Creators and brands have spent a decade trying to work out how to be in the same room without it feeling forced. At Cannes Lions 2026, the LIONS Creators stage made the case that the answer is less advertising, more entertainment.
A Match Made in Cannes: UK Creator Showcase
Part of the LIONS Creators programme, the UK Creator Showcase was built as an interactive session — live captioning in 60 languages, a format designed to put creators and brands in the same conversation rather than at opposite ends of a brief.
Moderating was TikTok's Beatrice Mustocea, Creator & Public Figures Lead, alongside Madolyn Grove, Head of Creators and Entertainment at TikTok UK — two people who spend their working days at the exact point where entertainment, creators and advertising collide.
The throughline: done well, a creator partnership isn't a media buy gussied up as content. It's a casting decision. Get the match right and the brand and the creator make each other better. Get it wrong and everyone can tell within ten seconds.
It's the version of "creator marketing" that respects both sides — and it's where the serious money is heading.
Coming soon to Boringly Effective
We sat down with Beatrice at Cannes to talk about short-form video, creative effectiveness, and the messy intersection of entertainment and advertising from inside the platform.
The interview launches soon. Visit Beatrice's profile and sign up for the newsletter to be first to hear when it lands.