Adland Rockstars: Malvika Mehra

Campaign India Team, 01 June, 2009

Mumbai

We are kick-starting a new weekly feature ‘Adland Rockstars’ on www.campaignindia.in from today. It's a column which will identify one professional from the advertising, media or marketing business every week and will eventually put them in the hot seat.

Now, who are these Adland Rockstars? Well, they are the people who make Adland the exciting and unique place it is. They are smart, young (under 35, to be precise!), talented, interesting and are obviously taking the ad world by storm. 

Welcome to the world of Adland Rockstars.

This week’s Rockstar: Malvika Mehra, ECD, O&M 

1. Why did you get into advertising?
Because I loved doodling as a kid. And writing silly short stories about crows and cats. Red cycles. And yellow toasters.
Because I have creative parents. My mom makes candles. And wine. And the best meat loaf in the world. And my dad kept the best garden.
Because I just may have inherited some good genes.
Because I got into art school and managed to graduate.
Because I met Sonal Dabral and he was kind enough to hire me as a trainee visualiser at Ogilvy.

2. What is it that you like best about your job?
The fact that it doesn't feel like one. I can wear what I want and pretty much say what I want too. It's a world of free ideas, there is no right or wrong way of doing a campaign, I am allowed to go with my gut and creative instincts. Am lucky to be surrounded by very talented people, good conversation and mostly great food. What more could one ask for?

3. If you were stuck in a desert island, what is the one thing that you would like to have with you?
My mobile phone and the Vodafone pug!

4. Which is the one book that you can re-read any number of times?
It would have to be The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. Except that it just plucks my heart out everytime.

5. Who is the one person in advertising that you would like to have dinner with?
Rajiv Rao. Because he is supremely talented. Inaccessible. And completely out of bounds!

6. Who is the one person outside of advertising that you would like to have dinner with?
Mr. Sandeep Das. An ex-client on Hutch. A thorough gentleman with fantastic creative judgement. He had the ability of  bombing your campaign with such grace that you could walk out of his cabin smiling and realise what just happened, only when your servicing partner pinched you in the lift!