Yahoo7 Platforms’ Digital Stars Program to send winner Josh Reiri-Allen to NYC to attend Ad Week

Yahoo Platforms has named budding New Zealand digital media talent Josh Reiri-Allen, senior digital manager at Carat, as the winner of its 2017 Digital Stars program.

Taking out the top prize from a record number of submissions, Reiri-Allen will soon jet off to NYC to attend Advertising Week, billed as the world’s premier event for marketing, brand, advertising and technology professionals, courtesy of Yahoo Platforms. 

A number of finalists fought it out for the winners’ titles, facing off in a debate which played off the disciplines of ‘Data’, ‘Content’ and ‘Tech’. Judges also recognised two other New Zealand contestants as highly commended for their exceptional entries in the 2017 program; Kevin Joubin, programmatic trader at PHD, and Lucy Columbus, digital media planner at KBR Digital New Zealand.

Now in its sixth year, Yahoo Platforms’ Digital Stars program recognises the best emerging talent in digital media and rewards them with unparalleled access to some of the most respected industry mentors and innovation gatherings across the world.

Says Arnaud Calonne, head of sales at Yahoo Platforms: “We’re proud to foster and reward the growing pool of talent in New Zealand’s media industry as part of our Digital Stars program. The calibre of digital media young guns entering this year was truly exceptional, and I look forward to seeing the impacts this experience will have on Josh in years to come.”

Says Reiri-Allen: “I’m so thankful to Yahoo Platforms for the opportunity to be recognised as a future leader in my industry, and be rewarded with such an invaluable experience. The Digital Stars program is unique in that it champions the voice of the media industry’s young guns, and provides access to an event that many of us would not have until much later in our careers, if at all.”  

This year’s Digital Stars prize includes return flights and accommodation in New York City for the winners, where as delegates at Advertising Week, they will rub shoulders with media giants like Arianna Huffington, co-founder of The Huffington Post, Jayanta Jenkins, global group creative director at Twitter and Melanie Whelan, CEO of SoulCycle. They have also won a photo shoot for professional headshots, a $500 Visa gift card and mentorship opportunities with senior leaders at Yahoo Platforms.

Reiri-Allen will be joined by Sara Hilgendorf, ecosystem planning manager at Carat, Simon Conyard, digital associate manager at MEC, Vartika Arora, campaign engineer at Cadreon and Melissa Lum, digital executive at Mediacom, who took out the Australian Digital Stars prizes.