The Cavalry Productions has signed Kiran (a.k.a. Kiran Koshy) who last year earned inclusion into SHOOT’s New Directors Showcase on the strength of his humorous Organic Doggie Treats’ “Unsullied” commercial which he helmed while a creative director at Innocean Worldwide in Huntington Beach, Calif.
Kiran’s in-house directorial endeavors at the agency–including comedy fare for Atomic Candy–have won him such honors as a Bronze Clio, a Gold National Addy, multiple Epicas, and a pair of London International Award statues. He also made the Best New Director shortlists as the Kinsale Shark Awards and the LIAs.
After viewing his work at the 2017 SHOOT New Directors Showcase, The Cavalry’s founder/executive producer Ross Grogan and EP Tanya Cohen reached out to Kiran who now moves over to the production house side to pursue a full-time directing career,
Cohen said, “Kiran’s fresh and inspiring comedy style combines a visual edge and distinct look, with nuanced and subtle performances in addition to his flawless comedic timing.”
Kiran took an unconventional path to becoming a comedy director. He was raised in India earning degrees in economics and public administration, dabbling as a cartoonist on the side. He abandoned his plans of becoming a tenured bureaucrat for a career in advertising as an art director after meeting a creative director at Ogilvy. After successful stints at Ogilvy and Saatchi in India, Kiran landed in Texas at The Richards Group where he worked on everything from Fiat–winning a Best Car Commercial in 2013 at the Paris Auto Show–to Summer’s Eve, developing his unique sense of visual comedy. “Coming from a culture that believes in assaulting your senses at every turn, I’ve learnt to value subtlety, timing and tone a great deal,” said Kiran whose recent work includes a delicious comedy spot he directed for the Thousand Dollar Shave Society, which generated 7.3 million views on YouTube.
While in Texas, Kiran began revitalizing the advertising program at his alma mater, Texas A&M Commerce, with many students finding careers at places like Goodby Silverstein & Partners, R/GA, DAVID, Amazon and The Richards Group. “I find great joy mentoring young talent and seeing them succeed, and I still teach remotely from L.A.,” he said. Back in Texas is where Kiran started directing, working with his students on a project for the Student One Show, which won Gold. Kiran took that as an omen and started working on his directorial reel. From there a move to L.A., and Innocean, felt natural. His directing debut for the Thousand Dollar Shave Society made it into the Communication Arts Ad Annual and earned recognition at The One Show, One Screen, Graphis and New York Festivals.
While he’s going to miss the agency creative birthing process, Kiran is eager to collaborate with creative teams as a director to deliver their ideas. “Comedy is an unpredictable thing and you have to entertain everything, which makes collaboration and spontaneity key,” he said.
Kiran most recently wrapped an AT&T campaign for BBDO via The Cavalry Productions.
