire and promote amid shaky market conditions.
Brands demanding access to communities while limiting investments to understand those communities—opting for performative programming under blistering timelines and stereotypical casting parameters (AKA “Not sure about a Black man with blue eyes for this. Seems unusual.”).
Trade press highlighting DEI initiatives with no due diligence to see whether the very people those programs are meant to serve are being served while also publishing work and workforce composition data without context for how people are being identified (AKA eyeballing gender/race versus self-reported info). Production and talent houses on the receiving end of unfair policies from partners restricting access for emerging multicultural entities versus larger, established businesses.

Participants will come away from this interactive session with:

Concrete knowledge for who to hold responsible, questions that should be asked of all creative work and creative workforces—and they’ll have activities they can do immediately within their organizations to lead meaningful DEI advancements.
Connections with other renown brand CMOs, agency leaders and production partners we’re peppering into breakout groups for the workshop portion of the session.

The Power of Freedom

This session will examine the power of information, data, and insights to free us from inequity. Against the backdrop of Juneteenth, we will discuss what is our role in ensuring no identities are marginalized and that Black and Brown people have the power to thrive.

Driving Impact through Equitable Business Opportunities: Why it Pays to Pay-It-Forward

Minority-owned businesses contribute $1.8 trillion in annual GDP to the U.S. economy and provide income to millions of workers, yet many minority entrepreneurs do not have access to the marketing tools and resources they need to promote their businesses. Corporations have an opportunity to leverage their resources to accelerate and drive impactful change and growth to traditionally underserved businesses – while driving their own growth.
Stepping in to help close that gap are companies like Spectrum Reach, which supports thousands of diverse, multicultural businesses with millions of dollars’ worth of TV advertising inventory, creative services, and mentoring through its “Pay It Forward” initiative; UniWorld Group, which has worked with The Home Depot to develop the “Retool Your School program” as a way for the company to give back to our nation’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities; and GroupM, whose Media Inclusion Initiative includes a five-percent-pledge for Black, Hispanic, AAPI, & LGBTQ+ communities.
In this session, panelists will discuss the creation of transformational partnerships that can simultaneously empower multicultural small businesses, drive business growth, and inspire like-minded organizations committed to accelerating and driving impactful change and growth to traditionally underserved businesses to join them.

CC:DC's Inkwell Beach