Hital Pandya's is a success story that reads like a fairytale. Ironically enough, however, this talented young creative director simply does not believe in the concept of genius. "Look, in school, I was an average student, with average grades, and I moved on to courses in applied art (at the L S Raheja School of Art, Worli, Mumbai), and video production (at the Xavier's Institute of Communication, Mumbai). To say that I was unusually creative or gifted in any way while growing up would be an exaggeration!" he grins matter-of-factly.
Advertising giant JWT reeled him in as their senior arts director back in 2005. "Working at JWT is a blast! The first year I joined, my boss (creative director) Senthil Kumar I created this 90-second animated video for the Diamond Trading Company called A History Of The World. It traces the evolution of the diamond through the centuries. A History Of The World won an award at the New York Festival in 2005." So, essentially, he says, his tenure at JWT started off with a bang!
"I love my work," Hital continues.
"I am now creative director, but the burden of administrative work is growing with each promotion, and I feel like my creativity is taking a backseat! I loved being art director -- it gave me the freedom to work as I pleased, and if anything went wrong, my boss had to take the rap for it!" he laughs.
What is it like working on a day-to-day basis at JWT? "That depends," says Hital, "Sometimes I need to put in only half a day's work at the office, and at other times I'm required to stay overnight! Sometimes we're swamped with assignments, at others we aren't. But work is work -- it has to be done!"
Image: Hital Pandya at JWT
Text: Sanaya Dalal
Photographs/ videos: Courtesy JWT
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