Mitesh Addhate is an international Art Director & Photographer from India. He studied Art direction from Miami Ad School in Miami and worked in one of the most prestigious advertising agencies in the world – Ogilvy New York. As a photographer he captures the inner emotions via his photography to tell a story that connects with every individual that comes across his work. He believes the secret to everything is in the nature and works to capture those moments that tells lot more than just a story. In his free time, he loves to do reverse advertising, socialize and go for a walk on the streets on New York to re-energize his creative side. 

Why are you into Advertising?
Advertising has always fascinated me with the power that it holds in inspiring the audience in a matter of just 7 seconds. Those 7 seconds could bring a positive change in the society and start a new revolution. The amazing creativity in those ads enticed me to look more into advertising as a career and eventually into art direction and I can proudly say that I have made the right choice. Advertising is all around us and we have been doing it since our birth. From advertising ourselves to our friends, to our parents and to the society we live in. It feels great to create work that could bring a positive change in the society and I have been lucky enough to be able to do such work. The satisfaction of being able to contribute towards making someone smile even in their tough times through our work is what excites me to work in the industry. It makes me love what I do even more after hearing people talk about the work that I was a part of.

Did you attend school for fine art or design or Communications?
I did. I studied MBA in media and advertising in India and then went to the states to study MSC in Global strategic communications from Florida international university and Art direction from Miami ad school. It is the Miami Ad school where my journey as an Art director & photographer began and helped me to get my foot in the world of advertising. 

How did you land your first job?
After graduating from Miami ad school, I attended a portfolio review event in New York. I have always dreamt about working in Ogilvy New York office and I knew that their creative manager was going to attend the portfolio review. Throughout that review I was looking for ways to make an eye contact with the manager while I was sitting at my desk and I remember at the end of the review I was the only person sitting in that entire hall just so that I could talk to her. Eventually, I was able to meet her and present my work while everyone else had already left the venue. It was just me at my desk, presenting to her. Even after that meeting, I had to follow up with her for 4 months before I received an internship offer from Ogilvy. And as I had promised myself, I received a full-time offer in exactly 6 months from the date I began working. So, Dreams do come true!!

Were there any particular role models for you when you grew up?
I have had few role models like David Ogilvy, George Lois, Piyush Pandey and few athletes who made it big in their respective fields. I respect everyone who made it big in their journey and have started from scratch. One common quality in all of them is their discipline and never give up attitude. They believed in their craft and were able to achieve great heights in their career. Apart from them, I have learned a lot of things from my mother (Suchita Addhate) who is a housewife. The mindset to understand that in every given situation there is always something positive we could learn and always be grateful for everything in life because things don’t always remain same. Be true to your craft and service to the society and things will fall in place. 

Who was the most influential personality on your career in Advertising?
I don’t have a particular personality that inspired me the most when it comes to advertising. I was inspired by various work created by the creatives in the industry. But If I have to name one, I would have to say Piyush Pandey. I mean look at all the iconic work by him – Just simple and brilliant at the same time. Simplicity has what made their creativity speak more volume than other work in the industry. And that’s what I strive to bring through my work every time. I have been very fortunate to meet amazing creatives that played a crucial role in my journey.

And since I was not always into advertising, I had to figure things out before I reached a decision where I realized advertising is where I belong. I would say my curiosity and my focus about where I want to be, also played an influential role in my advertising career. 

Where do you get your inspiration from?
I take inspiration from everything that happens around us and that’s what helps me in creating better work for the audience. Advertising is about communicating a message to the audience about something they already know but in a creative way. It is nothing different than things happening in our daily lives. How the audience perceive a message is what decides the result of the advertising campaign. And that’s why I always indulge myself into discussions where I get to learn how people look a particular work from their perspective. I love to observe the behavior of the people while they interact with the brand and the product at the point of sale. 

Tell us something about your current place’s work environment. How do you keep motivating yourself and your team creatively?
I am currently Freelancing in India and working on my artist visa before I go back to New York by the end of 2020. In Ogilvy, our work environment screamed freedom to everyone. We would motivate and support each other in every project we did. I believe, if you have something to offer it should never feel like a competition but rather a community where we join our forces together to create the best work possible. We have seen all sorts of situation that a creative would experience – from rounds of creative presentation to months of sleepless nights. But as a team we were always motivated to do our best and what’s best for the agency. 

What do you think of the state of Print advertising right now? At least here in India, the released work is most often too sad?
I personally believe that Print advertising is one of the best communication tools in advertising and I have always been a fan of old school print advertisements. It is one of the most difficult mediums to crack and the one that requires a lot of thinking and an amazing insight to deliver the message that contains a max of 7-8 words. In today’s digital world, I feel it has lost some of it’s impact that it used to have. But, unlike many predicted it is still being used as a form of communication throughout the world. 

When it comes to advertising in India, I think we have got ourselves tangled in typical stereotypes and a lot of emotional communication. I think the usual clients focus more on the business aspect of reach and frequency compared to the quality and the creativity of the message. And that’s why the focus is more on the digital platforms and creatives that specialize in those mediums. Though I still see some outdoor print advertisements but again it is more about getting the message across than creatively communicating it and adding that fun element.

Do you think brands who’s advertising wins awards, do well in the market?
There are brands that create work specially to win awards and then there are brands that create work to do well in the market and in return earn awards for their work. But, if the brands communicate what they believe in and take a clear stand about things happening in the world (example Nike), I think that does wonders for them. The audience follow a brand for what they believe in and if that reflects in their communication and product/service, I think the brand usually does well in the market. 

What advice do you have for aspiring creative professionals?
I would like to tell the aspiring creative professionals to make criticism and failure their best friends. If you are able to handle them with patience, you will succeed in anything you do in life. And I am a living example of that. Only the crazy ones can make a difference in the world, so don’t be afraid to go crazy with your thinking. There will be days when you doubt your skills or even your existence in the industry because things didn’t work as you plan. But I want to tell the creatives that are just getting started – to believe in yourself and your work. Nobody knows everything in the beginning, we are all learning new things every day and working on improving our skills with every work. Give yourself some time and be ready to do what it takes to succeed. And enjoy your journey, your life because after all we are all doing it to have a better life. 

What’s your dream project?
My dream project would be to Art direct a Superbowl tv commercial during NFL that drives sales and at the same time win awards. If I have to choose a brand, I would like to go with Apple because I think Apple has reached a stage where it needs to “Think different” for their advertisement. It has become predictable and might drive the audience away from their brand. 

Where do you see yourself in 15 years?
I believe I will be named among the top 5 best Art directors in the advertising industry worldwide because I am crazy enough to think I can, and I will. I am prepared to do all the hard work it takes, and I am sure I will achieve it. 

Who would you like to take out for dinner?
If I could go back in time, I would like to take Steve Jobs out for dinner and get to learn his communication & marketing secrets. But in today’s time, I would take my family out for dinner and thank them for everything they have done for me. 

What’s on your iPod? Spotify?
I am a moody person when it comes to music. So, my Spotify is filled with different genres based on my mood. But my constant is Frank Sinatra, Weeknd and Post Malone. 

Mac or PC?
I started on a PC but switched to MAC to work on design softwares and since then I have always sticked to MAC and other Apple products.

What’s your Twitter Handle? Instagram?
I have my side projects/ design work on Instagram that acts as my side portfolio piece : @mitesh4 : https://www.instagram.com/mitesh4/