Schbang’s Rayomand Patell: Your mind is the single best intelligence

Storyboard18 caught up with Rayomand J Patell, chief creative officer and chief integration officer, Schbang, who discussed India’s creative industry, trends to look out in the AI space, human creativity and a lot more.

Edited excerpts

How bullish are you about India’s creative industry?

It has been a long time coming through the pandemic. But things are really picking up. It has almost been a creative renaissance, and there is this term ‘Roaring 20s’ that has been floating around lately. I am quite excited because there is so much going on. Everyone is renewing, rebooting and pushing it back again to what advertising really can be.

What is your honest message for Storyboard18 YoungGuns and for other creatives across the industry?

My message to the winners tonight is, “Don’t let it get to your head. Get back to work. Be humble about being who you are and that is going to stand you in good stead.” It is not about winning the World Cup in one year, it is about winning the World Cup every single year of playing.

It is okay if you win or lose, but you gotta keep playing the game, and that is where the longevity will come from. You have to enjoy the process. You cannot just clamber straight up and then wonder what you are doing there for the rest of your lives. Enjoy the process, enjoy your craft.

What is your view on the marrying of AI with human creativity? And what are the trends to look out for in this space in the second half of 2023?

I think there is so much hype around AI and it is nice. Your mind is the single best intelligence there is. I sincerely believe that you have to use your own mind first and use AI as a tool to generate what you are seeing inside your head and bring that to life on screen or in print. If you look at the past, there must have been phenomenal art directors with amazing imagery in the 70s which AI can’t even touch today. So it is a tool, use it. We had a pencil first. We have Photoshop and now we have AI. So these are tools, use them well.

Storyboard18 launched YoungGuns, an initiative to celebrate new ideas, bright talent, fearless creativity and an exciting future. It’s critical to recognise, celebrate, encourage and support young, brave and bold brand makers if we want to propel the industry forward. YoungGuns is an annual recognition program that puts creativity and talent back in the spotlight.