The organisers of the Young Lotus Workshop at this week's Asia Pacific Adfest awards have introduced a reality TV element to the competition.The participants, comprising 28 of the most promising young creatives in Asia, will take part in a three-day series of workshops given by some of Asia's most respected advertising professionals. They will then be asked to produce a 60-second commercial and a panel of judges will choose the best three to be broadcast at the Adfest awards.The reality TV element comes in the form of a crew of cameramen who will document the creative process of each of the participants, and their final output will be judged with the evolution from idea to final output taken into account.BBDO Asia, which is co-ordinating the workshop, hopes to sell a half-hour programme to television stations in the area."The Young Lotus Workshop has always had a low profile at the Adfest awards," said Suthisak Sucharittanonta, chairman and CCO of BBDO Bangkok and one of the judges of the competition. "People never recognise what the young creatives are doing so we want to use the footage to engage everyone coming here so that they can recognise the young talent in Asia."The brief for this year's competition will centre on the Thai resort of Pattaya, renowned for its beautiful beaches but more so for sex tourism. "It's about confronting some of the prejudices about Pattaya," said Chris Thomas, chairman and CEO of BBDO Asia Pacific, who is heading the panel of judges. "We want to show that there are some great things to do in Pattaya and that it's not just about go-go girls and bars."The young creatives were selected after winning competitions in their countries."They've been exposed to some of the most experienced creatives and they are going through a 48-hour process of converting an idea into an end-product under the full glare of 1500 of the best people in Asia," Thomas said.The panel of judges will consist of Thomas and Sucharittanonta, along with Peter Souter, deputy chairman and CCO of AMV BBDO London, David Guerrero, chairman and CCO of BBDO Guerrero/Ortega, and Simon Bond, regional director of Proximity Asia.
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