Orkhan Karim
Orkhan Karim (; also known as Orkhan Kerimov) is an Azerbaijani advertising professional, creative director, and entrepreneur. He is the founder and executive creative director of Endorphin, an independent creative advertising agency based in Baku, Azerbaijan, established in 2014. He is the official representative of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in Azerbaijan, and in 2025 became the first Azerbaijani to serve on the festival's jury. He is also the co-founder and chairman of the Baku Flames International Festival of Creativity and Effectiveness.
Education
Orkhan Karim studied at Istanbul University, where he graduated from the Department Of Radio, Television and Cinema. During his time in Turkey, he gained experience in television advertising, video production, and film direction.
Career
Karim has more than 15 years of professional experience in marketing and advertising, BRANDed content, and film. After graduating, he began his career in Turkey, working at local and international advertising agencies before returning to Azerbaijan.
Endorphin
In 2014, Karim founded Endorphin, an independent creative advertising agency in Baku. The agency grew to become one of the most-awarded creative agencies in Azerbaijan and Central Asia. Endorphin has produced campaigns for major local and regional brands, including Azercell, Kapital Bank, PASHA Insurance, and UNFPA Azerbaijan. A selection of Endorphin's work has been featured on Ads of the World, a global creative advertising archive.
Cannes Lions
As the official representative of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in Azerbaijan, Karim has organised the annual "Young Lions Azerbaijan" national competition since 2019. The competition, held across Film, Design, and Print categories, selects teams to represent Azerbaijan at the international festival in Cannes.
In 2025, Karim joined the Cannes Lions Shortlisting Jury for the Direct Lions category, making him the first Azerbaijani to sit on the festival's jury. The Cannes Lions official announcement noted that Azerbaijan was among four markets represented on the shortlisting jury for the first time in 2025, alongside Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, and Mongolia. In an interview with the trade publication AdForum, Karim described the experience as being "invited to the Champions League of creativity".
Golden Drum
Karim has served as a juror at the Golden Drum international advertising festival, sitting on the One-Channel Drum jury.
Baku Flames
Karim is the co-founder and chairman of the Baku Flames International Festival of Creativity and Effectiveness, described as Azerbaijan's first international festival dedicated to creativity and effectiveness in advertising. The inaugural EDition was held on 2–3 May 2025 in Baku, bringing together 1,260 industry professionals, 39 speakers from 9 countries, and a jury of 40 members representing 18 countries.