We caught up with, Chantelle Dos Santos, the new Creative Director at Bananas to chat about choosing directors, the marketer relationships that elevate the work, the campaign she wishes she’d made, and why overthinking can quietly kill a great idea.
South Africa picked up a handful of shortlist recognitions at this year’s D&AD Awards, with a Wood Pencil awarded to Accenture Song for Allan Gray’s ‘A Seat at The Table’. Love this work, go team! And while it wasn’t the country’s biggest year at D&AD, getting shortlisted here still means the work stood out among some of the best creative entries in the world.
IDIDTHAT JUDGE MIKE SHARMAN FOUNDER & CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER RETROVIRAL SOUTH AFRICA JUDGE'S BIO Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Retroviral, which has made more brands ‘go viral, [...]
IDIDTHAT JUDGE NEEMA NOUSE CREATIVE DIRECTOR THE ODD NUMBER SOUTH AFRICA JUDGE'S BIO A creative leader with over 10 years of experience, Neema's innate fascination with the human [...]
IDIDTHAT JUDGE MARKUS WORKSTORM COMPOSER, MUSIC SUPERVISOR & FOUNDER OF BIBLO.TV SOUTH AFRICA JUDGE'S BIO Markus is a music producer and film composer operating from a 5.1 studio [...]
IDIDTHAT JUDGE THEMBALETHU MSIBI CO-FOUNDER & CHIEF CREATIVE PARTNER BLACKSWAN SOUTH AFRICA JUDGE'S BIO I am the Co-Founder of BlackSwan, a boutique powerhouse creating magic for various [...]
IDIDTHAT JUDGE LAUREN MEYER CREATIVE DIRECTOR TBWA\ HUNT LASCARIS SOUTH AFRICA JUDGE'S BIO Lauren is a copywriter and writer with an Honours degree in English Literature from Wits [...]
Last night, at a packed Cannes Predictions Dinner hosted by IDIDTHAT in Johannesburg, South Africa’s 2026 Cannes Contenders were revealed live to the industry. And now you can view that work right here.
South Africa came out punching at The One Show Awards 2026, with local agencies, production companies, creatives, marketers, and brands picking up Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Merit recognition across a wide spread of categories. Go team SA! Congratulations to all the South African Pencil and Merit winners. Here’s the work that brought it home.
For 29 years, the Young Director Award has championed emerging directing talent from around the world. But this year, YDA is turning its attention toward a region overflowing with creative energy, cinematic innovation, and stories that continue to shape global culture. Or, in the immortal words of Shakira circa FIFA World Cup 2010, ‘This time for Africa.’
There’s something powerful about women opening doors for other women, especially in an industry where access still shapes who gets seen, heard, and celebrated. This year, Open Chair once again secured passes through the Cannes Lions ERA Programme, sending 14 South African women to Cannes. The Croisette won’t know what hit it.
On Tuesday 19 May, the IDIDTHAT Cannes Predictions Dinner returns, bigger than before, bringing together agencies, marketers, and production partners for the live reveal of South Africa’s Cannes Lions contenders for 2026, as predicted by our judges. Make sure you secure a table for your team.
Best in Craft goes to Greg Gray (Direction) from Romance and Ricky Boyd from Deliverance Post this month. Big cheers, loud applause, and general (Raj) whoohoo-ing all round. This month’s IDIDTHAT.co Craft Awards were judged by two people who know a thing or two about making excellent work; Martin Schlumpf, Executive Creative Director at Joe Public and Chloe Coetsee, Director at Darling Films.
IDIDTHAT JUDGE MARTIN SCHLUMPF EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR JOE PUBLIC SOUTH AFRICA JUDGE'S BIO Martin Schlumpf is the Executive Creative Director at Joe Public South Africa. He believes that [...]
IDIDTHAT JUDGE CHLOE COETSEE DIRECTOR DARLING FILMS SOUTH AFRICA JUDGE'S BIO Chloe makes ads, mostly funny ones, you may have seen a couple. She enjoys this along with [...]
Every month, South Africa’s top creative and production talent help us crown the best in local craft. Now, after a full year of judging, the numbers are in and the official IDIDTHAT Craft Awards Rankings for 2025 are here. From directors and DOPs to editors, sound studios and VFX artists, this is the leaderboard of the teams consistently producing the industry’s most awarded and admired work. Now you know who to work with next!
Top South African editor Xander Vander has launched GOOD EDIT, a boutique offline editing house built around a simple idea: Let's focus on the edit.
For years now, IDIDTHAT has brought together a select group of the industry’s sharpest minds to review the South African work entered into Cannes Lions and to call, ahead of the world, what they believe will rise on the global stage. Here's who's doing South Africa's predicting this year.
After 30 years in the industry, more than 250 Cannes Lions, and a run leading Ogilvy Asia Pacific to seven consecutive Creative Network of the Year titles, Eugene Cheong, has published a 13,000-word HANDWRITTEN book, ‘Cowards Don’t Go To Heaven’.
South Africa is showing up strong at the The One Show, leading the Middle East and Africa region with 48 finalists. From agencies to production and post, the work is cutting through for Team SA, and with every finalist guaranteed a Pencil or Merit, it’s already a big win.