Cannes Lion Festival Study Abroad Spotlight
by Alyssa Koplon
The following interview is with Carly Rohrer, a third-year Advertising student, who attended the Cannes Lions Festival through Grady this past summer.
Q: Why did you choose this program?
Carly Rohrer at the Cannes Lion Festival
A: “I chose the Cannes Lions Program because I wanted to encounter advertising in the real world and on a global scale. In addition, I wanted to form relationships with Grady professors since I knew that I could continue these relationships throughout the rest of my time at UGA. I have always dreamt of studying abroad and I thought that going through Grady was the best way to advance my career while also achieving my goals of traveling the world.”
“I also loved that my peers in the program were in the same field as me so we could create connections with each other for the future. I’m big on connecting, from networking with my peers to business professionals. The Cannes Lion Festival was perfect for me because it provides endless opportunities for networking.
Q: How did you grow your advertising and PR skill set?
A: “The festival was abundant in speakers who came to give presentations and I learned so much wisdom from each. I got to attend talks from the chief marketing officers of massive companies, Elon Musk, social influencers like Jake Shane and Alex Earle and even athletes such as Travis Kelse. Seeing these professionals apply advertising in their careers helped me to see how my education can translate to the real world.”
Q: What was your favorite speaker or brand?
A: “Personally I am a big sports fan so I had a great time attending Sports Beach which was presented by Stagwell. I spent most of my time at Sport Beach learning from various athletes, the chief marketing officers and the people behind all the advertising in the sports world. I took away information that I will carry with me throughout the rest of my career. I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to learn from these professionals.”
Q: How would one go about applying?
A: “I found this program through the UGA Study Away website. There is an application on the site and you can apply there easily. They also hold a short interview following your application.”
