SINGAPORE — Former ECD of Vaynermedia EMEA and a well-known creative in APAC VJ Anand 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, VJ 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 centered 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,” VJ shared.
Eddy added: “VJ 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.”
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,” VJ explained. “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.”
Co-founders VJ and Eddy have a couple of goals set for ballsy already – one of their biggest ambitions is to boost Asian brands internationally. Both of them have experiences in navigating this field: Eddy has brought Asian artistes to perform on a global level while promoting Asian youth culture to Western audiences, and VJ has worked on campaigns in various regions for national and multinational clients. VJ is also known for helping grow the Vaynermedia APAC team, and for setting up tech giant GOJEK’s in-house creative agency that went on to produce iconic viral campaigns in Southeast Asia.
“We have so much talent and amazing products here in Asia, and it’s time we showed them to the world,” VJ continued.
While the core of ballsy is being a modular brand consultancy and brand incubator, its cofounders are also planning to enter the lifestyle scene. VJ stated: “When we shot our consultancy’s brand photos in London, I thought we could expand even further. Now we’re in talks with a streetwear insider to create a sportswear line and a possible venture into the pet business.”
Ballsy currently has a roster of clients that are ad agencies as well as business owners. “We want the work to be bold and crazy, and we’re excited to work with anyone who shares the same conviction,” VJ commented. After all, as their launch video says, ‘Fortune favours the ballsy.’
About ‘ballsy’ co-founders:
VJ has been a creative force in advertising for over 20 years, making waves in legacy 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. There, he worked directly with gojek founders Nadiem Makarim and Kevin Aluwi to elevate the company to become a cult status brand in Southeast Asia.
VJ’s most recent stint was with American agency Vaynermedia. He first joined them as ECD of Vaynermedia APAC, growing the Singapore-based office from four people to nearly 300 employees spanning across the region, with offices in Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Australia. 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.
Eddy 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, Eddy moved to the music industry upon joining Warner Music Asia, where he launched and ran HipHopDX Asia and grew its audience to more than half a million in six months. 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.
