On My Radar: Karan Shetty

What the most creative advertising idea you’ve seen recently?

The Petco commercial done by Droga5 New York. I like most of the work done by Droga5. It was the simplicity of the idea that caught my attention. Most good ideas are up for grabs, it is right in front of us but we sometimes don’t see the obvious. The Petco campaign’s insight, treatment and casting, makes you genuinely smile at the end moment of reveal.   

What website(s) do you use most regularly?

TheDieline is a bespoke creative platform for the packaging community, and that’s why I find it fascinating, because to tell a story through packaging design, brand names or fonts, needs pure imagination. Also, people from around the world contribute to this website. I have been hooked on this site since I was a copywriter during my ad agency days. Even though I’m an ad director now, I still go back to this website from time to time to be inspired.

I know, it’s not a website, but The Nerdwriter1 definitely deserves a mention. It's a weekly video essay series that puts ideas to work, talking about everything and anything. Basically the video essays convey complex ideas with simplicity. I like how the essayist, Evan Puschak, discusses and breaks down multiple topics, be it films, pop culture, art, politics, existentialism, philosophy, the list goes on. The topics are well researched and nuanced and a delight to listen to and watch.

What’s the most recent piece of tech that you’ve bought?

My Bose wireless earbuds. I was fascinated by the noise cancellation feature, the seamless tap function, the soundscape. And since it’s Bose, you can’t really go wrong with it. 

What product could you not live without?

My watch. You’ve got to know when it's time to stop working and hit the pubs. 

What’s the best film you’ve seen over the last year?

I am little late to this party, but I watched La Haine on MUBI sometime last year, during the pandemic lockdown. It's a 1995 French independent, black and white film, written and directed by Mathieu Kassovitz. The immigrants’ story is something that has always fascinated me. The film was sharp, satirical and stylised.

What film do you think everyone should have seen?

Hayabusa: A Long Voyage Home (2012). It’s a Japanese movie based on the true story of the Hayabusa asteroid probe, which collected samples from the asteroid Itokawa in the world's first ever sample return after landing on a solid-surfaced celestial body outside Earth's gravisphere. It was happenstance that I discovered the movie on an inflight movie library. The essence of the film, for me, were the people working on the project as they helped return the probe. 

[Spoiler Alert] There’s a scene when Ken Watanabe compares the Hayabusa spacecraft’s signal to the last moments he spent with his father. It was a surreal moment. It’s a well told event, and I think it captures beautifully how you can create a magical moment of make believe with an inanimate object like a spacecraft and its relation with an entire nation’s hopes and dreams. Also, the human equation in the mix makes for a riveting tale. The film follows the seven year plight of the unmanned Hayabusa spacecraft launched in May 9, 2003. After seven years, Hayabusa returned successfully to Earth, bringing back samples from the 25143 Itokawa asteroid. Definitely, a must watch.  Also, I just love this frame [below].

What’s your preferred social media platform?

Instagram, because it was primarily a platform to showcase and share photographs for hobbyists, but now it has evolved into another beast altogether. You get to check out people’s creativity via reels, IGTV, stories, live performances, sharing news... Everyone’s doing something different with Instagram, and that makes it exciting to observe and learn from. Every day the trend is changing; for now Instagram has managed to be the platform, tomorrow it may be another.

What’s your favourite TV show? 

I will have to name two here; The Wire and Bojack Horseman .

The Wire is spectacular. It takes a little patience, but I haven’t watched a show like this one before, or since. The forensic details with which the show unfolds makes it beautiful as it plays out. It is like a symphony that takes time to build up, the little parts here and there only make sense in the grander scheme of the narrative. The way the city of Baltimore is presented, the believable casting, the camera work, the various parts of the city over the different seasons- from the streets, the ports, the education system, the press; it’s a great show to experience. Even the former US President Obama was a fan of The Wire.

BoJack Horseman is an American adult animated tragicomedy sitcom, but it is much more than that. Rarely does a show connect with someone on such a human level, that you begin to watch a reflection of what life truly is and yourself in the show. BoJack Horseman is a rare example of how art imitates life, and high art at that.

What’s your favourite podcast?

Decomposed breaks down the stories that have shaped classical music, from secrets and scandals to acts of sheer genius. You get to hear these stories accompanied by the symphonies, operas and other masterpieces they inspired. Hosted by Jade Simmons, a classical concert pianist and storyteller, Decomposed takes on gender expectations, cold war propaganda and the danger of putting your personal life on the stage. From Beethoven to Shostakovich and other stalwarts, the podcast narrates the stories of legendary musicians with the right flair, build-up and crescendo it deserves (pun intended).

What show/exhibition has most inspired you recently? 

Christoph Niemann (illustrator for The New York Times) had come to speak at a design festival in Mumbai, India. I attended the event and got a chance to meet and speak to him as well [below]; which was a special moment for me because I’m a big fanboy. Christoph Niemann’s talk was fun to learn from. As for a great show, I attended the U2 concert before the pandemic, and it was epic!