See It, Be It 2024: Palak Kapadia
Palak Kapadia believes in the power of female community. While popular narratives may try to pit women against each other, Palak’s experience has been one of mutual support and empowerment as the women in her life and work have striven to lift each other up. As a copywriter and participant in the Cannes Lions See It, Be It 2024 scheme, Palak has navigated her career with the support of inspiring women and a determination to lift others as she climbs. Her experiences have taught her the value of mentorship, diversity, and self-advocacy, shaping her approach to both life and work.
Palak is also a great advocate for backing oneself and one’s opinion - an unpopular or difficult perspective that comes from a real place is far better than simply blending into the background. But by staying true to herself, Palak has been able to tap into her own perspectives having lived on three continents and experienced the immigrant journey to reach out and connect through her work and her mentorship of others.
See it
Tell us about a woman who has inspired you in your career...
I have had the good fortune of working with a lot of incredible women, but if I had to pick one it would be Sakshi Choudhary. Sakshi is currently a Group Creative Director at Ogilvy Chicago. I met her because she taught some of my friends back in ad school — an encounter I’ll always be grateful for because my career wouldn’t remotely be the same without her.
Sakshi is the founder of Indian Creative Women, a platform that promotes gender diversity in the Indian advertising and design industry through actionable solutions for a community of 3000+ women. From getting my first portfolio (when it wasn’t even a portfolio, it was a deck!) in front of some of the biggest names in advertising to helping me navigate the immigrant experience when I moved to New York and most recently, mentoring me for my See It Be It application — she’s held my hand through it all.
Sakshi has never directly been my professor. I have never worked with her. She has no reason to be so nice to me — except that this is just the person she is. She has the biggest heart coupled with the tenacity to genuinely make a difference. She inspires me so much. Her career is the perfect example of rising up and reaching back. And I aspire to it every day!
Be it
How have you incorporated the lessons and insights you gained from women in your life and in creative/professional fields into how you approach life and your career?
Growing up, I was constantly surrounded by a narrative of women being pit against each other. And yet, in every season of my life, I’ve met women who lifted me up — from my mom who gave everything she had to raise me into the best version of myself, English teachers who knew I was a writer long before I did to mentors who constantly held doors open for me.
Some of my closest friends in this industry are creative women who were packaged to me as competition or a threat. When in reality, we’ve been each other’s advocates, cheerleaders, and constant vocal supporters.
It took me entirely too long to realize that the voices pitting us against each other have never been our own. As women, we have an instinct to build each other up far more than tear down. It’s the odds that make it look like there’s space for just one of us at the top. But there can be space for all of us — and I can’t wait to help make it.
Do it
How does that translate into the work? Tell us about some of the campaigns you've been involved in that you're really proud of. What challenges did you overcome to bring them to life?
A recent piece of work I’m proud of is a film for The Creative Ladder, made as a part of Young Lions competition 2023.
And the reason why I love it so much is because we were a team of just two creatives who made this in one week with zero resources.
Creative Ladder is an organization with the mission of making creative careers more accessible. For the US Young Lions competition, they tasked us with creating a film introducing high school students to the many creative careers out there to find their calling.
Our work was rooted in the insight that there isn't enough awareness about creative careers because there is no visibility. So we picked an iconic moment in pop culture, Rihanna's halftime show at the Super Bowl, to spotlight not just the creative on stage, but all the creatives in the wings—strategists, copywriters, video editors, social media managers. It was every bit their Super Bowl performance as well.
Throughout the film, we were extremely mindful of showcasing talent from diverse backgrounds so every high school student watching could know that it was possible for someone who looked and sounded like them.
It won a Gold in the US competition, granting us the opportunity to participate in the global competition at Cannes last year. There, we created a second film on-ground in 48 hours that won a Bronze.
Share it
What messages or words of advice do you have for the next generation of women coming into the industry? And tell us about anything that you do to support and lift up women in the industry
Don’t be afraid to use your voice. Even if it is the unpopular opinion. Even if you have an accent. Even if, even if, even if.
I constantly have to remind myself of this too, because it’s so easy to get caught up in trying to conform and blend in. But as a creative, and as a writer even more, you were specifically hired for your voice. It’s frickin’ hard to use your voice when your voice sounds “different” — but that’s also what makes it important, and chances are it’ll help someone feel less alone.
To help elevate the next generation of creatives, I have volunteered as a teacher with The Workshop, a 100% free portfolio program designed to help diverse creatives break or pivot into the industry. At Amazon Brand Innovation Lab, I help high school apprentices from non-traditional backgrounds learn copywriting and build their portfolios.
Having lived and worked on three continents, I’m all too familiar with the concept of being the ‘other’ and I love to help other international creatives navigate their immigration journeys.
My eventual vision is to create a community of desi women supporting each other through the immigrant brown experience—working through immigration challenges, gaining visibility in the workplace, or simply unlearning internalized taboos designed to keep us small. I'd love for this to be a source of sisterhood for women in advertising as well as the next generation of creative leaders.
See It Be It is a LIONS initiative aiming to achieve equal gender representation among creative directors and leaders across the global industry. The programme is open to all women, trans-identifying and non-binary people. For any enquiries, please get in touch at seeitbeit@canneslions.com.
Further information on applying for See It Be It 2025 can be found here.
