Media Jury President Mark Holden Talks Life & Feeding His Mind Ahead of Eurobest

As Mark Holden, Worldwide Strategy & Planning Director at PHD, takes position as president at the upcoming Eurobest Festival, he offers his thoughts on life, discovery and feeding his mind. 

When I think about the person I would like to be when I am 70 it isn’t necessarily about financial-wealth. It is about mental-wealth. About having had many experiences in my life, and having experienced many things. This, surely, is a greater wealth to aspire to have. 

But, perhaps, even more than that, the actual impulse to want to find out more is a mental-wealth in itself. The people that I know which are voraciously curious about life are the most happy – I bet there would be a nice correlation between curiosity and happiness levels.

That is why the theme of discovery is so important – discovery is the antidote to curiosity. And, on that basis, discovery should be an essential part of our day to day lives – alongside eating, sleeping and exercise. 

And of course, it should be built into our working life.

Award shows are the soup-kitchens for ad-folk in need of inspiration – where we can feed our minds on the thoughts and ideas of others.

And that is how I would like to frame these awards. 

I would like us to look at the work with hungry minds and to be genuinely curious about what has been created – to really ‘go there’ and get into the heads of the people behind the work. 

From that position I believe we are best able to judge what represents exceptional work. 

And, from that position, we are best able to let the work invigorate us – and hopefully leave us a little changed from the experience.

Worldwide Strategy & Planning Director at PHD Mark Holden is president of the Media jury at this year’s Eurobest Festival of Creativity which takes place from 1-3 December in Helsinki, Finland. Further information on how to enter or attend can be found at www.eurobest.com.