One Nice Summer: A Day In The Life – Ani Sanyal
Ani Sanyal is the founder of Green Room Creative, an innovative marketing agency based in NYC. Some of his notable clients include Converse Rubber Tracks, Juice Press, and The Daily Beast. For our #OneNiceSummer campaign, he was kind enough to let us tag along as he made his rounds in downtown NYC on a busy summer day. Check out our conversation below and our different stops during the day.
So first off, what would you say is your creative outlet?
Nowadays, most of my creativity gets channeled into the actual work that we do at Green Room Creative. This means overseeing the copy, creative production and strategies for our client’s campaigns. Other than that, I’m pretty intentional about keeping a journal, and have been more involved with photography when I travel.
What inspires you?
I’m inspired by family and legacy. My parents took tremendous risks when deciding to emigrate here from India, so my motivation comes from my desire to provide and care for them. They are the reason I wake up and go hard every morning. Other than that, I’m inspired by art, culture, food and travel — Jay-Z, Keith Haring, The MoMA, Shibuya, Tokyo, The Barnes Collection, The New Yorker, the Azores..you get the idea.
How would you describe your summer style?
My summer style is minimal and highly functional, and since I’m on the move a lot, I tend to wear tech inspired items. I used to be an avid sneakerhead, so you can usually find me a pair of Air Max’s, Greats or even Jordans, but only the classics.
Describe “#OneNiceSummer” Day for you in NYC?
One Nice Summer day for me usually consists of hitting a museum, maybe the MoMA or the Rubin, and trying a new restaurant after that, or maybe dipping to a bookstore. Also, it has to be spent with good people and good energy, so you might catch me at First Saturdays at the BK Museum, or on a rooftop somewhere cooling out.
What are your favorite NYC summer spots to eat, relax, and have fun?
When it comes to my spots, I like what I like, but am always game to try something new. For food, you can find me at La Esquina grabbing a quesadilla, Tim Ho Wan for dim sum or getting an ice cream sandwich from Melt. For relaxation, I’m usually at a museum or a bookstore—McNally in Soho is one of my favorites. I like getting out of the office whenever possible, and walking from our office downtown to Washington Square Park is something I’ll do to clear my mind after a long day. I’m selective about going out at night, so it has to be worthwhile — my people at EyeSpy and Beat Haus throw some really dope functions.
What songs will we find in your summer soundtrack?
Right now, my summer soundtrack has a lot of Anik Khan on it. He’s is a Bengali artist from Queens, and outside of being a close friend of mine, he’s just a super talented artist. The new Jay-Z album is out, so if you know me, you know how I feel about that! Other artists on my playlist are Saint JHN, dvsn, Khalid, Nipsey Hussle, Abhi//Dijon, SBTRKT, Little Dragon…that’s a pretty comprehensive list right there.
Any big projects coming up that you can share with us?
We’re launching a campaign for Traveling Spoon (think of the Airbnb for food experiences), which brings a lot of our passions for travel, food, marketing together, so that’s pretty exciting. We’re also working on something with Anik Khan, and I’m looking forward to showing the world how much talent the brown creative community really has.
You’ve given TED Talks before – what’s one short piece of advice you’d give to young creatives trying to follow their dreams?
Don’t let anyone else tell you what you can or can’t do. Be wise when taking advice from people who really aren’t qualified to give it. Other people will always try to reflect their fears and anxieties on you, so if you really want something, you’re the only one who can make it happen.
Don’t forget to follow Ani on Instagram at: @anihustles
