Meet the man behind Cannes Lions’ most exclusive parties
By Krystal Scanlon • June 16, 2025 •
Unik Ernest doesn’t exactly fit the mold of Cannes’ archetypal power broker. Tall, reserved, more listener than talker — he doesn’t shout status. But on the Croisette some call him the fixer. Spend five minutes at one of his parties and it becomes clear why.
“The first Cannes Lion party I did was for Paris Hilton, and Nike paid for that party,” he said. “I remember another time Pepsi wanted to break into the electronic dance music scene, so I put on an event for them: I rented out a castle in St Tropez and hired Steve Angello from Swedish House Mafia to DJ.”
Over time, Ernest has built a business around creating access — and doing it quality. Whether it’s flying private with Hollywood star Mark Wahlberg or arranging spa weekends for tech CEOs, the headline moments aren’t the point. What stands out is how he runs the room. He greets guests himself. He remembers names. He stays long after the music starts.
“His events feel like you’re coming home for a reunion, he wants you to feel seen,” said Lorna Montalvo, founder of boutique agency The Wolf Effect, who has known Ernest for the past six years and attended a number of his U.S. and Cannes Lions events.
It’s a philosophy that travels — across industries, across continents. Over the years, he’s hosted everyone from Prince to Spike Lee. The crowd shifts but the through line status is the same: make people feel like they matter.
“Prince came to my events all the time, and drank an absurdly expensive wine which wasn’t easy to get hold of, but I’d find a way to make sure we had it,” he recalled. “I’d always get a call from his PA to make sure the bottles were on standby for his arrival.”
Getting those kinds of details right is the job. But what Ernest brings is harder to quantify — a kind of intuition, the ability to read a room without having to own it.
“I walked into this intimate venue with a couple of friends and it just so happened to be Post Malone’s after party following his set at the Cannes Lions Spotify event,” said long-term friend Adrienne Lahens, who has known Ernest for over two decades. “He will always make you feel comfortable and welcome, and treats everyone equally. He is very inclusive. Unik is so low-key, he didn’t even tell me Post Malone was there, he just said, ‘swing by, it’s a great night’.”
The polish belies a humbler origin story.
Born in Haiti, Ernest entered the hospitality business in his late teens as a restaurant worker at Shabben at the Marlin Hotel in Miami, which was owned by Island Records founder Chris Blackwell. From there, he spent four years as a promoter for actor Mickey Rourke’s dive bar club, The Spot, before moving to New York to work the party circuit. Eventually, he opened his own bi-level lounge, Club PM, and built the foundation for what would become his global network.
“Everybody attended that place, from Penelope Cruz to Bono, Richard Branson to Bill Gates and the Pussycat Dolls,” Ernest said.
Lahens remembers it as a defining time, the height of the Meatpacking District’s nightlife in the early aughts.
“It was the hottest club in the city,” she said. “Unik’s got a really great ability to bring together such an interesting and diverse group of people. I’ve met so many dear friends through those circles that I’m still very close with to this day. He’s a master connector.”
That global exposure gave Ernest a sense of how people connect — and where culture fits into the equation. It’s ultimately what led him to launch Culturin in 2024, a media and travel company that blends brand storytelling, cultural insight and local knowledge across campaigns, content and activations.
Now, he’s looking to go deeper.
Later this year, he plans to open what he calls his legacy project: a hybrid restaurant, cocktail lounge and museum in Miami, with ambitions to expand across the U.S and beyond.
“I always say it’s God’s work,” Ernest explained. “I work hard, but I’m also at the right places at the right time. Everything I’ve done, where I am today, I’ve earned it. But I also know what I have today could be gone tomorrow. So I have to always stay on course.”
Staying on course, though, isn’t simple. The world’s changed — geographically, culturally, economically. Extravagance is harder to justify. Ernest has already felt the shift during and between events like the Cannes Film Festival and the Monaco Grand Prix, where the mood was more muted than in past years.
Or as he put it: “you can see there’s a lack of activities.”
Still, betting on Ernest has been a smart play. He’s built a business on being exactly where he needs to be.
“What I’m doing right now is no accident, it’s part of the process. I really see growth in my business because I don’t limit myself,” Ernest said. “My career is just getting started.”
https://digiday.com/?p=580868
