Prathap Suthan becomes first Hall of Fame Inductee at Ad Club of Trivandrum Awards

Veteran advertising professional Prathap Suthan has been inducted as the first member of the Hall of Fame by the Advertising Club of Trivandrum at its inaugural Advertising Awards Night, held at The Leela Kovalam, A Raviz Hotel.

Suthan described the recognition as a special moment in his career, particularly given his roots in Trivandrum and the fact that he began his advertising journey in the city.

Suthan’s career spans nearly four decades, during which he has worked across agencies, brands and markets in India and overseas. He began his journey at Reflections in Trivandrum, crediting Sangeeth, Santosh Sivan and Ommachhen for recognising his potential and giving him his first opportunity.

Below is Prathap Suthan’s post marking this honour:

The Long Way Home.

Something wonderful happened. A very special moment.

On the evening of the 24th, the Advertising Club of Trivandrum held its first ever Advertising Awards Night at The Leela Kovalam, A Raviz Hotel.

And I had the extraordinary honour of becoming its first Hall of Fame inductee.

For someone who grew up in Trivandrum and began his wobbly ride into advertising here, this was an overwhelming occasion.

My journey began at Reflections, thanks to Sangeeth and Santosh Sivan Asc Isc, who believed I could write, and Ommachhen, who gave me my first opportunity.

Soon after, in the summer of 1985, I worked at a 7-Eleven near Drexel University in Philadelphia.

One day, as I worked the cash register, the Slurpee machine behind me exploded. Cold, icy, sweet fireworks all over the place.

Tired of explaining its demise to disappointed customers, I wrote a funny poster.

People guffawed. Came back the next day expecting another. So I wrote one. And another. Until the machine was repaired.

You could say that was my first successful advertising campaign. Unfortunately, the client was a broken Slurpee machine.

I was back in India and I worked with Stark Communications, Trivandrum - where I started touching the edges of the business.

Soon after, Mudra arrived, where Dr. Naganand Kumar spotted something in me and gave me a chance. A hundred words on 'The Person I Am' became my ticket into Mudra.

What followed was a remarkable period of discovery along with some fantastic people -  Sanjay Bhutiani Yogi Vashishta Bharat Chauhan etc.

Then geography and agencies changed, Ahmedabad, Calcutta, Delhi, Grey, Cheil, Samsung, iYogi and eventually Bang in the Middle.

A mélange of wonderful colleagues, generous mentors, talented partners, and lovely clients who trusted me with their brands.

There are hundreds of people I owe thanks to.

Copywriters, visualisers, art directors, spray painters, studio artists, filmmakers, planners, account managers, clients and friends. Shantanu Sheorey Subrata Bhowmick Veneet Raj Bagga

Every one of them contributed something to a journey that saw an inordinate number of sunrises.

Naresh Gupta, my partner at Bang in the Middle, deserves special thanks for continuing to put up with me.

Over the years, I learnt from many and had the privilege of encouraging and inspiring others. I'm particularly proud that some of my juniors now occupy top creative positions.

The evening brought another lovely coincidence.

Radhakrishnan who once worked with me, and his partner Sneh took home a magnificent haul of awards for their Goel TMT campaign.

Brilliant work about a father bringing his daughter home from an abusive marriage.

Thank you, Senthil Kumar, Manoj Pillai, P K Anil Kumar for being there in person and cheering the loudest. I heard you. :))

I also want to thank my parents, brothers, cousins, extended family, and all my friends - from here and around the world.

Abhimanyu, who has seen every possible version of his father, and Charu, who has joined our little family, have been part of this long journey.

And then there's Jo/Jyothi.

My wife, who made so much of this possible.

She put her own career aside, raised our son, held our home together and gave me the freedom to chase advertising across the country and the world.

She would have been the proudest person in that audience.

The last time Jo came to Trivandrum, we spent a beautiful Onam holiday morning together in Kovalam in 2023.

On Saturday, when I received this honour in Kovalam, I couldn't help feeling that it was providence.

I knew she was sitting there. With her sunshine smile. Thank you, Jo. You will always be my light.

I owe so much to the people who gave me a chance, trusted my ideas, improved my work and helped me find my way.

I hope I can continue doing the same for someone starting out. I remember what that first encouragement meant, and how much confidence came with that first salary.

Thank you to the Advertising Club of Trivandrum for this extraordinary honour. It means more than I can express. Thank you Laj Salam.

I have spent many years taking my work to the world. It feels wonderful to have that work bring me home.

Thank you, Trivandrum. Thank you, advertising.

After nearly four decades, I remain an eager student of both. And I'm still in this business for the love of advertising.