Press & Interviews

Meet the Jury Interview
Anders Garde Kongshaug

We are proud to welcome Anders Garde Kongshaug to the jury for the 2026 US International Awards. With more than three decades of experience in film, television, and cultural communication, Anders has produced thousands of video news releases broadcast by global media outlets such as CNN, BBC, MTV, Reuters, and Euronews.

As the most awarded Danish director in tourism film within the CIFFT circuit, his work has played a key role in transforming Copenhagen into a leading international travel destination. From founding Kongshaug Productions in 1987 to shaping large-scale cultural initiatives like the Copenhagen Light Festival, Anders continues to redefine how cities communicate their identity through storytelling.

In this interview, he shares insights into his work in international media, cultural storytelling, and the production of large-scale visual projects, reflecting on key projects, creative risks, and what makes strong corporate storytelling stand out.

Meet the Jury Interview
Issam N. Amrani

We’re pleased to welcome Issam N. Amrani, Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Fledge Brand Consultancy, to the jury of the 2026 US International Awards. With more than 25 years of experience across advertising, brand strategy, and design, Issam has built a career defined by intention. His work spans Africa, the Middle East, and Europe, guiding brands through launches, transformations, and long-term narrative building with a disciplined, story-first approach.

A seasoned judge and creative leader, Issam is known for carving clarity out of complexity—aligning strategy, design, and storytelling into coherent systems that endure beyond campaign cycles. In this interview, Issam shares more about his path, the standards that recognition should reflect, and why the strongest corporate films say less—but mean more.

Meet the Jury Interview
Caio Del Manto 

We’re excited to welcome Caio Del Manto to the jury for the 2026 US International Awards. With over 20 years of experience, Caio has built a career challenging brands to move beyond “safe” advertising. From leading global accounts at agencies like Leo Burnett, Ogilvy, McCann, and Media.Monks to steering brand strategy at Mondelez Latin America, his work spans continents and industries. Today, as Co-Founder and CEO of Euphoria Creative, Caio leads a team of over 60 people in Brazil and Mexico, helping brands like Amazon Music, Netflix, Dove, Hellmann’s, and Twitch escape apathy and spark meaningful behavior change. In this interview, he shares his approach to culturally relevant campaigns, the creative risks worth taking, and what makes a corporate video truly resonate.

Meet the Jury Interview
Eric van den Hoonaard

We're thrilled to welcome Eric van den Hoonaard to the jury for the 2026 US International Awards. A self-proclaimed "late bloomer," Eric traded the agency creative desk for the director's chair and hasn't looked back since. Born in Düsseldorf and shaped by formative years in Cape Town, Eric now calls Berlin home—a journey driven by curiosity and a life philosophy of investing in experiences over things. As a multi-award-winning director, he's mastered the art of writing scenes that leap off the page and onto the screen, working with brands like Adidas, Adobe, Mercedes, and Manscaped. His mission? To create work that polarizes in the best way possible, making audiences laugh until they cry, cry with honest emotion, or see something they've never seen before. In this interview, Eric shares his philosophy on enduring countless "no"s for that one magical "yes," what makes a good corporate video, and the production secret to make it look like a million-dollar project.