First landing…

While reading an interview of Mr Piyush Pandey I am suddenly reminded of my affiliation with O&M. My inclination towards O&M is not just from the high quality work they produce and awards they receive but it also comes from that inner most feeling that dwells within my heart despite the high profile job I have today. Well… it goes like this…. Oglivy was the very first place where I was interviewed for a job soon after I completed my bachelors in Visual communication. As a 21year old fully charged, vibrant, hip and bold girl, I proudly walked into O&M Chennai located at Egmore seeking for a job. I heard that they were starting a new in-house television production unit. Since I had specialised in TVP in my final year of Viscom and had won applause for the short film and commercial I directed, I was certain about my entry into O&M.

So what happened…? I went for the interview with my freshly made resume and portfolio to be told that they were looking for people with at least five years of experience in production and direction. Ahaaaa….what a disappointment that was!!! First love, first kiss and first interview cannot be forgotten right? However the very next day I got the news of having topped in the entrance examination for my masters. I soon joined college to pursue a Masters in Mass Communications. My parents were very happy about this. As usual whatever mom says finally comes true for me! So now after I make every move, I check with her whether it would happen or not because I just can’t take the suspense of waiting. And it’s so true that when I do something with passion, it certainly works!

Some interesting excerpts from the interview with Piyush Pandey. I really adore this guy and his style.
afaqs!: Would you say you are good with people?
PP: All I can say is that I don't like shouting at people - an arm around a shoulder is ten times more effective than giving hell to someone, be it the liftman. More often than not, it's about what people are capable of doing, and not what I do.

afaqs!: Speaking of capability, you recently identified two bright individuals – ECDs Abhijit Avasthi and Rajiv Rao – to head creative at Ogilvy India as NCDs. Tough identifying them, considering that you had four equally talented ECDs to choose from? PP: Talent never has to be spotted. If you have it, it shows. And sometimes, it is so obvious, you cannot miss it. All the four individuals in question – Abhijit Avasthi, Rajiv Rao, Anup Chitnis and Sumanto Chattopadhyay – are equally talented. But an NCD post is not just about talent, it is also about an ability to lead.Just because Sachin Tendulkar plays under MS Dhoni doesn't make him any less a player, but it's about who enjoys leading, and who can lead, that makes the difference.

afaqs!: How do you balance freedom and discipline, especially for the creative team?
PP: I once called a guy who was coming in late and said to him that the perception about him is greater than his reality – for one month, come in at 9:30 AM, I told him. Perceptions will change and then you can get back to the earlier life. And he did that. Coming late is not a problem to me, but keeping someone waiting is.

afaqs!: How does Ogilvy produce so much talent? Is it the way the agency is structured?
PP: We don't have a different structure, just a different way of working. I don't believe in the assembly line, I believe in the huddle. Gone are the days when the servicing guy brought in the brief and the creative fellow blamed him for something going wrong on account of poor briefing. Briefs are bounced off each other and evolved, not handed over. At Ogilvy, all key players, including the creative lot, go for client briefings. The ownership then becomes equal.

To read on visit http://www.afaqs.com/perl/news/story.html?sid=25004.