At 67, the Deputy Mayor of Cannes publishes “You Can Succeed the Impossible,” a coaching course aimed at young people.
Where does this almost superhuman energy, this joy of life, this grand ambition come from? From the first word, the tone is set. Here, Bernard Brochand is in charge. The Deputy Mayor of Cannes is not a man to be walked over. He speaks at a dizzying pace, never stops, always thinks. Small, stocky, discreet, he fills the vast office of the City Hall. His strength of character is evident. “My obsession has always been to have a kind of density. As my mentor Bill Bernbach (founder of the advertising agency DDB, one of the masters of advertising) used to say, ‘Where is the meat, where is the substance?’”. Bernard Brochand does not appear, he is.
Authentic as few are, he speaks non-stop. His speech is well-founded, concise, precise. Simply intelligent. In the office, a brainstorm. On the walls, portraits of his greatest conquest - Cannes. "I came back here to give back to my city what it had given me." For 5 years, Cannes has been tamed.
Cannes, My Love
Moved by so much love, the indomitable finally agreed to make a fresh start. Encountered in a corridor, Toussaint the usher speaks of his Mayor: "He changed everything, absolutely everything. He opened a dialogue with leaders, opened his office to everyone. He wants fresh ideas, creativity. Certainly, his past as an advertiser helps. I have been here for 14 years. Believe me, he is close to 100% for a mayor."
Indeed, the Mayor has undertaken major projects to make his hometown the favored tourist destination outside of the Film Festival. The issue of insecurity, one of the sensitive points, has been resolved thanks to the reorganization of the police forces. Assisted by his team, the former advertiser is adamant about restoring transparency to Cannes. The new "Light Plan" delights the people of Cannes. Nathalie, the secretary, comments: "Have you seen how the city moves? The lights are a marvel!" Alongside her, Toussaint adds: "So much is happening in Cannes! If I had to describe his policy, I would say - creativity, action, reflection. It never stops. The Mayor must be doing 15 hours a day. He is there from 6 AM to 8 PM".
“They’ll call me a nuisance again”
Nothing thus stops Bernard Brochand. Even at the risk of making enemies. “I have plans for the city that go against the Ministry of Culture. They’ll call me a nuisance again. But the value of ideas is crucial!” Four hours of sleep are enough for the Mayor to recover from his long days. He has been accustomed to this since the presidency at DDB. “In the past, I used to spend 150 hours a week on a plane. From Paris, I went to Seoul, then to Shanghai, then to New York, and then to South Africa. Today my schedule is frightening. Meetings, meetings, nothing but meetings…”
Back at home, Bernard Brochand does not rest. "Every evening I watch a movie in the original language so as not to lose my English and Italian, then I read in bed. Four hours of sleep are enough for me." As if he was afraid of being overtaken, of missing something. Yet, the man has seen everything, heard everything. Footballer, ENA graduate, advertiser, president of PSG, co-creator of Canal+, today Mayor... His proactivity is exemplary. "Bernard Brochand owes nothing to anyone, he is a free man. He is optimistic and enthusiastic. He suffers greatly from seeing that young people no longer have this dream of living," sighs Michel Blachère, the young press officer. "I'm afraid the machinery might stop."
What fuels Bernard Brochand? Irony. “Derision is my only refuge. I am lucky to have a wife, children, and friends who support me in this. I like to say with Woody Allen, how happy I am to be happy.”
Laughter, nothing but laughter. Which hides great loneliness and deep concern. In his many lives, the man feels alone: “I can’t empty my mind. It’s an obsessive mechanism, I’m always afraid that the machinery will stop.” Alone but not solitary. Monsieur le Mayor opens today’s Figaro: “I read something interesting today. It’s a quote by Godard that I really like which says: ‘Solitude is not isolation. There are always two in one. There are others within oneself’.”
Approaching his 68th birthday, the chameleon-like man has other projects: “If one is not satisfied, one can change everything, change life, change place, change work.” To be continued…
