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Category: eNews

  • Pepper Content partners with Skillshare to grow the creator economy

    Pepper Content partners with Skillshare to grow the creator economy

    Mumbai: The SaaS marketplace Pepper Content has announced its partnership with Skillshare, an online learning creative community.

    The vision behind this association is to empower creators. Together these two platforms aims to help creators upgrade their skill sets and deliver engaging in-depth content.

    With the total size of the creator economy estimated to be a little over $100 billion, this partnership will further build credibility for the content ecosystem.

    As a content marketplace, Pepper Content skillfully connects organisations with its large database of content creators. To enable this profusely, the partnership will empower content creators with better skills to deliver on-ground impact for brands. Through an AI-enabled platform, Pepper Content helps create unique and custom made content for each organisation. Further to this, their ultimate aim is to empower the passion economy that offers alternative ways of making money, innovative paths towards professional fulfilment, and unprecedented career opportunities.

    Under this partnership, Skillshare will provide a special discount coupon code on their annual subscription and scholarship to 10 Pepper Content creators every month. The winners of the scholarship each month will be announced on Pepper Content’s social media. Creators can also explore thousands of hands-on creative classes giving them an opportunity to build on their existing writing skills in an institualised framework from the comforts of their home.

    Working on a new way to get content done, Pepper Content is building for the world from India and also looking at entering the US market by end of the year. Currently, about four to five per cent of the company’s revenues come from outside India and the company is looking to expand the creator network and demand-side globally.

    On this association Pepper Contenr lead community, events and partnership Pawan Rochwani said, “We are extremely excited to work with a brand like Skillshare that truly understands the power of content. At Pepper Content, our larger mission is to build a virtual content team for any company globally. Creators and brands are at the core of our business and content, our superpower.  Therefore, we aim to enable the ambitions of our creators to articulate their creativity and help brands communicate their story to the audience.”

    Speaking of this partnership Skillshare India market head Aayur Kaul commented, “The creator economy has seen tremendous growth in the past year and is expected to boom in the coming years. Skillshare, is at the forefront of empowering creators by providing access to learning resources to help them inspire and explore their creative instincts. Our partnership with Pepper Content, is  definitely a step taken in the right direction with a mission to enable the next generation of content creators in India.”

  • Marvel Studios signs 20-year deal with Stan Lee Universe

    Marvel Studios signs 20-year deal with Stan Lee Universe

    MUMBAI:Marvel Studios has signed a 20-year deal with Stan Lee Universe to license the name and likeness of Lee for use in future feature films and television productions, as well as Disney theme parks, various experiences and merchandising.

    Stan Lee Universe is a venture between Genius Brands International and POW! Entertainment. Lee is one of the most prolific and legendary comic creators of all time. As Marvel’s editor-in-chief, Lee helped build a universe of interlocking continuity, one where fans felt as if they could turn a street corner and run into a superhero from Spider-Man to the Fantastic Four, Thor, Iron Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and more. Lee went on to become Marvel’s editorial director and publisher in 1972, and was eventually named chairman emeritus.

    “We are proud to be the stewards of the incredibly valuable rights to Stan Lee’s name, likeness, merchandise, and intellectual property brand. And, there is no better place than Marvel and Disney where Stan should be for his movies and theme park experiences. As we enter the centennial year of Stan’s birthday, 28 December, 2022, we are thrilled to see his memory and legacy will continue to delight fans through this new long-term agreement with Marvel” said Genius Brands chairman CEO Andy Heyward.

    Under the terms of the deal, Marvel Studios has acquired rights to use Stan Lee’s name, voice, likeness and signature in movies and television projects, as well as use images, existing footage and existing audio recordings featuring Stan. Exclusive rights to use Stan Lee’s name, voice, likeness and signature in theme parks, water parks, cruise lines and in-park merchandise were included for Disney Parks, Experiences and Products as part of the deal.

    “As Stan’s longtime business partner and friend, I’m looking forward to commemorating his work in this new way. Building a connection with his fans is important to us and it’s a privilege to get to do that on his behalf” said Pow! Entertainment president Gill Champion.

    Le has also appeared in some of the most popular films of all time. His well-known cameos in Marvel films began in the 1989 telefilm “The Trial of the Incredible Hulk”. After the release of “X-Men” in 2000, he appeared in nearly every Marvel film and television project until his passing in 2018.

  • Timezone launches new venue and Play ‘N’ Learn makes its debut in Mumbai

    Timezone launches new venue and Play ‘N’ Learn makes its debut in Mumbai

    MUMBAI: The Entertainment and Education Group (TEEG) – an Australian-based family entertainment provider has launched two new venues: Timezone and Play ‘N’ Learn in Mumbai.

    With the launch of the new venue, the total number of venues Timezone has now is 55 all across the country. The new Timezone venue is spread across 5,000 square feet with its modern contemporary design. It is an entertainment destination for families and millennials. The latest arcade games include the Best of VR, Mission Impossible, Asphalt 9, Elevator Invasion, and Dark Mars city – many of which are being launched for the first time in India. More than 50 arcade games are in the venue and rewards wait for players in the Timezone Prize Shop.

    Meanwhile, Play ’N’ Learn has debuted in Mumbai at Oberoi Mall. This new format has been designed by Singapore education experts to create multidimensional learning for kids in their crucial formative years (2-6-years) that will help them get a head start in life.

    The active play equipment at Play ‘N’ Learn is designed with the help of an occupational therapist to target key motor skills. The format’s Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics (Steam) programmes incorporate active components into every session – to educate the mind and the body, all in a fun and engaging manner. This new format introduces concepts like Active Play, Edu-fun sessions, and the Multiple Intelligences Developmental Assessment Scales (Midas) system that helps identify and understand each child’s natural learning style – called ‘smarts’, where parents can learn more about their child’s score.

    Timezone Entertainment CEO Abbas Jabalpurwala said, “We are excited to launch Timezone and Play ‘N’ Learn in Mumbai’s Oberoi Mall. These venues not only come as a welcomed relief for families who have been home-bound for the past two years but are set to bring a host of fun activities that will enable guests to reconnect and bond, making fun memories together. Both these venues have been designed with extreme precision, following international standards of quality and safety norms ensuring high-energy, low-stress experiences that cater to young and old alike.”

  • Creators in M&E industry can’t substitute storytelling with technology: Experts at Pearl Academy’s Portfolio 2022

    Creators in M&E industry can’t substitute storytelling with technology: Experts at Pearl Academy’s Portfolio 2022

    Mumbai: At Pearl Academy’s Portfolio 2022, experts from the world of advertising, media, cinema and entertainment decoded the future of these industries in the metaverse during a panel discussion. The panelists for this discussion were Ogilvy chief creative officer Sukesh Nayak; director, producer Aakash Bhatia; director of the film “Bheja Fry” Sagar Ballary and film producer Vivek Agrawal. The session was moderated by Pearl Academy dean, School of Contemporary Media Viveck Vaswani.

    Commenting on the role of technology in these industries, Nayak said, “Technologies like Metaverse allow you to be braver in exploring different possibilities however stories and storytelling remain the key since there’ll not be any magic if the stories don’t mean anything.”

    “Content creators and artists in these industries cannot substitute storytelling with technology. You can dream bigger with technology, but it should not make you complacent,” said Agrawal.

    On being asked, what should millennials who want to join these industries be taught, Ballary said, “Art is the medium supported by science or technology therefore a beautiful balance between the two is required. Technology should be used as a tool to correct the art and not actually create it. Besides technology, gravitas and patience are important to be able to work on the art.”

    “One thing that technology has allowed is for people to watch more content and has given them multiple viewing canvases.  However, the usability of technology is on us as anything that moves you forward can take you backwards too,” opined director and producer Aakash Bhatia.

    Portfolio 2022, which provided the platform for this panel discussion, is an annual event that showcases students’ projects by Pearl Academy that sits at the intersection of technology and creativity.

  • Big FM elevates Sunil Kumaran as chief operating officer

    Big FM elevates Sunil Kumaran as chief operating officer

    Mumbai: The leading radio network Big FM has elevated the chief brand and digital officer Sunil Kumaran as the chief operating officer. Kumaran will spearhead revenue and technical functions besides continuing his current responsibility of brand and boosting digital growth of the network.  

    The announcement by Big FM is in line with the radio network’s evolving marketing dynamics and growth estimation in the space of multiple avenues, which will be optimised by Kumaran through innovation and development.

    Kumaran has been associated with the radio network for close to eleven years and comes with an experience of over two decades in the radio industry.

    Talking about his new role, Kumaran said, “We are going through a transformative time in our journey at BIG.  Tapping into our strengths, we have embarked on an aggressive growth plan to leverage the opportunities presented by the fast evolving digital landscape.”

    “I am happy to move into this role where I get to work with a top-of-the-line cross functional team, to drive this evolution and growth,” he added.

    Reliance Broadcast Network Ltd chief executive officer Abraham Thomas said, “Sunil is a proven leader and we aim to leverage every ounce of his superpowers as a revenue, product, content, and marketing visionary to write BIG FM’s success story.  His remarkable brand commitment, together with strategic vision, navigating through changing industry dynamics, constant client/listener focus, leading teams and setting them up for success and understanding of how we come together at BIG FM to execute against opportunities in a collaborative way will open up avenues for BIG FM to create newer milestones.”

    He further said, “here is wishing Sunil all the very best in his new assignment. I am confident in the commitment and the ability of our teams to rise to this challenge and script the biggest comeback story of the post Covid era.”

  • U-TO onboards Wolfzhowl Strategic Instigation as business strategy partner

    U-TO onboards Wolfzhowl Strategic Instigation as business strategy partner

    Mumbai: MediaTech company U-TO Solutions is all set for its next phase of growth. Founded in 2000, U-TO has partnered with companies like Sony Pictures, Star TV, Viacom18, TataSky, Shemaroo and others in driving intelligence for profitable actions through technology. U-TO through their association with BroadView Software Canada and indigenously built RightsU are gearing up to enter Southeast Asia and Middle East and Africa this year. It has appointed Wolfzhowl Strategic Instigation as their business strategy partner.

    “As the media landscape becomes more complex, with the rise of streaming services and influencer-turned content creators, U-TO is looking at making in-roads by creating bespoke solutions for Media & Entertainment companies across India, Southeast Asia & Middle East and Africa. We were looking for a strategy consultancy that had expertise in B2B Technology and product marketing, who could become true partners in our success and not just work as external consultants,” said  U-TO co-founder CTO Sumit Suri on this appointment.

    Globally, the Digital Rights Management market is valued at $1.29 billion in 2018 and is expected to reach $2.05 billion by the end of 2024. India, South Korea, Southeast Asia and Africa will be driving this market growth with the increase in On-Demand Content and increased internet penetration.

    “U-TO is gearing up for the solidity of their success and we are happy to partner with them in this growth. As a behaviour change consultancy, we are excited to be working across the business’ value chain. Our deep understanding of culture and its impact on each stakeholder in the value chain along with our focus on outcomes ensures that we drive growth for U-TO. This growth will come through Brand Positioning 2.0, Service and Sales Design 2.0 and Product Branding and Marketing,” says Wolfzhowl partner and lead integrated strategy Prerna Dubey Gupta.

  • XP&D, Zoo Media, and Noesis.tech launch web3.0 platform ‘xp&adland’

    XP&D, Zoo Media, and Noesis.tech launch web3.0 platform ‘xp&adland’

    MUMBAI: XP&D, Zoo Media & Noesis.tech have launched on Wednesday xp&dland, a next-generation platform for brands on the metaverse.

    xp&dland will enable web3.0 strategies for brands and look at evangelizing communities and companies from the real or web2.0 world to pivot to the metaverse, for their product showcases, events, and activations.

    The xp&dland platform is focusing on building the O2O2M (Offline ⇋ Online ⇋ Metaverse) consumer experiences for brands. This platform is using technology (Noesis. Tech) as a common enabler, building community strategies (Zoo Media), and enabling shared and social experiences for consumers (XP&D).

    xp&dland co-founder Sukrit Singh said, “Metaverse is said to be the next big technology platform and is expected to become an $800 billion market by 2024. It is expected to see the collision of three worlds – Web 2.0 (or the Mobile and social internet as we experience it today), Web 3.0 (powered by 5G, enhanced computing, and the blockchain), and Live Social and Shared experiences. With xp&dland, we want to harness this opportunity, by bringing together the best in each of these domains and giving brands the best opportunity to succeed in the Web3.0 world.”

    The initial focus of xp&dland is to build experiences for brands in the Metaverse and get consumers to interact with them. xp&dland is built on Spatial.io giving brands an opportunity to experience the metaverse firsthand. The motive is to build similar experiences for brands and bring communities from the real world (events & activations) and the web2.0 world to the Metaverse.

    Elaborating on the past experience with brands testing the Metaverse space, xp&dland co-founder Pratik Gupta said, “Whilst these are very early days of the metaverse, we already have proof of concept. Our sports-focused vertical, TCM Platform has enabled over 70,000 people to enter the metaverse and interact with the Gujarat Titans during their logo launch. Our hypothesis of taking engaged communities and building long term web3.0 strategies has paid off and we have now launched the Titans Locker Room on Spatial where players such as Shubman Gill & Rashid Khan do live meet and greets with fans, we have the history of the franchise and are continuing to build on their success. We are confident of being the go-to web3.0 platform for brands given the diverse skill sets we all bring to the table.”

    The platform has curated a team of over 100 people, focused on delivering metaverse community strategies and outcomes for brands. The team includes animators, artists, developers, web3.0 planners, and community managers across Discord, Twitch & Reddit.

    xp&dland co-founder Siddharth Bhansali said, “We are in talks with all major platforms and marketplaces to collaborate. xp&dland will be platform-agnostic and will enable consumers and brands to play, socialize and transact in the metaverse world. Version 1.0 of xp&dland is built on Spatial.io. Currently, there are no barriers to experiencing xp&dland. It will be accessible on all devices including mobiles, tablets /devices, and wearables. We hope to change the landscape for brand marketing in times to come.”

    With its headquarters in the Metaverse and physical offices in Mumbai, Bengaluru, Gurgaon, Dubai, and New York. xp&dland plans to own and build spaces on all metaverse platforms, including Spatial, Decentraland, Sandbox, Roblox, Horizons, Mesh, and Alt VR among others.

  • Gigabyte Technology launches metaverse for Lucknow Super Giants

    Gigabyte Technology launches metaverse for Lucknow Super Giants

    Mumbai: Gigabyte Technology and its gaming brand ‘Aorus’ the associate sponsor of Lucknow Super Giants have launched the team’s metaverse. It is the first of its kind for sports in India that will help the team and fans to get closer.

    This created platform will serve as a one-of-a-kind experience for the fans who especially this time around can’t visit the stadium due to the fact that the entire IPL group stage is being hosted in Maharashtra.

    The experience features a virtual creation of the Cricket Sports Stadium, from its distinctive curved facade to the spiral walkway at the front. Also featured are exclusively designed panels along the stadium’s internal walls, where visitors to the experience can view player stats and try on their jerseys. The external walls of the stadium are covered in vibrant custom artwork evoking the unique spirit of Lucknow through dancers, musicians and place-specific details.

    The cherry on the top will be visitors will have a unique opportunity to be one of the lucky few people who will get to make metaverse history and meet their cricketing idols in an exclusive meet-and-greet in this virtual world, and additionally, have a chance to win a real-life Gigabyte PC by competing in a PC assembly game. They can also explore featured Gigabyte devices in a beautiful product lounge.

    Gigabyte India Director Sunil Grewal said that everyone at Gigabyte has been looking forward to this launch, which will serve as a great experience for the fans. “We at Gigabyte are very excited about the Metaverse project in partnership with Lucknow Super Giants and XRC. We will be bringing to fans an immersive experience that will enthrall them for sure. At Gigabyte, we strive to make our community experience future ready/world-class products. And, this will be a perfect opportunity for them to know more about our brand and products”.

    Lucknow Super Giants’s Ceo Raghu Iyer said, “We are really excited about Gigabyte’s and Aorus’ metaverse project for our team’s supporters. Being our technology partners, it’s fitting that they create a tech platform providing a unique experience to engage fans and delight them. It will not only be interesting for the team’s fans but for our players as well.”

  • Haptik appoints Mukund Seetharaman as COO

    Haptik appoints Mukund Seetharaman as COO

    Mumbai: Jio Haptik Technologies Ltd on Wednesday announced the appointment of Mukund Seetharaman as its chief operating officer (COO).

    In this role, Seetharaman will be responsible for managing global sales, partnerships, marketing & GTM, customer success and overall P&L of the organisation, said the statement.

    Seetharaman has more than 23 years of experience in seeding and scaling businesses across multiple markets. He spent a large portion of his career with global major Wipro, where he started and operated businesses across India, Middle East, UK, Continental Europe and Latin America. A multi-faceted executive, he was responsible for some of the large wins and establishing a strong presence in each of these markets. In his last role with Tech Mahindra, Mukund was the Chief Growth Officer for the Cloud business for EMEA and APJI markets. He is an electronics engineer and an MBA from Symbiosis, Pune.

    “I am excited to welcome Mukund to Haptik. He has a proven record of building high performing teams and scaling businesses across multiple continents & markets,” said Haptik co-founder and CEO Aakrit Vaish.  “His arrival marks a critical moment in Haptik’s growth journey where we are at an inflection point of unprecedented growth in the marketplace. I am confident that under his leadership, Haptik will mature as an organisation from a startup to a global software powerhouse. With Mukund’s arrival, we have our core leadership now in place and ready to accelerate our journey towards becoming a global leader in the conversational AI economy.”

    “I am thrilled to join Aakrit, Swapan, and the rest of the Haptik team at such an amazing time in the company’s evolution,” said Mukund Seetharaman. “Conversational commerce is starting to become a crucial avenue for leading brands to meet their customers wherever they are – from metaverses to phone lines – and giving the best possible experience from acquisition to advocacy. Haptik has already seen incredible momentum: not everyone can boast 500+ million users served with billions of interactions.”

  • Network 18’s Pawan Kumar Sharma joins Josh Talks as business head

    Network 18’s Pawan Kumar Sharma joins Josh Talks as business head

    Mumbai: Regional content and upskilling platform Josh Talks has appointed Pawan Kumar Sharma as business head. Sharma will be expanding the brand solutions vertical at Josh Talks, while driving strategic partnerships for the platform’s regional languages and new content category channels.

    Sharma brings 16 years of experience in branded content, revenue management, and strategic business planning. Prior to joining Josh Talks, he was at Network18 as national head of revenue. He has worked at The Walt Disney Company for 11 years, leading its youth vertical – Bindass. Other media brands that Sharma has been associated with include UTV Action & Movies, Star India, and Reliance Big Entertainment.  

    “Organisations today are socially conscious and are interested in partnering with platforms that are impactful. At Josh Talks, we are creating content that is inspirational and actionable in 10 regional languages,” said Josh Talks CEO and co-founder Supriya Paul. “In the last few years, we have collaborated with some of the largest organisations namely Google, Meta, and Amazon amongst others on 100+ campaigns to engage with the next billion users. We are excited to bring a seasoned leader like Pawan on board to establish our brand solutions vertical and drive strategic partnerships with like-minded organisations that are leveraging storytelling to create change at the grassroots.”

    “Josh Talks’ content reaches an audience that is increasingly relevant for all organisations today – 70 million+ youth from tier 2 and 3 cities who are seeking information and opportunities to do well in life. I am confident that we will be able to find synergies with leading organisations across industries to foster partnerships and also create exclusive content that is relevant and meaningful for the Indian audience,” shared Sharma. “Our larger goal is to give reasons to the youth of our country to be inspired, chase their dreams and contribute to nation-building at large,” he added.