Unexpected Intros: Ronak Shah and Dhiren Sonawane

At DDB, we have a simple belief. That Unexpected Works. It means that the best idea is the one you never saw coming. The thing that catches you so off guard that you can‘t look away. And the only path to genuinely unexpected works is through creativity. 

And in order to create awesome works, you need awesome people. Because you can’t make the unexpected if you only work with the usual suspects. In this Unexpected Intros series, we take a peek behind the curtain at some of the diverse thinkers that make up our network, and validate Bill Bernbach’s notion that an idea can turn to dust or magic, depending on the talent that rubs against it. 

1. Name, Title, Office

Ronak Shah, Senior Strategist, DDB Mudra, India

Dhiren Sonawane, Group Creative Partner, DDB Mudra, India

2. Introduce yourself in three emojis. 

Ronak> 🎾📸👩🏻‍🍳

Dhiren> 👾📖🎸

3. What was your very first job? 

Ronak> First job, more an unpaid internship (disregarding all living expenses that were paid for), was right after school when over the summer I worked for my father at our family business in jewellery manufacturing – it fascinated me and nurtured my creative side, but the most important lesson I learnt was that I realised it wasn’t for me and that I should explore something else.

Dhiren> A collaboration with Gloria Jeans Coffee, called 'Cappuccino For A Cause', where me and my band would play every Sunday.

4. How did you wind up in advertising? 

Ronak> Sheer luck – I was looking for a new challenge and came across a post on social media about an opening at an advertising agency. Having worked in finance and run a start-up of my own, I thought it was time to finally let my creative side flourish.

Dhiren> After a couple of interviews at I.T. firms, I figured it wouldn’t be my cup of tea. That’s when a friend recommended advertising... I printed all my poems, stories, and music reviews on bright yellow paper as my 'portfolio', took a nerve-wracking test, and landed a job as a junior copywriter (phew!).

5. Piece of creative that inspires you? 

Ronak> The music of Beethoven and the art of Van Gogh – it continues to amaze me how the same pieces can conjure different meanings and emotions depending on your mood and state of mind.

Dhiren> I love work like White out of Red (The Economist), Real Men of Genius (Budweiser), The Truth is Worth It (TNYT), Birth (Audi), Lemon (VW) et cetera.

Outside advertising, I consider the Sigur Rós album 'Ágætis byrjun' to be my favourite work of art.

6. What are you currently reading, watching, and listening to? 

Ronak> Reading: Woefully, not as much as I used to, which prompted me to start a book club to shame me into reading more. Currently, struggling to finish the last Astérix comic!

Watching: On a multi-year lag when it comes to shows – just started watching Parks and Recreation, Squid Game after that.

Listening: 2Cellos on loop, even when I’m working

Dhire> Reading: 'Amazonia' by James Rollins

Re-watching: 'Lie to Me', a series based on micro-expressions that was killed before its conclusion :(

Listening: 'Finally We Are No One' by Múm

7. What’s a goal/hope/dream of yours?

Ronak> Goal: Irrespective of its popularity or award-worthiness, to be part of an initiative that brings about real change in the lives of people at the grassroots level

Dream: Someday open an elephant orphanage in India