Your 5 to 9 routine after your 9 to 5?

I sprint home to my son. Fatherhood is a far more important a job than advertising and a little more fun. Once he’s asleep, I'm usually lurking in the dark and often downright weird corners of the internet. If one wants to shape culture, one has got to doom-scroll it. 

A book or show you recently read/ watched that you would recommend?

I’m a sucker for a good murder mystery, and the Thursday Murder Club series by Richard Osman is a delight. (The movie... not so much.) I’d also strongly recommend The Chair Company and a Malayalam film EKO.

What wins would you like to celebrate from the last six months or a year, at work or in life?

We’re most proud of the sheer range of work we have put out. We don’t believe in having a 'signature style' or a fixed tone. In fact, when someone says, 'This feels like a Tilt idea', we get mildly offended. Which is why we consider it a big win to move effortlessly from thoughtful, meaningful work for brands like UltraTech and Myntra to pop-culture-fuelled madness for Dream11 and Netflix.  In life, my four-year-old son is an Arsenal fan (not that he had a choice) and can sing 'North London Forever' flawlessly.

Which industry leader has impacted you the most?

My default answer is Rajesh Ramaswamy (Ramsam) from The Script Room. He taught me how to fall in love with everything advertising. If I can use this opportunity to add one more, it will be Shriram Iyer. Ramsam taught me how to love advertising. Shriram taught me how to survive the days when you are hating it.

The biggest development in the A&M industry this month?

I will go with the cliché answer. AI. Not because it’s replacing us, but because it’s making everyone sound like they know what they’re talking about. The one thing AI has nailed, though, is turning the entire industry into very confident LinkedIn philosophers with longer posts and surprisingly articulate views on everything advertising and marketing.

An ad film from the previous month that caught your attention?

I absolutely enjoyed The Lighter, Quieter Whey by Wellbeing Nutrition. Written by Shikha Gupta and directed by Indrashish Mukherjee. Whenever those two collaborate, you can almost smell a good ad coming. Pun absolutely intended.

This column was first published in our February issue. Click here to buy a copy or subscribe for six months or a year.