The third and fourth episodes of CICLOPE Insights featured conversations about the future of our creative industries as the world emerges from quarantine. From the importance of comedy during troubled times to the anticipation of changes in award show categories, it is always valuable to hear what the experts say about how they are managing and what they expect in the months ahead.

For the third episode of CICLOPE Insights, Jason Stone spoke with American filmmaker, Bobby Farrelly. Bobby, along with his brother Peter, are responsible for iconic comedies such as Dumb & Dumber and There’s Something About Mary. Jason and Bobby’s conversation was all about the role of comedy, in life, in film, and in advertising. Considering the Farrelly brother movies, it’s no surprise that Bobby mines inspiration for his humorous scripts in common human experiences. “Laughter is therapeutic, it’s cathartic,” he proclaimed. Bobby also mentioned that he and his brother have been writing various scripts throughout their quarantine, including a Broadway adaptation of There’s Something About Mary. Watch the full conversation here.

The fourth episode featured an international panel including Diane Jackson (Chief Production Officer, DDB Chicago), Shannon Lewis (Executive Producer, Passion Animation Studios), and James Razzall (President, Framestore). Ed Sayers (Director and founder of straight 8) moderated the conversation about the road to recovery for the advertising and entertainment industries as the global landscape continues to shift. The panelists expressed hope and optimism about the future for these creative industries. They noted that the spirit of collaboration born out of everyone trying to navigate the pandemic has led to constructive and open conversations, with a greater emphasis on diversity than ever before. “[The pandemic] was a springboard to change we need in the industry,” Razzall said. Sayers concluded the conversation by likening the past few months to a forest fire, but with the forward-thinking expressed by the panelists, now the rain has come. “If we can do amazing things when we have to be reactive like we’ve had to be, then why can’t we do amazing things together and fix all the things that need fixing anyways?” Watch the full conversation here.