Bianca Dumitrascu and Razvan Ghilencea from The Alternative School bring Cannes’  Gold in Romania

The Alternative’s team Bianca Dumitrascu and Razvan Ghilencea (FlipSters) received Gold in Cannes and applause from thousands of delegates from all over the world after winning the 24 hours Cyber Young Lions competition. They were awarded during the Gala that designated the winners in Press, Design, Product Design, Radio& Cyber competitions.

There were some super intense hours, with many feelings flooding together. Because we started set on competition and we pressured ourselves a lot. We couldn’t chose an idea and work with it. Than we decided to change strategy and do it for ourselves. And it worked

Bianca and Razvan

The 2 solved the brief The Fred Hollows Foundation, an NGO specialized in ocular health. The 38 teams represented by as many countries with tradition in communication had to present the idea and the solution for an integrated digital campaign that would raise awareness over the fact that 80% of blindness cases at global level can be treated or prevented.

Their idea – The BlindShopping –  was activating eBay as reference platform to show how complicated can be shopping for blind people, attracting the attention, empathy and support of those visiting the website. Their solution was chosen as the best interpretation for the brief by the jury that evaluated the entire Cyber category at 2014 edition of the festival.

The president of the jury was Susan Bonds, Chief Executive Officer 42 Entertainment.

The other participants in Young Lions Cyber competition were teams from Contrapunto BBDO, Grey Melbourne, Isobar, Leo Burnett Toronto, Razorfish Shanghai, Leo Burnett France, TBWA Helsinki, Mobius Mobile, Party Japan, Kitchen Norway, Havas Switzerland, Dutch Young Creatives, Digitas LBI USA, Conill Advertising USA and Forsman & Bodenfors Suedia (the same agency who’s seniors team scooped 2014’s Grand Prix in Cyber).

After two months of intense trainings on briefs with vary profiles, FlipSters team was selected following the local profile competition within The Alternative School for Creative Thinking, and its presence in Cannes was possible due to the support received from PITECH+PLUS / ACADEMY+PLUS, founded by Bogdan Herea.

When I found out about the opportunity to support the Cyber category from Cannes, I instantly joined it. At my turn, through ACADEMY+PLUS, I aim to achieve the same type of performances in Romanian creativity with application in soft area and declination in entrepreneurship. I didn’t have expectations, because the most important thing was the access to information and specializations, but I am absolutely thrilled with the result of the competition

Bogdan Herea,

CEO PITECH+PLUS / ACADEMY+PLUS & supporter of Cyber category

When the Alternativ team from Bokeh (Natalia Sfetcu / Alex Haidamac) won, last year, Gold in Design, it was an undescribable happiness. There were moments when I asked how many generation will pass until we will have, at The Alternative School, a distinction as important. But because The Alternative School isn’t about prizes but mostly about evolution and about raising of a different generation of thinkers in creative disciplines, when I returned from Cannes, in 2013, I only told myself that I have to choose competitional sections that I find fundamental for the development of the industry (Design, Cyber, PR) and to prepare beautiful people, so the life in this community would be a joy. The award received by Bianca and Razvan, following a competition in which were involved 37 other teams representing the most influential digital agencies of the world, it’s an immense relief and a huge obligation. Because, together with Bokeh, they turned Gold into a standard

Teodora Migdalovici,

Founder The Alternative School and ambassador Cannes Lions in Romania

In 2014, at the events dedicated to juniors-seniors in cannes, 3 Romanian teams were present in competitions and 2 in Academies (The Storytelling Academy, Roger Hatchuel Academy).

The financial support for young Romanians specialization to the festival was offered by PITECH+PLUS, Renania, UniCredit Tiriac Bank and MiniPRIX.

For over 9 years, The Alternative School for Creative Thinking is the only educational platform that offers hundreds of young people with passion for the communication industry study and competitional opportunities at international level. Over the time, more than 250 Alternative students represented Romania at Cannes, Eurobest and Dubai Lynx, many returning back home with Gold, Grand Prix, Bronze or Order of Merit from the competitions they were involved initially in or afterwards, as a result of the experience achieved following interacting with festival presented information