This month in Cannes, France, is the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity. The four-day event champions creative excellence and promotes creativity that drives progress. At the VO Château, we know that creativity is what makes the world go round– and we’re proud to have a team that can connect you to talent that will make your projects a creative success. 

At the front of these efforts is our Head of Casting, Aya Maruyama, who previously attended the Cannes Lions Festival Of Creativity. While studying at the University of Georgia, Aya had the opportunity to attend the festival and gain insights into the industry.

For Aya, the festival was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience and easily one of the biggest highlights of her collegiate career. There, she had the opportunity to meet with some of the biggest players in the entertainment, advertising, and communications industry worldwide.

Where else could you spend the evening on a yacht with the CEO of Pandora and other key members of their advertising team, participate in an intimate Q&A with major creative agencies like the CMO of Wieden+Kennedy, and mingle with the Spotify executive and marketing team on their networking beach? Not to mention, she had the pleasure of meeting Ellen Pompeo, Sophia Bush, Conan O’Brien, and Shaquille O’Neill (to name a few) as well as seeing, studying, and attending the Award Show for the world’s best advertising and media campaigns.

Turning Creativity into a Career 

In addition to its unique events and star-studded guest list, the festival provides a place for creatives to come to talk about the industry with each other. There, Aya learned from experienced industry leaders about the importance of audio in the execution of successful campaigns. 

Now, as the Head of Casting, she’s come to realize just how true that is. While Aya’s experience at the festival solidified her desire to work in a related field, her role at Celia Siegel Management has allowed her to realize those dreams. 

“My job is to connect brands and campaigns with the perfect voice for their project, taking into consideration their ideal age, ethnicity, vocal quality, and delivery, and making sure it resonates with their intended audience, whether that’s locally, regionally, nationally and worldwide,” says Aya, “and there’s nothing more fulfilling than getting it right. It’s truly a win-win-win feeling: a win for successfully servicing the client, a win for securing a job for my talent, and a personal win for me.” 

Our team at the VO Château is committed to pairing you with the perfect voice for your project. If you send us the details of your project, we’ll respond promptly with custom auditions from our VO Château and/or Global Château roster to help streamline the talent decision-making process and help you find the voice actor that can make your vision and your message come to life. 

For Aya, every booking matters. Whether it’s for an internal pitch or a global media campaign, she and our team at the VO Château are ready to help you move your creativity forward. Get in touch with us today!