If you’re looking for a side of humor with your digital marketing, you’ve come to the right place. Meet Anukool Manchanda, one of Brafton’s best Digital Marketing Account Directors and Australia’s greatest stand-up comics. (My words, not his.)

Although Anukool has lived in Sydney for most of his life, he recently packed up his client notes, strategy spreadsheets and old stand-up scripts, heading off to explore the Central Coast. Now he’s enjoying what he calls a “more peaceful, laid-back lifestyle” while he brings a little good humor to clients and coworkers alike.

Life Before Brafton

Anukool has already built an impressive marketing career, but his story actually begins in his university days. “I fell into the [digital marketing] industry while studying for my engineering degree,” he says. 

From there, it was full steam ahead: He started an affiliate marketing business that quickly grew to a team of 10. He ran the company for 2 years, during which he discovered his knack for helping clients generate traffic, leads, conversions and sales. “I really gained a passion and interest for digital marketing,” he says. “From that point onward, I’ve been working in the digital marketing field!”

Since then, Anukool has held many impressive titles, including Digital Marketing and Sales Director, Head of Marketing and more. He’s spent a lot of time working with technical SEO, pay-per-click marketing tools and social media platforms like LinkedIn, bringing a great sense of humor wherever he goes.

A New Adventure

When Anukool found Brafton on Seek, an Australian job site, he could tell a new adventure was about to begin. And he was right: Anukool has now been with Brafton for over 1 year, where he says no day is ever the same. “Some days are heavy with client meetings, and on others, I’m deep in strategy mode,” he explains. Either way, he knows he’ll spend a lot of time working with some of his favorite topics — keyword research, analytics, strategy planning and more.

When possible, Anukool says he uses Monday and Tuesday as crunch time so he can tackle major strategy tasks early in the week. He saves Wednesday and Thursday for meetings with clients and internal teammates, then enjoys Brafton Friday, our company-wide “early release” day.

Even with this routine, things never get boring. “I like the challenge of helping a variety of clients in different industries achieve their goals,” says Anukool. He also explains that he’s always learning on the job, brushing up on the newest industry trends. He’s a big fan of data-driven marketing strategies and loves watching the results play out for his clients — many of whom have achieved page 1 SEO rankings and significant year-on-year growth in organic traffic.

“I’m proud that I’ve been able to quickly manage and handle more than 22 clients, which isn’t an easy task,” he says. “I’m also proud of the fact that I was able to hit my rebuy target within my first quarter working at Brafton.” 

“So, What’s the Deal With Airline Food?”

When Anukool isn’t juggling strategy meetings or doing keyword research, he’s still flexing his analytical mind. He says he likes listening to podcasts and reading books about marketing, business and other important topics, constantly honing his skills as a strategist and account director. He’s also passionate about investing and trading in both the U.S. and A.U. stock markets. 

But for Anukool, life isn’t all about being serious. In fact, he used to be a stand-up comedian.

“There was a place called the Laugh Garage in Sydney,” he says. The venue isn’t there anymore, but he still holds fond memories of his time at the mic. “I went regularly. It was just for fun and to challenge myself.” Although he has since said goodbye to jokes about airline food, he manages to bring that same sense of cheer, wit and humor to his work at Brafton. It’s not always easy to have fun with keyword research, but if anyone can do it, Anukool can.

On top of being a stand-up comic, Anukool also built an online school where he taught bhangra, an Indian dance style, to over 10,000 subscribers. (Grab your autograph books, everyone — we’re in the presence of an internet celebrity!) 

Clearly, Anukool isn’t just a Digital Marketing Account Director — he’s someone who can bring joy to everything he does.

Ashlee Sierra is a senior writer and editor from Boise, Idaho. When she’s not buried under her giant dogs, she can be found playing video games, telling ghost stories and having passionate discussions about the Oxford comma.