Jury Insights – Interview with Nobuhiro Arai

This “Jury Insights” entry features Nobuhiro Arai, Executive Creative Director at AKQA Tokyo, who joins this year's Cannes Corporate Media & TV Awards jury.

His career began at Hakuhodo and TBWA\HAKUHODO before he joined AKQA, where the fusion of technology and creativity reshaped his approach as a creative. Along the way, his work has earned numerous international awards, and he was named to Campaign's 40 Under 40.

In this conversation, he talks about the entries that leaned too heavily on craft at the expense of emotional connection this year, and why an award-winning piece is one that plants something in the viewer's mind long after judging ends. He also explains why putting real human experience at the center of a film is what makes it stay with an audience, and makes the case for the financial industry as the one most in need of a human story about money.

“It comes down to what lingers after the screen goes dark.” – Nobuhiro Arai

Q: Can you tell us a little about your professional journey? What has been the most defining moment of your career so far?

My career began in Japan's advertising industry at Hakuhodo, followed by TBWA\HAKUHODO, before taking on my current role as Executive Creative Director at AKQA Tokyo. Working across both Japanese and global agencies has significantly broadened my creative perspective over the years. The most defining moment of my career was joining AKQA. It opened my eyes to a new possibility — the fusion of technology and creativity — that transcended the boundaries of traditional advertising. That shift fundamentally changed who I am as a creative.

Q: Has participating in the jury changed the way you view your own work or the industry?

Absolutely. The world of corporate film and documentary storytelling exists outside the conventional boundaries of advertising, and within it lies a raw and honest power of storytelling. Because the purpose is not to sell, the human truth and the philosophy of a company come through more authentically. Participating in this jury has prompted me to revisit the very essence of what it means to communicate — and that has directly influenced the way I approach my own work.

Q: What are your impressions of this year's entries? Are there any trends or approaches that have caught your attention?

The overall technical quality of this year's entries was remarkably high. However, some works leaned too heavily on craft and technical execution, at the expense of emotional connection. What stood out most were the entries built on simple, honest concepts — executed with care and sincerity. I also noticed a growing number of works exploring themes of sustainability and human connection, which felt very much in tune with the times.

Q: In your view, what distinguishes a good entry from an award-winning one?

For me, it comes down to what lingers after the screen goes dark. A good entry is technically accomplished and communicates its message clearly. But an award-winning piece goes further — it plants something in the viewer's mind that resurfaces long after the judging is over. That quiet, lasting resonance is what I believe truly deserves recognition.

Q: What does a corporate film need to have for it to stay in your mind long after the judging is over?

It needs to put people at the center. Whether a film is exploring a company's philosophy or its latest technology, the presence of real human breath — lived experience, emotion, vulnerability — determines how deeply it stays with you. Beyond that, it's about craft: the rhythm of the edit, the relationship between image and sound. These details shape how a film embeds itself in memory, and the best works leave you feeling something you can't quite name.

Q: If you could see one industry (e.g. Finance, Tech, Pharma) completely reinvent the way it tells its stories, which would it be—and why?

The financial industry. Despite dealing with numbers and trust — things that sit at the very heart of people's dreams, lives, and futures — financial communication remains largely conservative and emotionally distant. Money is deeply personal. It connects to ambition, family, fear, and hope. It deserves to be told as a human story. When that reinvention happens, I believe financial communication will transform overnight — and the world will be better for it.

Q: As a jury member, what do you believe is the true value of awards, and why are platforms like the Cannes Corporate Media & TV Awards important for the industry?

The true value of awards lies in making standards visible. They give the industry a shared reference point for what excellence looks like, and they give the next generation of creatives something to aspire to. The Cannes Corporate Media & TV Awards shines a light on visual creativity that exists beyond the world of advertising — a space I myself wasn't fully aware of before joining this jury. Through the process of judging, I encountered the remarkable power of corporate filmmaking from around the world, and it gave me a new kind of inspiration.

Platforms that create these kinds of discoveries and encounters are genuinely invaluable to the industry.