The Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Antibes has seen a party or two in its time — but the UTA & DoorDash Ads Executive Soirée on Tuesday night gave the legendary venue a run for its money, drawing a who’s who of Cannes Lions 2026 power players, star talent and ad industry heavyweights to its famous terrace for a night that was equal parts business and spectacle.
Among the list of power brokers mingling at the UTA & DoorDash Ads Executive Soirée were the likes of UTA CEO David Kramer, UTA COO Bob Roback, UTA chairman Paul Wachter, UTA vice chairman Jay Sures, UTA chief communications officer Cassandra Bujarski, Toby Espinosa, vp of DoorDash Ads, DoorDash chief marketing officer Tim Castree, DoorDash vp of enterprise ad sales Dan Ackerman, Apple senior vp of services and health Eddy Cue — who is the Cannes Lions Entertainment Personality of the year — UTA U.K. head Darnell Strom, Raina Penchansky, co-head of UTA Creators and CEO and co-founder of Digital Brand Architects and Michael Knopf, senior vp of the marketing transformation practice at UTA’s MediaLink.
The brand side was equally well represented, with Behnaz Ghahramani, senior vp of global marketing at Marriott International, Moonbug Entertainment’s head of global business Dan’l Hewitt and Drew Panayiotou, chief marketing and innovation officer at Keurig Dr Pepper, among those working the room.
The celebrity contingent was equally hard to miss. UTA clients Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Elle Fanning, Janelle Monáe, Karlie Kloss and Don Lemon were among those working the terrace, while Alan Cumming — who rocked shorts so effortlessly that at least two people were overheard complimenting his style — and Paris Hilton, who made her entrance by boat, brought their own particular brand of flair. JB Smoove, wearing one of his signature hats, even briefly placed it on this writer’s head to prove that anyone can pull one off.
UTA’s roster of star creators also made a splash at the event, with the likes of Mel Robbins, Quintin Blackwell, Brandon Edelman, aka Bran Flakezz, Connor Wood, aka @fibula and Amiraa Vee schmoozing at the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc. Lindsey Vonn and Draymond Green were among the names imbuing the event with some star power from the world of sports.
Also among the notable talent from the UTA client roster bringing their energy to the Antibes hotel were Ademola Lookman, Aimee Smale, Anthony Ramos, Ashley Graham, Brittany Broski, Clea Shearer, Colin Rosenblum, Connor Wood, David Dobrik, GirlBossTown, Greta Louise Tome, Gstaad Guy, Joanna Teplin, Johnny Harris, Josh Richards, Kara Swisher, Kate Bartlett, Meredith Marks, Olandria Carthen, Samir Chaudry, Serena Kerrigan, Shareef O’Neal and Timothy Simons.
There were many happy guests at the soirée — but there is only one Ludacris. The rapper and actor kicked the party into a higher gear, working the crowd through a set of solo and collaboration hits including “All I Do Is Win,” “Act a Fool,” “Area Codes,” “Break Your Heart” and “Tonight (I’m Lovin’ You)” that had even the roped-off VIP section moving
Ludacris also charmed the crowd with compliments for UTA and the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc, and reminded the audience that he has featured in seven Fast & Furious movies when he sang “Act a Fool,” a song from 2 Fast 2 Furious, the first movie in the franchise with him appearing as Tej Parker. “Any Fast & Furious fans in the house?!” he asked from the stage, earning some cheers.
Among the food options at the soirée were falafel, mini burgers and salmon on potato cubes. Plus, a caviar station, which even included the option of caviar-topped ice cream for the more adventurous, was a popular spot for partygoers to check out and sample.
Early in the evening, UTA boss Kramer took a moment, despite much demand for his attention, to explain why the firm decided to have its biggest presence ever at Cannes Lions this year. “Our thesis has been for a long time now that the convergence of brands — film, entertainment, sports, music, comedy, fashion, creators, tech — everything was on its way, and I think this year exemplifies that thesis like we’ve never seen before,” he told THR. “We have our biggest presence. We have over 100 agents and executives here at Cannes Lions this year. We have over 125 clients here. Almost every division of the agency is represented. It’s not about one silo or one vertical; it’s about all of these different groups and how they work together, certainly in terms of how they interact with brands. We built out our culture of collaboration, and you’re seeing it in action right now.”
His team’s goal with its UTA Beach venue for Cannes Lions was to make meetings simple and open up opportunities. “We built a two-story structure, and there are thousands of people coming through there throughout the week,” Kramer shared. “The efficiency of being here with all these different companies and all this different talent means that every Cannes Lions day is like a dog year. One day feels like 10 days.”
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