My CV. Hello, anybody willing to try a mad guy?

ASHISH VYAS



Position applied for: Creative Director
I am a Postgraduate in Management (M.B.A.), and I quit my last job in October, 07, as I wanted to go on a sabbatical. Was working with Quadrant Communications, as an Associate Creative Director, for a duration of almost 3.5 years.

I have a good cross-disciplinary knowledge and have worked on brands across a wide range of categories like Cigarettes, Consumer durables, Garments, Hospitality, Logistics Management, Consumer Durables, Banking, Airlines, ISP’s, Media, Dotcoms and Healthcare.

The next move:

I am looking for an opportunity where my team is given a mandate to create something radically different. Where the team gets a chance to explore, experiment, and evolve new insights, ideas and new models of communication. And this is possible only if the top management is willing to give a chance to change. Damn conventions, damn the regular, damn the status-quo.

Also, would love to run, and see business being run with a heavy emotional quotient, because in this rat race, human capital has been reduced to mere numbers. I seek a green signal from the management for in a more human, more alive approach towards ideas as well as human capital.

I would love to work towards making my next company, a fully-integrated ideas workshop where the mission is : a new idea everyday! A la-3M in the field of communication. Because creativity is much more than just print and TV campaigns.


What I did during the sabbatical (October 07, to May 08)

Writing a book, based my life’s experiments. Culled 13 parts of it and have submitted it to a producer who wants to convert it into a serial( a modern day malgudi days story)

Finished compiling my street-life photo-essays( tentative date for exhibition: 22nd July)

Starting working on 3 new series of cartoons; political/India thru animals’ eyes/international

Managed some good funding for my animal hospital, which treats sick/stray/abandoned animals
I
nitiated the project of celebrity t-shirts- only meant for Hollywood celebrities

Submitted 3 pilot stories to the Azeem Premji foundation- Modern day short stories for children

Experimented with new media models

Helping the local vegetable vendors with creative strategies to counter the onslaught of biggies like Reliance Fresh, and Big Bazaar

Most Important of all, reformed myself on parameters like timeliness, reaching meetings on time, waking up early, cutting down my smoking, catching up with all my old friends, contacts and acquaintances, spending lots of time with my kids, before they start calling calling me “Koi uncle hain”


THE WAY AHEAD
In an information hungry economy, it's news that works. It's news that breaks the clutter. Working on this basic premise, my focus is to create work that makes news, and not advertising. Guerilla marketing, Ambient media, Installations, Publicity stunts et al..backed by mass media- that's what I believe in.

STYLES AND STRENGTHS
My ideas are brutally simple, focused and I experiment a lot with single shot films. Ideas with a true Indian flavour come to me naturally coz I’m a very street life person. That’s where my ideas and inspiration comes from. In print, I rely heavily on visuals, as I don't think I’m a very good writer. I’m a keen observer and I like to apply my creative abilities in all spheres of life. Of course, I don't mean to say that I turn the 69 position into 96! But almost. Weakness(es)...include beer, impulsive buying, and most importantly, the inability to reach office at 9.30 am!
WORK PHILOSOPHY: When the whole world is against u, either your terribly right, or terribly wrong.. I believe that the best ideas are the ones that are brutally simple...ideas don’t depend on budgets, yes, they sure depend on guts and the will to try out something new and different. today, when it comes to advertising and marketing, what is most needed is: either big budgets, or balls( of steel) There is no middle path


Last job (From Aug 2003 to Oct 2007)

Organisation: Quadrant Communications, Mumbai

Designation: Associate Creative Director

Brands handled: Kenstar appliances, Tata Motors (Rural) Tribhovandas Bhimji Zaveri-Nirmal Zaveri, Voltas(Corporate), Sansui, HDFC(Pitch), Foodland Fresh( Retail Chain), Bajaj DTSi,


· Carried out successful experiments in ambient advertising for Mixer Grinders ( Kenstar) With a budget of total 23 lakhs, we notched up sales of 2 Crore 10 lakhs, in 10 days. The exercise involved 2 films in mass media backed by some ambient advertising.
· Developing a micro-shopping model (based on microfinancing- Grameen bank) for a retail chain client.

· Have developed a strong team at Quadrant, where each member is given enough freedom and enough space to operate on his/her own
· Am trying to put in place a few systems where more focus is laid on live ideas, real advertising.
· Grooming new talent within the agency: Like providing support to the cut-paste artist, providing him support and helping him become a jewellery designer. Teaching the security guys how to handle a PC, making them literate and help them in their career.



PAST EXPERIENCE

Organisation: Bates India Advertising, Mumbai.

Duration: Sept 2002 to Aug 2003.

Designation: Creative Group Head

Ø Brands handled: SBI Mutual Fund, Ayush, Tata Salt, Arokya Milk ( Chennai), Coke ( Western region) and Central Railways.
· Nominated by agency as ‘Best upcoming creative’ for the survey conducted by ‘Pitch’, the Advertising and Marketing Magazine.
· Won the ‘ Best outdoor idea’ in the Bates Annual Award competition- Client: Central Railways.
· Won prize for ‘Best ambient advertising idea’- Client: Central Railways
· Had the opportunity to execute 3 films for SBI Mutual Fund.
· Developed a theoretical model in subliminal advertising for Kinley, part of the Coke Portflio





Organisation: Enterprise-Nexus Communications, Mumbai.

Duration: Feb 2001- Aug 2002

Designation: Sr. Copywriter

Brands handled

Ø Raymond, VST Industries ( New Cigarette Brand), Gati Logistics Management, Nilkamal Furniture and Easies ( Garments).




Organisation: EURO RSCG, Mumbai

Duration: Sept 1999- February 2001

Designation: Copywriter (Double promotion within 6 months, from 5000 salary to 14,000)

Brands handled

Ø Philips, Marriot Hotels (Launch campaign), Cidade de Goa, Roltanet, TimesBank, Air-France, Pyramid, ETC channel, bidorbuy.com, Uth planet.com, Kinetic Engineering and Asian Age.

Ø Healthcare Brands: Spert ( Novartis), Dilzem ( Torrent), Emolene, Shade and Alaspan ( Sherring Plough) and Value Healthcare.




ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS

Post-Graduate Degree: PGDBA (MBA) in Marketing
2 years ( Full-time)
Institute: K J Somaiya Institute of Management Studies and Research, Mumbai.

Graduation: B.com.
Institute; Navyug College of Commerce, Surat, Gujarat.



ASHISH VYAS