Tooting the horn
I am an award-winning hybrid creative with 25+ years in advertising, based out of Mumbai. I have spent the majority of my career at network agencies such as Ogilvy, Leo Burnett, and Grey, along with boutique agencies like 21N78E Creative Labs. Having served in various capacities such as CD, ECD, NCD, and CCO over the years, I have also been part of many campaigns across a multitude of categories that have been industry-first. My work has received accolades at Cannes, D&AD, One Show, Spikes, Effies, Kyoorius, Abbys, Maddies, SMARTIES, International ECHO Awards, and Afaqs Foxglove among others. I have also done jury duty for Abbys, Afaqs Foxglove, DigiPub, DIGIES, Echo Awards, and Indian Digital Media Awards among others. I am passionate about behavioral science, culinary explorations, and using the power of ideas to solve business problems, not necessarily in that order. Outside of work, I like to spend time trying to broker peace between my two feisty cocker spaniels.
FORMAL EDUCATION
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Masters in Comm. Studies (Video Production) from the Department of Communication & Media Studies, University of Pune, 1997 (Ranked in the Top 3 Mass Communication Institutes, 2023)
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Bachelors in Electronics Engineering with distinction, Walchand Institute of Technology, Maharashtra, 1995
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REAL EDUCATION: After hard yards of unlearning, this is how my career carved out.
DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE...
I am inspired by Tyson & Theia and their boundless tail-wagging enthusiasm at the sights of treats and the prospect of belly rubs. My treat is a well-written brief, though sadly it seems to be a dying art. When that happens, I sniff away, paw, and poke, to elicit workable responses that help me get it right with minimal iterations- be it cracking a big campaign idea or a tactical campaign or even penning an ad film. And despite that, if things get confounding, I occasionally also like to tilt my head from side to side just like them, to take a break from the screen and look out from my balcony. And contemplate.
Erm...I happen to be a bit of a grammar Nazi, much like the 5 am morning walks and ablutions that my cocker spaniels are hardwired for, without fail. Well almost.
STILL HERE? AWESOME!
Yes, long-form copy does work! So I might as well lay forth my views on Generative AI- the likes of Chat GPT and Midjourney et al. In the interest of full disclosure, yes I use them too, but not as a crutch. When it so warrants, just to get things started and fire up some neurons on a balmy afternoon. I have my very own moniker for AI. I call it "Advertising Intelligence". To sum, it’s all about being smart, being creative, being original. But keeping it real too. As they say its all about finding the alchemy of strategic logic and creative magic.
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Theia
Tyson
