YoungGuns: Birth of new stars; a result of collision of young and not-so-young guns, says Josy Paul

Josy Paul, chairman and chief creative officer, BBDO India, addresses Storyboard18's YoungGuns celebrations and states that it is an intravenous injection of fresh blood, new energy, and a different point of view.

By  Storyboard18| Aug 22, 2023 7:31 PM
According to Paul, the future of creativity lies in tapping into the immense power of community, and conversation. Both community and conversation are the truths of the future. (Representative Image by Kelli Tungay via Unsplash)

Storyboard18’s YoungGuns initiative, a flagship programme from the Network18 Group is a celebration of the brightest brains, revolutionary ideas and creativity enhanced by technology. In the age of Augmented Intelligence, where tech-powered human creativity drives brands and businesses, Storyboard18 will honour the YoungGuns at a glittering ceremony in August. There will be insightful and nuanced conversations as marketing and business leaders come together for an exclusive gathering to encourage, support and celebrate the bold brand makers.

Ahead of the YoungGuns celebration, we asked industry leaders to share their views on the younguns and the future of creativity. Josy Paul, chairman and chief creative officer, BBDO India, addresses Storyboard18's YoungGuns and states that it is an intravenous injection of fresh blood, new energy, and a different point of view.

“YoungGuns as a concept is super exciting because it represents the new big bang. It’s the birth of new stars; it’s the result of the collision of the young and not-so-young guns. All new creation is born of such collision," he says, adding “It is an intravenous injection of fresh blood, new energy, and a different point of view.”

Addressing the future of creativity and the advertising industry, Paul says, “The future of creativity lies in tapping into the immense power of community, and conversation. Both community and conversation are the truths of the future. It will be about like-minded people, about shared passion and similar interest groups led by all kinds of influencers, volunteers and ambassadors. These collectives or tribes will grow by exchanging views, sharing products, promoting ideology and brand beliefs."

He also refers to tech, AI, data and social media and cheekily states, “These are all enablers of this growing communion and conversation. We will all be sitting around digital bonfires warming our egos with well disguised branded content.”

First Published onAug 8, 2023 2:58 PM

SPOTLIGHT

Special CoverageCalling India’s Boldest Brand Makers: Entries Open for the Storyboard18 Awards for Creativity

From purpose-driven work and narrative-rich brand films to AI-enabled ideas and creator-led collaborations, the awards reflect the full spectrum of modern creativity.

Read More

“Confusion creates opportunity for agile players,” Sir Martin Sorrell on industry consolidation

Looking ahead to the close of 2025 and into 2026, Sorrell sees technology platforms as the clear winners. He described them as “nation states in their own right”, with market capitalisations that exceed the GDPs of many countries.