SINGAPORE - VJ Anand, former ECD of Vaynermedia EMEA and a well-known creative in APAC, has launched ‘ballsy’, an independent brand consultancy based in Singapore. He will be running it with partner Eddy Lim, who has vast experience in the music and entertainment industry. ‘Ballsy’ will offer creative and agile strategies to help local and international brands navigate their way in various markets and social spaces.

After more than 20 years in advertising agencies, Anand decided to start his own venture after feeling that the industry is clamping down on creativity. “I wanted to create something crazy and fun that’s centred around all things creative. I feel like the ad industry is currently becoming too rigid and follws too many rules and old school legacies; so with ‘ballsy’, we’re creating endless possibilities to rock the scene up a bit,” he said.

Whether it is elevating a start-up business or revitalising established companies, ‘ballsy’ aims to work with brands and creative teams with its ‘plug and play’ ethos. “We’re a modular consultancy,” said Anand. “We will handle small and big projects and we can work with anyone - if your creative agency wants to be more ‘ballsy’, we can teach you how to break boundaries. If you’re a CMO or CEO who wants to bring your vision to life, we can make that happen. With our expertise and connections in the worlds of advertising, entertainment and fashion, we’re looking forward to go on a ‘ballsy’ journey with you.”


Anand added in a conversation with PRovoke Media that everyone says they are different but they are not. "We are no different. We are not really different but we are certainly ballsier than the rest. My track record and what Lim, my partner, has done in the past really show that we are quite ballsy and daring. We are also modular, that makes us so agile that we can combine and plug and play into any environment," he said. 

"If you have a team we can collaborate with them. If you want to build a team, we can build it together for you, if you want us to take on a huge project we can pick and cast the right talent to work on it with you," he added. Anand went on to say that he plans to grow the team to five in the next 12 months and to be modular. 

“Anand is a legend, and I’m proud to partner up with someone who not only has the balls to push daring ideas, but also has a sense of whether an idea is relevant and effective or not. At ‘ballsy’, we understand how entertainment functions as part of culture, which leads to important interactions with others in how people perceive brands and companies," said Lim. 

According to Anand, the agency curently has clients in Asia wanting to go globa such as in Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore.
 

"We have clients in London wanting to be big on social, we have a global client based out of Europe. We are open for anything, anywhere as long as they want something daring, different or have a special need for someone like us. We are there. Our dream clients are the challengers and ballsy ones," he said. 

Anand has been a creative force in advertising for over 20 years, making waves in agencies such as Ogilvy, BBDO and TBWA. He also has experiences in the tech industry as the SVP of Indonesian tech giant Gojek, where he set up its in-house creative team that produced several iconic campaigns that went beyond the Asia Pacific region. Anand's  most recent stint was with American agency Vaynermedia. He first joined them as ECD of Vaynermedia APAC. He then joined Vaynermedia EMEA in London as its executive creative director, where he continued to produce global campaigns for clients such as VISA and fintech company Revolut.

Lim is a media and entertainment executive with over two decades of experience, including launching the Muslim-centric Malaysian channel TV9, where he was the head of creative, and also worked on programmes such as the SHOUT Awards, TV3’s Anugerah Juara Lagu, and other TV shows.

In Malaysia, he co-founded Rocketfuel Entertainment and co-created 16 Baris, an online barbershop rap cypher series. From broadcasting, Lim moved to the music industry upon joining Warner Music Asia, where he launched and ran HipHopDX Asia. He is currently in an A&R role at EMPIRE, working with Asian artistes, as well as being a partner in Jaded, an entertainment agency headquartered in L.A. that focuses on promoting Asian youth culture.