KATHMANDU: Setting a new benchmark for all creative designers in the country, Bidhan Rajbhandari is the first Nepali to qualify for

the ‘Cannes International Festival of Creativity’, which will be held in Palais Des Festival, Cannes, France from today till June 23, 2012.

Rajbhandari says, “I’m excited to be representing my country in the global arena of advertising and equally delighted about meeting prominent speakers like Bill Clinton, the former US President, and Paul Adams, global head of brand design at Facebook. They will speak on ‘How advertising can help build a better world’ and ‘The psychology of sharing’ respectively.”

A strong believer of ‘Where there is a will, there is a way’, he says, “Despite the limit-ations and lack of represent-atives in our country for ‘Cannes Young Lions’ (the term given to the represent-atives in the Cannes ads fest), I managed to get my spot

all due to determination, perseverance and patience.”

In Nepal, most people working in the industry lack opportunities to build their skills at the professional level. In this scenario, Rajbhandari aims to be an agent of change or at least a catalyst for growth. Moreover, being the first ‘Cannes Young Lions’ from Nepal, he feels he now has an added responsibility to share his experiences and encourage young talent in the nation.

While stating that Nepal is still an immature and convention ruled market, he believes there is a scope for exponential growth by

embracing radical approaches in advertising. Rajbhandari adds, “Our country has great art, history, culture, tradition and ethnic and

economic diversity, which offer greater possibilities for uniqueness if practiced and performed with professionalism.” According to him,

advertising has become a profession in Nepal, but still lacks professionalism. He adds, “I work in creative advertising because I truly believe in the power of ideas, not just because I have the necessary skills to get the job done. Despite new challenges and deadlines to meet every day, there is an unparalleled satisfaction in being able to deliver quality work.”

With a post graduate degree in marketing from Tribhuvan University in 2008, Rajbhandari started his career as a marketeer for organisations like Mercantile Communications, MARS Advertising and Thompson Nepal. Since 2009, he has been associated with TBWA as its

associate creative director and oversees advertisements and brand communications of clients including Etihad Airlines, Standard Chartered Bank, Skoda, Yamaha and Toshiba, among others.

Rajbhandari has bagged numerous awards over the years, most notably the ‘Design and Communication Scholarship’ from the Indian Embassy in 2006 and ‘Best Creative Youth’ awarded by Advertising Association of Nepal in February this year. The Crity Award qualified him to participate in Thailand in March, where he competed with representatives from 18 countries. This exposure gave him the confidence to apply for the Cannes International Festival of Creativity.

Rajbhandari says, “Taking classes and training from advertising veterans from around the world at Cannes and competing on the global platform is the main reason I’m participating. Besides adding to my experience and achievements, I hope I will do my country proud.”