Mumbai // Head of Creative
Shishir
Kapre
THE MAN
BEHIND
THE BIO.
"A Bollywood tragicomedy in human form, I’m a forever Govinda fan, a music junkie, an enthusiastic cook and a firm believer that the best bars aren’t the ones with mixologists..."
Give me a shady, slightly questionable local Shetty bar any day. If the chairs are plastic and the menu has seen better decades, I’m home. I love my music loud, my food experimental and my Bollywood unapologetically 90s. Basically, I have expensive taste in music, questionable taste in bars and absolutely no regrets about Govinda.
I started my advertising career as a trainee at FCB Ulka in 2003. Since then, I’ve moved through Interpub, Percept-H and DDB Mudra before landing at Lowe Lintas, where I spent ten years and where my career finally started looking like it knew what it was doing.
Lowe was my advertising university, leadership boot camp and occasional reality check. I worked on brands like Idea Cellular, Godrej HIT, Amul Macho and UltraTech Cement, creating work that won multiple Effies. More importantly, I learnt how to lead teams, handle clients and defend an idea with a straight face even when the room had 17 different opinions.
In a moment of entrepreneurial overconfidence, I took a year off to start a food truck. The truck never took off, but the lessons did. Learned that great ideas and running a food business are two very different skill sets. Who knew?
I returned to advertising at FCB Interface as Executive Creative Director and eventually Group Executive Creative Director. There, I cracked TR. for Teacher for Navneet Education, which went on to win multiple Cannes Lions, Abby, One Show and Kyoorius awards. Finally, proof that some of my ideas could feed something other than my ego.
Next, I joined Fatmen Ideas as Head of Creative, helping build the agency, lead teams, win pitches and convince clients that the idea they initially rejected was, in fact, the one they had always wanted.
Advertising Showreel
Some ideas start on a bar napkin. Some end up in Cannes. Twenty years of turning “what if?” into “who made that?” — this is work skap.
Chronicle & Milestones
The Trajectory.
FCB ULKA
The starting line. Entered the advertising world as a trainee copywriter with nothing but relentless curiosity and loud music.
Interpub, Percept-H, DDB Mudra
Moving through the ranks of Mumbai's creative circuit, sharpening the tools of the trade, campaign after campaign.
LOWE LINTAS
The advertising university. Leadership boot camp. Multiple Effies. Handled heavyweight legacy brands: Idea Cellular, Godrej HIT, Amul Macho, and UltraTech Cement.
THE FOOD TRUCK
A year of overconfidence. The truck didn’t fly, but the lessons did. Learned that great ideas don’t always belong on wheels.
FCB INTERFACE
Cracked "TR. for Teacher". Won Cannes Lions, Abby, One Show, and Kyoorius. Proof of concept reached peak international recognition.
FATMEN IDEAS
Head of Creative. Helping build the agency, leading teams, and winning pitches through uncompromising professional persuasion.
What They Say
Behind My Back.
Unfiltered commendations, industry roasts, and unprovoked character references from agency partners and collaborators.
Known Kapre for more than a decade. Either he’s ridiculously talented or incredibly patient. Probably both.
For a hyper ventilating person like me he has always been a contrast! We’ve survived crazy briefs, crazier ideas and endless debates!
Somehow, he kept making great work and ensured we are having a ridiculous amount of fun doing it.
If I had to choose a creative partner all over again, I’d still pick him.
And yes, Kaps, we’re still shooting that film in Cape Town!
Murali Krishnan
Co-founder & CMO, WOW Momos
He taught us how to think, then helped shape those thoughts into ideas. A mentor like Mentos: “Dimag ki batti jala de!”
The most secure Creative Director I’ve ever known, he never chased credit. Perhaps that’s why so many of us credit him for shaping our careers.
Kshitij Barot
Creative, Fatmen Ideas
Shishir is ChatGPT for Bollywood music and IMDb for ad film directors! Walk into his cabin for gossip, walk out with a killer campaign idea. And after four pegs? A free Kumar Sanu concert! 😂
A walking jukebox, a brilliant creative mind and a fantastic friend!
Rupesh Patkar
Creative, McCann Worldgroup
Working with Shishir has been exceptional. He possess a rare ability to tap into authentic human insights and translate them into high-decibel campaigns that truly shift audience behavior. Beyond stunning visual and copy craft, every creative asset is purposeful, nuanced, and strategically aligned to drive real-world impact. Any brand looking to turn storytelling into meaningful culture change would be lucky to have Shishir at the helm.
Sandeep Kotak
Head of Marketing, Navneet Education Ltd.