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Storytelling In War Time: A Conversation With Ukrainian and American Creatives

How can we leverage the power of storytelling to foster understanding amid global challenges, historical shifts and war? Join us for a discussion between Ukrainian and American creative leaders exploring fresh narratives amidst new challenges. 

We will speak to Yaroslav Turbil, co-founder of BRAND UKRAINE and Head of Ukraine.ua, about his mission to make Ukraine a lovemark for people worldwide. We will also chat with Danielle Hawley, Global Executive Creative Director at Uber, about the thinking behind Uber’s campaign “Keep Ukraine Moving” and why she chose to work with Ukrainian creative agency Banda for the effort. We will talk with Banda representatives Rick Serdiuk and Alesia Bondar to hear how their team has evolved the work flow to keep working and creating. Learn about the backstage of creative work under threat, ask questions and engage with the speakers, and explore how the world can support and tap into Ukraine's incredible creative talent pool. 

Join us on April 26th for our first session of the series: Storytelling In War Time: A Conversation With Ukrainian and American Creatives Our panelists will share their practical experience and insights on preserving stories in times of chaos, and uncover how narratives can shift the tides of war.

If you wish to engage with the speakers directly, actively participate in the webinar and Q&A, and stay informed about upcoming events part of the series please register below. Deadline to register: April 26th, 5 PM Kyiv time.

📍 CREATIVE RESILIENCE IN A TIME OF WAR is a series of streamed online discussions between Ukrainian and American creatives in design, advertising & culture on the necessity and challenge of creative work during the war in Ukraine.

Read more about this program here.

About Speakers:

Yaroslav Turbil. Head of Ukraine.ua and co-founder of BRAND UKRAINE, leading the digital team behind Ukraine's official platforms to communicate and interact with international audiences worldwide with a regular audience of over 2 million people. 

Danielle Hawley. Global Executive Creative Director at Uber | After a long stint on the agency side, Danielle is now the Global Executive Creative Director at Uber where she leads all creative efforts globally for Uber, Uber Eats, Uber for Business, Uber Freight and Performance Marketing. Since at Uber, Danielle has been on a mission to rebuild the trust and reputation of the company with work such as, Delete Uber, Vaccinate the Block, Protect, Tonight I’ll be Eating and Uber Don’t Eats — which earned 3 Bronze film Lions at Cannes and 2 silvers at the One Show. Danielle is a master at creating experiences that keep the promises brands make, through the power of emotional storytelling and data-enabled creativity.

Rick Serdiuk. Creative Director at Banda | Rick is a co-founder and Creative Director of banda, a record-breaking Ukrainian creative agency. His work has been recognized in award shows and press, including Cannes, Effies, Red Dot, Clio, D&AD, Epica, ADC, the Golden Drum, BBC, CNN, NBC News, Forbes, Adweek, AdAge, Fast Company, and others. During the Maidan events in Ukraine in 2014, Rick and his partners created the "I am a drop in the ocean" campaign, which became known as the symbol of the Ukrainian Revolution. On the request of the Ukrainian President's Office, in 2022, Rick's agency created the global campaign Be Brave Like Ukraine, the country’s biggest advertising campaign to date. This was broadcast in 19 countries and 140 cities on 10,000 screens and gained 2 billion impressions. One of Rick's most recent projects is Keep Ukraine Moving, a global Uber campaign to raise funds to purchase ambulances for the people of Ukraine. The campaign has raised $8.4 million.

Alesia Bondar. Copywriter at Banda | Alesia Bondar is a creative copywriter from Ukraine who is currently based in Berlin. She works at the Ukrainian creative agency banda and enjoys creating meaningful campaigns. Some of her recent works include the global fundraising Uber campaign 'Keep Ukraine Moving' and the launch of the Ukrainian mental health program 'How Are You?'. Alesia believes that creativity helps us cope with difficult emotions, especially during times of war.

About the organizers:

Through the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine, IREX administers America House, the main resource for American culture, education, and information in Ukraine. America House implements a wide range of virtual and in-person programs, fosters discussion and debate, provides opportunities for building professional and personal skills, and sparks creativity and collaboration around shared Ukrainian and U.S. values.

American strategists Izzy Chan and Kiersten Hazard are passionate about fostering conversations that fuel creativity and understanding. You can find out more about their work at linkedin.com/in/izzychan and linkedin.com/in/kierstenhazard.


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