24 Hours With… Fox’s Keertan Adyanthaya

7am:

By 7am I’m awake and getting ready for my morning spin cycle session. My job involves a lot of collaboration and discussions with a huge range of people, so I like to use morning exercise as a time to be alone with thoughts. As anyone who works in the creative industries knows, it’s important to take time out to daydream. It’s amazing the ideas you can come up with when you dedicate time to letting your mind wander.

9am:

I grab a coffee on the way to work – the blacker, the better. My first hour is spent clearing email, and then I catch up with team members who need to discuss things in detail.

1pm:

I’m usually out for lunch with a colleague or business associate, but even though work is often the focus of my lunches I’m also thinking about the food. As anyone who follows me on Instagram knows, I’m a bit of a foodie. Living in Hong Kong is an amazing opportunity to explore so much fantastic food from Asia and around the world.

2pm:

I never worry about the post-lunch food coma, because my afternoon is nearly always filled with lively discussion and lots of exciting ideas. Being EVP of content and communications means I’m responsible for overseeing all content acquisition, so my job is all about searching out the best new movies and TV shows to share with our audiences.

After lunch, I’m usually discussing new show concepts that are being pitched to Fox, and looking at potential show acquisitions. Hearing and talking about all these different creative ideas is one of the most fun parts of my job. 

4pm:

Around now, I might be discussing monthly channel plans for one of our 15 channels or for one of our regions. There’s a lot to talk about. We might be looking more closely at a channel like National Geographic or Fox Movies, or maybe honing in on what an audience in markets like Thailand, Malaysia or the Philippines wants to see next.

5pm:

Because my days are usually so energetic and collaborative, by late afternoon I’m ready for a little quiet time to refocus on the big picture. Granted, with the pace of our industry it’s not always easy. But I think it’s essential to find those moments when you can take a step back and ask: what can we do that’s never been done before?

That might be in terms of reexamining how we work with affiliates and ad partners to innovate new business models for the industry, or uncovering a new way to get the best content to our viewers.

7pm:

I’m winding down from the work day and headed out for a beer or dinner with a buddy. I’m definitely guilty of talking about work in my free time, but when you’re in the entertainment industry it’s hard not to! Lately it’s been all Oscars talk.

10pm:

If I’ve got time before bed, of course I’ll be watching whatever my new favourite show is. Last year I got really into Genius. It told the story of Albert Einstein, looking at the man behind the legend. I’m already counting down to the next season.