Jason Perelson
Partner at creativeXpeople at Synergy Group
Canberra, Australia

Jason Perelson Interview(s)

PHNX Jury Interview 2024

Why did you think it was important to join the PHNX jury this year?
The PHNX Awards represents everything that should be celebrated about creativity. The impact it has on the world, its effect and its ability to do so much more than shill soft drinks and overpriced sneakers.

The resilience, innovation, depth of skill and passion of the industry in fundamentally moving the world in a positive direction is what I see, and I want to lend my voice to celebrating that.
What do you think of our hybrid jury, featuring creatives but also strategists, clients and people from all corners of the industry?
It is absolutely the way it should be. Creative awards just by creatives is all good and well, but can become a self licking ice cream.

If the work doesn’t evoke a reaction across a range of people, then it’s not truly doing its job. A more democratised view gets more perspectives, which gives me insights and this can only be good for the industry writ large.
What do you think of the idea of free entry until the shortlist stage?
This element makes awards submissions far more accessible. Even small organisations who can’t afford awards, but want to recognise their efforts and their teams are able to do so. Whether that is bowing out at shortlist and celebrating that milestone, or leveraging the submission process to practice, as well as learning the art of distilling your work - these are all huge opportunities for teams globally.
How would you define the perfect PHNX Awards winner?
The perfect winner is one that understands the power of truly trying to solve the problem with insight and research, with a ground breaking creative idea that is armed with a view to effectiveness, and can demonstrate the measure of that impact beyond impressions, reach or other vanity metrics.

Truly breaking ground in how creativity can impact a global good.
What is having the biggest impact on creative trends at the moment?
There are drivers towards higher margins, higher revenue and lower costs which push the larger organisations into delivery and maintenance, while others leverage stunt media to build credibility, but run a business on churn.

The true mega trends of the industry of the future will be on delivering value and impact through strategy and innovation in action, as marketing and retail become part of a production line of process automated generative content.
Who would you nominate as your two or three “creatives of the year”?
I think the true creatives of the year are the unknown and unsung heroes who don’t necessarily have a big, bold market presence or personal brand.

I don’t think I know them. I want to find them and celebrate them, but I would hazard a guess that they live lower in the credits lists of award shows and have the spark of imagination that is set to inspire. And that’s what excites me.
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