As a creative director for oat milk brand Oatly, Rinee Shah has overseen campaigns such as the “Oatly Emotional Support Hotline for Plant-Based Eaters Attending Traditional Meat and Dairy Based Thanksgiving Dinners” and “The Oatly Climate Footprint Challenge.”

Last fall, the Oatly hotline, a real phone number that anyone could call, used a comedic tone to “tap into the reality that sharing a traditional meal with family can often be difficult when you have certain dietary preferences,” said Shah, 39, who joined the brand in January 2021. “The hotline offered support with positive affirmations, a motivational sports locker room speech and a blank audio void to scream into.”

During the week the hotline was live, it received more than 3,100 calls.

“The Oatly Climate Footprint Challenge” came out in the spring and called out the dairy industry for its “lack of transparency” around its climate footprint, Shah said. 

Coloring outside the lines of her corporate job seems to come naturally to Shah. She’s an illustrator, too, with clients including The New York Times, Simon & Schuster and Inside Hook. Most recently, she co-wrote and illustrated her third book, “LOL 101: A Kid's Guide to Writing Jokes.” Shah also previously wrote and co-directed a short film that played at comedy film festivals around the country. 

If you could have dinner with one person, alive or dead, who would it be and why?

Phoebe Waller-Bridge. I’ve been obsessed with “Fleabag” since Season 2 debuted. I’m awestruck by her ability to be the showrunner, writer and star of such a genius comedic show.

What are the top two social media sites you use on a regular basis?

Instagram and Twitter—I’m not sure how long Twitter is gonna exist anymore, but I still get most of my news on it since I follow a lot of journalists and news organizations.

What’s currently on your bedside reading list?

I just finished “Yellowface,” by R.F. Kuang. The book deals with race, creativity and identity in a really interesting way. It’s one of those unreliable narrator stories that really draws you in.

What was the last show you binge-watched?

I’m currently binge-watching “The X-Files,” which I never watched in the ’90s. It’s a little too scary for me—it gives me really crazy dreams, and yet I still watch.

At what age do you hope to retire?

I guess from advertising in the next decade or two. But I think in terms of my other work like illustration and making books, I’m hoping that that goes on for many, many years.