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Ayappa KM

  • Purpose Studios
  • Mar 10, 2024
  • 2 min read

Updated: Oct 3

Based in Goa


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Director and Co-founder of Early Man Film, a Mumbai-based production company. Ayappa KM is known for his offbeat directing style, unusual casting, satirical humour, and a strong visual aesthetic.


Starting as a copywriter at Orchard Advertising before moving to MTV, he honed the quirky sensibilities that define his work today. From CRED’s Rahul Dravid and Neeraj Chopra films to Ambuja Cement ft. The Great Khali and RAJAMOULI VS WARNER / CRED, Ayappa has built a reputation for creating advertising that’s as unconventional as it is memorable.


At the Good Ads Matter Awards 2025, Ayappa won Best Director of the Year, while Early Man Film was named Production Company of the Year, bagging 2 Grand Prix, 10 Gold, and 2 Silver metals. Major wins included:

Jindal – The Steel of India: Grand Prix for Editing (TV/Cinema), Golds in Direction, Cinematography, Original Music Composition, and Sound Design (Montage, TV/Cinema)

Nilaya Anthology: Grand Prix for Cinematography (Online), Gold for Editing, Silver for Direction (Montage, Online), Swiggy Instamart 'Groom': Golds in Direction and Editing (Humour, Online), CRED Warner & SS Rajamouli: Silver in Editing (Humour, TV/Cinema), Bold Care Teleshopping: Gold for Best Use of Humour in Writing for Advertising.


His portfolio spans works like The Story of Kaveri, BUZZKILL / CRED, BOLD CARE - Serial, Jio Cinema - Office, Jindal Shadeed Iron & Steel and The Steel of Oman, and Zepto’s Shankar Mahadevan & Kailash Kher films, among others.


A jury member for Cinematography at Good Ads Matter 2025, his work has also been awarded at Cannes, D&AD, and other top-tier global festivals, with collaborations across CRED, Finolex, Jindal Steel, Bold Care, Imperial Blue, Swiggy, Bingo, Britannia, Zepto, and more.


Beyond advertising, Ayappa has explored filmmaking with the documentary Kunde and shorts War Room and Runners. Recently, he joined UK-based production comapny, Stink Films as Director, expanding his creative reach globally.


Catch Ayappa KM in conversation with some of India’s top 1% ad-film directors at the Good Ads Matter Directors' Roundtable — on our YouTube channel.


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Among his top ad picks, he lists:

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