Founder & Creative Chairman, Creativeland Asia
Sajan Raj Kurup is the Founder and Creative Chairman of Creativeland Asia.
A believer in the power of creativity, Kurup founded Creativeland in 2007 to offer a platform for creative people to come together and design solutions for problems plaguing the world at large and brands in particular. Ever since, Kurup has been instrumental in extending the company’s activities from Advertising, Brand Management and Design, to Brand Incubation and Licensing, to Film Production, Digital Media and Events.
In 2008, Kurup set up the brand Intellectual Property (IP) division, Ventureland Asia, to further the cause of creativity and entrepreneurship. Its first brand IP, Fearless Pharma, has been creating products that include hand sanitizers and surgical hand rubs that help people lead a life without fear.
In 2009, Kurup established Creativeland Pictures to create content for music, television and feature films. Its first feature film production, ‘Karmayogi’ (2011), an Indian adaptation of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, received tributes at International Film Festivals.
Early Days: After graduating with an Honours Degree in Mathematical Economics and unabashedly opting out of Business School, Kurup decided to pursue a career in creativity. His life in advertising and brand building spans over two decades. His career took him to companies like Mudra (DDB), Leo Burnett, Orchard, Lowe and Grey, in seven countries across Asia-Pacific and Europe.
Over this time, Kurup has driven and nurtured multinational brands including McDonalds, Toyota, Deutsche Bank, Procter & Gamble, Mercedes Benz and GSK in the Asian market. He has been involved in the creation and evolution of cult brands like Appy Fizz, Café Cuba, Café Coffee Day and Hippo. He also revamped iconic Indian brands like Frooti, Cinthol, Godrej Expert and Godrej No.1.
A charismatic speaker, Kurup has been invited to talk at many institutions, companies and colleges in India and overseas, including Hocshule Fur Kuntz in Bremen, Germany and at the Twitter Conference at San Francisco. He has been on the jury of international festivals of creativity like the Cannes Lions, the D&AD, the Asia Pacific AdFest and Spikes Asia.
Kurup has been awarded at every global advertising and design show of repute, and has often been featured by renowned publications as one of the most enterprising young entrepreneurs in the business of creativity.
