Renowned creative executive Karan Dang, whose award-winning career spans running in-house advertising agencies at Disney and Walmart, and UX/UI expert Shruti Dang, are launching DANG, a creative consultancy built to guide brands to captivate the next generation of consumers through innovative strategies and creative excellence.
To learn more, we caught up with Karan to discuss his creative journey and how he hopes to use DANG to help clients forge unbreakable bonds with Gen Z and Gen Alpha audiences.
Tell us a bit about your role! Is there a “typical” day?
As the CEO of DANG, a brand, creative & innovation consultancy, I'm on an exhilarating mission to revolutionize how iconic global brands connect with the next generation. Each day is a breathtaking adventure packed with inspiring meetings, transformative ideation sessions, and immersive cultural explorations. It's a continuous sprint towards the future, fueled by creativity and innovation.
What was the biggest challenge in getting to your current position?
The biggest hurdle was undergoing a profound mindset shift - evolving from a seasoned corporate leader to an entrepreneur. Unlearning the constraints of the past and embracing the unbridled potential of the future was an incredible test of courage and conviction. But that transformative process unlocked new levels of creative freedom and visionary thinking.
What is your personal background and what role did it play in your career?
I am a Creative Director by trade and an avid student of culture. I spend most of my free time immersed in places and spaces where culture is built, such as music, art, fashion, and startup entrepreneurship. This helps me understand customers and keeps me at the forefront of culture, enabling me to offer insights back to my clients.
What is your biggest career-related win? What is your biggest loss?
My greatest sense of achievement comes from mentoring - guiding aspiring creatives to unleash their full potential. When a mentee breaks through barriers and ascends to new heights, it's incredibly gratifying to know I played a role in catalyzing that transformation. Each of their wins is a shared victory that empowers our entire creative community.
Which individuals and/or agencies do you gain inspiration from? Do you have any heroes in the industry?
My personal idol is Virgil Abloh. For me, he truly showed that to be a successful creative, you need to understand the business of creativity, take charge of your own fate, and learn new skills, otherwise you'd be a tool in someone else's toolbox. That's why I took the title of CEO at my company and enrolled at Harvard Business School this year. Creatives need to be in charge of their own fate, which in turn helps them be more creative.
What advice would you give to your younger self?
Relentlessly invest in understanding the business foundations that give your creativity wings to soar. Mastering the commerce behind your art will unlock unprecedented levels of creative autonomy and impact.
If you weren’t in your current industry, what would you be doing?
Even in an alternate reality, I’d be involved in a creative endeavour. Perhaps I'd be a fashion designer, forging new aesthetics that celebrate the beauty of human expression.
What’s your one big dream for the future of the industry?
That we as an industry embrace change, embrace the tools and technology at our helm to tell richer stories, and not fight it all the time. Things like influencers, the power of data, and AI are tools to make our work more personal, more effective, more efficient, and in turn, let us be more creative.
What are your top tips for aspiring creative professionals?
Believe unshakably in the value of your unique creative voice. Unfortunately, our industry is a creative industry but structured like a corporate machine. There is always someone reporting to someone, and when creatives report to someone, it often turns into creatives trying to bring their leader's taste, values, and creativity to life. I want younger creatives to know that their ideas are the best ones, and their time will come to show their mettle. Until then, don't lose hope and keep the confidence going.
What are your top tips for other creative leaders?
Two things:
Leadership is not just about what your team does for you but what you can do for your team. Being of service to them is essential.
Autonomy is the single most effective tool when it comes to building a strong team and positive morale.
How do you handle creative blocks or burnout?
Go out, take a break, unplug... these things have real power. Once you come back to it and have had the time for external inspiration to take space in your mind, you come back recharged with new ideas and ways forward.
When you think about your team, what is the thing that matters to you the most?
Embracing diversity is the key to unlocking new ideas, inspiration, and possibilities. Imagine how boring it would be if all of us looked, talked, ate, and thought the same way.
What industry trends do you foresee taking hold in the coming months?
The rise of more independent shops and contractors. Our creatives are tired; they're tired of being overworked in agencies and environments where they're squeezed to work endless hours for fixed salaries while agencies take all the profits. That's why there is a mass exodus, especially after COVID. I think we as an industry will have to figure out a new model that respects and values our biggest asset - the talent.
Do you have any websites, books or resources you would recommend?
"Daring Greatly" by Brené Brown - a profound exploration of vulnerability as the birthplace of belonging, creativity and wholeheartedness. "Originals" by Adam Grant - timeless wisdom for championing new ideas against fierce resistance. And "The Morning Brew" on TikTok - irreverent, zeitgeist-capturing cultural commentary.
