Cochin: In a move that signals a fresh creative push emerging from South India’s advertising ecosystem, screenwriter and advertising professional Francis Thomas has announced the launch of a new creative outfit, Audacious, alongside co-founders Sumit Raj and Ajay Syama Sathyan.
The announcement, made via LinkedIn, positions Audacious as a multidisciplinary creative company that aims to blur the boundaries between advertising, art, and content creation. The founders have articulated an ambitious vision—to build what they describe as “the best creative work South India has ever seen.”
A Creative-First Proposition
At its core, Audacious will focus on advertising, but the founding team is clearly looking beyond traditional agency structures. The venture plans to explore a wide spectrum of creative outputs, including films, podcasts, music albums, art shows, and proprietary events.
The founders define art as “anything that moves people,” signalling an intent to prioritise emotional resonance and cultural impact over conventional campaign formats. This aligns with a growing industry shift where branded content increasingly overlaps with entertainment and storytelling.
Founder Backgrounds Rooted in Maitri and Ogilvy
The founding trio brings a strong legacy of creative and digital expertise, much of it shaped at Maitri Advertising Works.
Francis Thomas moved to Kerala nearly a decade ago from Ogilvy’s Mumbai office to join Maitri’s Cochin operations. Since then, he has built a reputation for distinctive storytelling and creative work within the regional advertising landscape.
Sumit Raj, who co-founded Audacious, previously served as Head of Digital and International Operations at Maitri Advertising Works, where he spent over 16 years. His experience spans scaling digital capabilities and managing global mandates.
Ajay Syama Sathyan, also a co-founder, has led digital and creative functions at Maitri since 2016. With over a decade of experience, he has managed a team of more than 40 professionals, focusing on building high-engagement social media platforms for brands.
Culture and Client Philosophy
Beyond output, Audacious is placing equal emphasis on culture. The founders have stated their intent to build a workplace where people are “excited to go to work,” while also committing to a no-tolerance approach toward toxic behaviour—internally and externally.
On the client front, the company is positioning itself selectively. It aims to collaborate with brands that prioritise meaningful, shareable work—campaigns that function as cultural content rather than interruptive advertising. The focus, according to the founders, will be on long-term brand building rather than short-term visibility.
Betting on Creative Risk
The founders have acknowledged that their ambitions are neither “safe nor sensible,” underscoring a willingness to embrace creative risk at a time when much of the advertising industry is driven by performance metrics and efficiency.
This positioning could place Audacious within a growing cohort of boutique creative shops in India that are challenging legacy agency models by prioritising originality, agility, and cross-format storytelling.
As South India continues to emerge as a vibrant hub for media, entertainment, and digital innovation, Audacious enters the market with a clear proposition: to merge art and advertising in ways that are culturally impactful—and, as the name suggests, unapologetically bold.
