Monday, February 27, 2006

Big Names in the Indian Communication Business

I have always felt that people who visit this site need to know a little more about the creative brains that create great stuff that often gets showcased here. Which is the reason behind posting a few profiles of Indian Creative Gurus in this post.

I shall try and do a round 2 very soon. Maybe some of you can tell me if there is someone who should be a part of that series. A hat-tip to each of you brilliant creative minds. You guys are the creative inspiration for many young creatives across the planet. "Thank You" for showing us the way! For now, read on:

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A metallurgist by formal education, Abhijit Avasthi got into advertising after a mixed bag of experiences that included working in a steel plant, manufacturing textile dyes, exporting playing cards and match-boxes from India, and trading in saris.
Currently a Senior Creative Director at Ogilvy & Mather, Mumbai, he started out as a copywriter with Enterprise Nexus in 1997 and joined Ogilvy in 1999. Abhijit has won over 150 International & National awards at shows including Cannes, One Show, D&AD, Clio Awards, Asia-Pacific Adfest, Abbys etc.

He has worked on some landmark campaigns in India, campaigns that have been popular with the man on the streets of India as well as with juries across the world. These include Fevicol, Center Shock, Cadbury, Asian Paints, Bajaj Pulsar & Bajaj Discover, Alpenliebe Lollypop and Sprite amongst many others.
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Vikram Gaikwad has over 15 years of experience in advertising. He started his career at Lintas (now Lowe) in 1990 after a BFA from the Sir J J Institute of Applied Art. He has since had stints at Enterprise Nexus, SSC&B Lintas and Leo Burnett.
He joined Grey Worldwide in 2004. He has worked on many major brands such as Cadbury’s, Skoda, Thums Up, Smirnoff, Complan and MTV, amongst others.
His work has won three Gold and Silver each at the Ad Club Bombay Awards, two One Show Merit Certificates, one Asia Pacific Silver, one Montreux Gold and has also been finalist at a prestige shows like New York, Clio and Cannes.
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Before getting into advertising, Sajan Raj Kurup has been a newspaper boy, an animal caretaker, a spoken English tutor, pizza maker, a sales guy, stage actor, masseur and a bartender.
He holds an Honours degree in Mathematical Economics and is proud to be a ‘management studies dropout. His previous experience in advertising includes stints at Lowe, Leo Burnett and Mudra. He has also worked on deputation at Leo Burnett Sydney, and Burnett Sri Lanka.

Raj’s most recent work includes the Frooti ‘bindaas’ campaign and Melody chocolates. He has also worked on Top Ramen, Toyota, Coca-Cola, McDonalds, LG, Shaw Wallace, ICICI Insurance, Bajaj Auto, Bharti Cellular, Proline, Acer Computers, Parle, and Kinetic, amongst others.

Apart from numerous Advertising Awards at Abby and other Ad Club awards, A&M awards Asia Pacific Adfest, Creativity Annual Ohio, London Advertising awards and New York festival short lists, Raj also won the Indira Gandhi Super Achiever award 2004. He was also a speaker at the Profile Intermedia Hocshule Fur Kuntz in Bremen, Germany and is on the panel of judges for the Bombay Ad Club Awards.
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Manish started his career as a site engineer at a Gujarat State Fertilizer Corporation plant after a Diploma in Civil Engineering. But he soon got bored with, in his own words, machines, boilers & chimneys and decided to enter the world of advertising. After completing a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts, he joined Contract - New Delhi in 1995.

Today, ten years later, he is ranked No.3 in the ‘Hottest Creative People from India’ list, compiled by Campaign Brief Asia Magazine, Australia. Till date, he has won over 30 international Awards / Finalists at acclaimed shows like D&AD, One Show, Cannes, Clio, Asia Pacific Awards etc., apart from over 25 national awards.

His TVCs for Planet M “peeing” and Tata Press yellow Pages were selected by BBC ONE for a prime-time programme on the world’s funniest TVCs.

At McCann, Manish has worked on leading brands like Hanes Undergarments, Vaseline, Johnson & Johnson, L’Oreal, Marico, UTI and NDTV etc in McCann Erickson.
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Bhupal Ramnathkar has over 23 years of experience in advertising and is one of the most celebrated Creative Directors in the country. He brings to clients a vast experience gained in both Indian and international markets and at some of the most high profile brands in the country, Brands like Complan, Bajaj, General Motors, VST, Lakme, etc.

In the process, his work has not only helped build some of the biggest brands but has also gained recognition internationally with awards at Cannes, Clio and One Show.

He also brings to the table expertise in not only developing outstanding campaigns but also the ability to produce it extremely cost efficiently, thereby adding immense value to the clients businesses.

Ramu does not believe craft is about doing something perfectly – he usually invents a whole new way to do it. Like discovering a photographer fresh out of art school to shoot the Agency’s biggest print campaign of the year and winning the Best Photography Award for it at CAG, the Indian equivalent of D&AD
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Josy was born during an earthquake. He therefore has a permanent tremor. A physics graduate, he gave up Heisenberg's principles for the uncertainties of advertising. He spent his early years with Ogilvy Benson & Mather and then served time at Lowe-Lintas.

In June 2000, he threw it all up and resigned from adulthood. He founded rmg david along with other like-minded kids (with parental guidance from the WPP Group and Ogilvy). They called themselves rmg david, the smallest worldwide agency.

The new agency, founded on the spirit of 'play', soon made its mark internationally. Josy and his playschool won India's first ever One Show pencil in 2002. The agency went on to win prized accounts like LG gsm phones, Royal Enfield Bulletmotorcycles, Singapore Tourism Board, Singapore Airlines (alongside Batey.)

Last year the agency won almost every international award including itsmaiden YounGuns. This led God Father Niel French to describe them as "...the tiny,manically-keen and creatively successful outfit in India". This year they already have three One Show Award nominations and nominations at Clio and D&AD awards - more results are awaited. Josy believes in the 'david' thing: "Think like the navy, deliver like the pirates".
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Ryan began his career with Ogilvy & Mather, as a Visualizer. He has had extensive experience working in all the major advertising agencies like Saatchi & Saatchi, SSC&B Lintas, Lowe, Euro RSCG, Grey Worldwide, and Ambience D’Arcy within India. He has also helped start-up two agencies Euro RSCG India & SSC&B Lintas India. He has revamped the creative departments of Lowe Nairobi, Euro RSCG India and SSC&B India by identifying, hiring, and training the best local talent available.

Ryan has helped build major brands like Coca-Cola Africa, Hyundai Sonata, Cox & Kings, Kenya Airways, Philips Sound Systems, Zenith Computers and Esselworld Amusement Park. Some on the accounts that he worked on also include Hyundai Motors, Rasna, Smirnoff Vodka, P & G, IFB Washing Machines, BPL Televisions, Pepe Jeans, Kenya Airways, Air India, Cox & Kings, Bayer, Vimal Suitings, Bombay Dyeing Mills and Flying Machine Jeans, among others.

Ryan has won several International Awards such as Cannes Gold Lion, D&AD Automotive Showcase 2004, Clio Bronze, New York Festivals Grand (Prix) Global Award, New York Festivals Gold, New York Festivals Silver World Medal, New York Festivals Bronze World Medal, New York AME (Advtg. & Mktg. Effectiveness) Bronze, New York AME (Advtg. & Mktg. Effectiveness) Finalist, Loerie (S.Africa) Silver, Mobius 1st Place, Golden Award of Montreux Finalist, The Work 2004, Archive. He has won 37 APA (Nairobi) awards in 2 years including 2 Grand Prix (Best of Show) and Art Director of the Year: 1998-1999 and 1999-2000 in Nairobi. He was also the first to win the Cannes Gold Lion in India.

He has also been a Judge for events such as the Smirnoff International Fashion Awards, Nairobi, the Ad Club of Mumbai (Abby) 2004 Awards, The New York Festivals Awards 2004 and The AAAI Awards 2004. Ryan represented Saatchi & Saatchi India at the Procter & Gamble Regional Creative Showcase in Vietnam.

He lives with his wife Yohani and has a son, Vaugn, and a daughter, Aiyana. He loves to travel and watch movies.
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Anil got into the business of advertising when he was 17. Needless to mention, the results were disastrous. Not only did he almost flunk his board exams, he also managed to secure a job as a Copywriter with an agency he is too embarrassed to mention here.
After that, he moved on to work with Leo Burnett, Enterprise Nexus and Ambience Publicis. Along the way, he's created campaigns for The Times Of India, Pierre Cardin, Charms, Thums Up, The Economic Times, Brand Equity, Lakme, Vicks, Ravissant, Parx, Park Avenue and a few other clients who refused to buy his work.

Anil has been a finalist at many award shows and he has won over 35 awards, some from The Asia Pacific Adfest, London International Advertising Awards, The New York Festivals, The Abby Awards, CAG and Montreux.

Anil is also a member of the jury at the Abby Awards conducted by The Advertising Club of Bombay. Currently ensconced in SSC&B Lintas, he spends most of his spare time doodling on briefs and wondering what on earth his agency initials stand for.
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4 comments:

Mystic Bard said...

you missed Aggie aka Agnello Dias.The man behind Bajaj Challenger campaign to the recent Times of India old man dancing one.

Sriram said...

Hey thanks for this one. The press don write a lot about them, they only print agency acronyms. Good to read.
Waiting for II.

Anonymous said...

it would be great if we could get their contact details... email etc etc

Anonymous said...

And you missed out thomas xavier too...the guy from orchard bangalore who did the outstanding air deccan old man and the sky ad. Read his interview on agencyfaqs.com. A classic. A must for any aspiring writer.James A.