ITV

Tag: Akshat Gupt

  • Croc star! Rashmika Mandanna steps in as Crocs’ new global face from India

    Croc star! Rashmika Mandanna steps in as Crocs’ new global face from India

    MUMBAI: Rashmika Mandanna’s latest role is far from scripted, it’s unscripted, unfiltered, and all about sole. The beloved Indian actor and youth icon has been unveiled as Crocs’ newest global ambassador from India, fronting the brand’s vibrant new campaign “Your Crocs. Your Story. Your World,”  and it’s as playful as it is personal.

    With her radiant charm and relatable personality, Rashmika now becomes the face of Crocs’ campaign in India, marking a key moment for the footwear brand as it deepens its cultural resonance across the subcontinent. And it’s not just about shoes, it’s about storytelling from the feet up.

    Through a blend of CGI, whimsical world-building, and animated Jibbitz charms, the campaign film transforms Rashmika’s everyday into surreal storyscapes from red carpets to quiet corners of her home. Each charm becomes a portal to her passions, quirks, and moods, bringing the brand’s vision of personal style as self-expression alive in true Crocs fashion.

    As the face of the Indian edition of the global ‘Your Crocs, Your Story, Your World’ campaign, Rashmika embodies the spirit of personal storytelling through style. The campaign spotlights Crocs not just as footwear, but as a canvas for self-expression, where individuality comes to life with every step. Through playful and customizable Jibbitz charms, consumers are encouraged to create looks that are uniquely their own, turning everyday fashion into a reflection of personal stories, moods, and moments, and making every pair of Crocs a one-of-a-kind statement.

    “Crocs has always been a brand I’ve felt connected to. I love the fun colors, quirky silhouettes, and the unapologetic individuality they stand for.” said Rashmika Mandanna. “If you know me, you know I never shy away from expressing myself. Whether it’s my love for K-pop, Korean snacks, or sunflowers I wear my heart on my sleeve. With Crocs and Jibbitz, I get to bring that side of me to life and create something that’s completely my own. I’m so excited for my fans across India to experience the ‘Your Crocs. Your Story. Your World.’ campaign and discover how they can express their own unique style with Crocs.”

    Crocs head of international marketing Yann Le Bozec shared, “Rashmika embodies everything Crocs stands for authenticity, confidence, and personal expression. Her incredible reach across India, especially among young audiences, makes her the perfect ambassador to amplify our connection with the local consumer. With Rashmika leading our campaign, we’re excited to inspire a new generation to celebrate their individuality with Crocs.”

    Sharing his thoughts Kulfi Collective, CCO & co-founder Akshat Gupt said, “Crocs has always been about self-expression. Through this campaign, we wanted to elevate Jibbitz as a storytelling device, one that visually captures how our experiences shape us. It’s about owning your world, your way, and Rashmika brings this to life beautifully.”

    This 360-degree campaign will span digital platforms, retail stores, and social media, inviting audiences to step into their own world with a pair of customisable Crocs. From Delhi to Dindigul, this isn’t just a brand drop, it’s a personal style revolution with foam and flair.

    Because sometimes, making a fashion statement means starting from the ground up charm by quirky charm.
     

  • Kulfi Collective & Nothing partner for CMF launch campaign

    Kulfi Collective & Nothing partner for CMF launch campaign

    Mumbai: London-based consumer electronics manufacturer Nothing has tasked Kulfi Collective with the mandate to craft the campaign for their CMF Phone 1.

    Called ‘Wonderful By Design’, the integrated campaign comprises two captivating films and 500 plus social and digital assets. The two master films; one for a global audience and one tailored for India featuring actress Rashmika Mandanna, cleverly builds CMF’s unique identity on the heritage of its parent brand, Nothing.

    CMF’s product portfolio now includes smartphones, earbuds, neckbands, and smartwatches, meticulously crafted with attention to colour, material, and finish — to make the necessary brilliant and the essential wonderful. Kulfi Collective’s campaign showcases CMF’s design-led approach and reinforces its European origins.

    The global film, “Wonderful by Design,” highlights the meticulous craftsmanship and creativity that goes into building CMF products. It positions CMF labs as hubs where art and science converge, plotting the journey from the designers’ minds to the consumers’ hands. Immersive storytelling ensures the local film picks up where the global film ends. Rashmika Mandanna, while travelling in the London subway, discovers a CMF vending machine that transports her to the CMF lab. Here, she explores the three products and their state-of-the-art features, epitomising the fusion of tech and beauty.

    Nothing senior director global brand & creative Ryan Latham shared his enthusiasm stating, “We are immensely proud to introduce CMF Phone 1 to the world, and our collaboration with Kulfi Collective has been an integral part of this journey. Their creative competence and storytelling capability perfectly suited this launch. The positive consumer response is testament to our  brand and our global campaign.”

    “The launch of CMF marks a significant milestone for Nothing in India. With Kulfi Collective, we’ve crafted a visually stunning campaign that resonates with the local audience while maintaining a global appeal. We look forward to seeing the growth of CMF in India and beyond” added Nothing India head of marketing Pranay Rao.

    “Absolutely thrilled to partner with Nothing to launch CMF! The campaign reflects our commitment to creating design-led, innovative content that resonates with both global and local audiences. Working with the team at Nothing has been an incredible journey, and we are excited to see CMF inspire and delight consumers worldwide,” said Kulfi Collective co-founder and chief creative officer Akshat Gupt.

    This partnership with Nothing underscores Kulfi Collective’s prowess in championing immersive storytelling and establishing brands as cultural icons.

  • Air India and Supari Studios win the prestigious Webby Award

    Air India and Supari Studios win the prestigious Webby Award

    Mumbai: Air India and Supari Studios, the brand solutions division of Kulfi Collective, have won the Webby for Best Original Music (People’s Voice) in the advertising, media & PR category for their Republic Day campaign. A hattrick! This is the third time Kulfi Collective, via its brand solution division Supari Studios, has won at the Webbys; the only Indian network ever to have done so.

    Hailed as the “Internet’s highest honour” by The New York Times, The Webby Awards is the leading international awards organisation honouring excellence on the Internet.  

    “Air India and Supari Studios have set the standard for innovation and creativity on the Internet,” said The Webby Awards general manager Nick Borenstein. “This award is a testament to the skill, ingenuity, and vision of its creators.”

    “This recognition from The Webby Awards for Air India’s Republic Day campaign is an absolute honour! Winning three Webbys is an incredible achievement; a testimony to the deep insight and creativity of our Kulfi Collective team. We are proud to represent India on the global stage and will continue to push the boundaries of culture and storytelling with our brand partners,” added Kulfi Collective co-founder and chief creative officer Akshat Gupt.

    For over a decade, Kulfi Collective via Supari Studios has led the way in crafting captivating and scalable content, embedded in Gen-next’s culture, conversations and communities. With an impressive portfolio of 500 plus projects garnering over two billion views, the award-winning division from the House of Kulfi Collective continues to redefine tomorrow’s landscape for leading brands worldwide.  

    Air India and Supari Studios will be honoured at the 28th Annual Webby Awards in New York City on 13 May, where winners will have the opportunity to deliver one of The Webby Awards’ famous 5-Word Speeches. Past 5-Word Speeches include: Steve Wilhite’s “It’s Pronounced “Jif” not ‘Gif’; NASA’s “Houston, We Have A Webby”; and SZA’s “The Internet Scares Me. Thanks.” Hosted by comedian Amber Ruffin (Late Night with Seth Meyers), the Webby Awards’ star-studded ceremony celebrates the best of the Internet.

    Visit webbyawards.com to see Supari Studios’ hallmark five-word acceptance speech and follow @thewebbyawards on Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube to experience the 28 Annual Webby Awards and the Internet’s Biggest Night on Monday, 13 May 2024.

  • Air India & Supari Studios nominated for Webby Award

    Air India & Supari Studios nominated for Webby Award

    Mumbai: Air India and Supari Studios have been nominated for Best Original Music or Music Supervision – Advertising; Media & PR; in the 28 Annual Webby Awards. Hailed as the “Internet’s highest honour” by The New York Times, The Webby Awards, presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS), is the international awards organisation honouring excellence on the Internet. IADAS, which nominates and selects The Webby Award Winners, is comprised of Internet industry experts including Marian Croak, VP of engineering – Responsible AI & human-centred Technology, Google; Sarah Harden, CEO, Hello Sunshine; Tobe Nwigwe, Artist & Actor; Shigetaka Kurita, Artist & Father of Emojis; Severin Hacker, Cofounder & CTO, Duolingo; Law Roach, Image Architect; Yann LeCun, VP & Chief AI Scientist, Meta; Roxane Gay, Host, The Roxane Gay Agenda; Quinta Brunson, Writer, Director and Actor; Questlove, DJ and Producer; Todd Kaplan, Chief Marketing Officer, Pepsi Co; Ashley Murphy, VP Global Consumer Marketing, Rare Beauty; Nelly Mensah, VP of Digital Innovation, Global Head of Web3 and Metaverse, LVMH; Jim Habig, Vice President Marketing, LinkedIn; and Tonya Custis, Director of AI Research, Autodesk.

    “Nominees like Supari Studios are setting the standard for innovation and creativity on the Internet,” said Nick Borenstein, General Manager of The Webby Awards. “It is an incredible achievement to be selected among the best from the nearly 13,000 entries we received this year.”

    Kulfi Collective co-founder and CCO Akshat Gupt said “As a nominee, Supari Studios is also eligible to win a Webby People’s Voice Award, which is voted online by fans across the globe. From now until April 18th, Supari Studios fans can cast their votes at https://bit.ly/3TNB8wn.”

    Winners will be announced on Tuesday, April 23, 2024, and honoured in a star-studded show at Cipriani Wall Street. Winners will have an opportunity to deliver one of The Webby Awards’ famous 5-word Speeches. Past 5-Word Speeches include: Steve Wilhite’s “It’s Pronounced “Jif” not ‘Gif’; NASA’s “Houston We Have A Webby”; and SZA’s “The Internet Scares Me. Thanks.”
     

  • Supari Studios creates launch campaign for CRED

    Supari Studios creates launch campaign for CRED

    India: Supari Studios, the award-winning content studio invites you to watch the quirkiest explainer video to hit our screens yet – the launch campaign of the members-only platform CRED that allows users to manage their credit card payments from one place.

    Founded by Freecharge Co-founder, Kunal Shah, the team at CRED was eager to push creative boundaries; their brief to Supari Studios simply being, “Make this the best fu**ing film you’ve made”. The concept behind the launch film was to bring to life CRED’s several attributes and uniqueness, in the form of a quirky and engaging explainer video using a protagonist who is both charming and funny.

    Jim Sarbh, portrayed as a typical CRED member- young, tech-savvy and sophisticatedly worldly, chronicles the many attributes of CRED in an unassuming yet humorous manner that keeps the infotainment gripping from the start. Directed by Supari Studios’ Co-founder and CCO, Akshat Gupt, the film is set in a studio that emulates life, with its narrative flowing seamlessly through very specific camera movements and transitions, serving as the hook of the film and holding it together.

    Here is a link to the launch film:

    Akshat Gupt, Co-founder and CCO, Supari Studios, and Director of the film on the launch campaign says “When CRED approached us to create this launch film, their ask was simple: ‘Make this the best fu**ing film you’ve made’. Keeping that in mind, I really wanted to experiment and do something we’ve not pulled off before. This was an introduction to the brand; whose character Jim embodies perfectly. Cool, suave and confident. That’s exactly why we needed someone like Jim who could pull off explaining the brand’s features while really keeping you glued.

    In terms of production, we challenged ourselves and wanted to do a couple of long one- takes. We put significant effort into the production process and did several things in-camera itself rather than in post – used single-takes where we felt it could really elevate the script and narrative, rigged every light from the main source down to the smallest practical and timed them, allowing transitions from one set to another to be as smooth as possible. For one sequence, we even built a custom circular turntable that could hold Jim and our camera in position, while they transitioned between different setups – from a theatre to backstage with DIVINE, in a single take.

    We had a free reign in terms of length as well, and since all features had to be showcased, we indulged ourselves with a run time of over three minutes! It’s been a unique experience shooting this one. After the 20th take, when all the elements of the camera, acting and direction came together perfectly, it felt poetic.”

    CREDIT LIST:

    Produced by Supari Studios

    Client: CRED

    Creative Team (CRED): Neelaksh Mathur

    Director: Akshat Gupt

    Executive Producer: Mitali Sharma

    DOP: Siddharth Vasani

    Creative Producer: Richa Rungta

    Lead Producer: Nitika Kanodia

    Line Producer: Sumit Gyanchandaney

    Chief AD: Kelvin Mendonca

    2nd AD/DA: Ladasha Kapse

    Production Managers: Himank Gupta, Sagar Ghatalia

    Project Intern: Suchi Dembla

    Production Interns: Kamna Gurnasinghani, Rohan Aggarwal

    Production Designers: Kalyani Shah & Nikita Rana (Craftsworth Designs)

    Art Assistants: Fagun Parikh, Vidhi Jain

    1st AC: Raju

    Gaffer: Umesh

    Focus Puller: Gagandeep Bawa

    Camera Intern: Sahil Shah

    Intelligent Lights Operator: Prathamesh

    Onset sound recordist: Maxie Mendonca

    BTS: Karan Sharma

    Stylist (Jim Sarbh): Tanya Vora

    Hair & Makeup (Jim Sarbh): Priya Lahon

    Stylist (Divine + Secondary Cast): Naomi Chowdary

    Hair & Makeup (Divine + Secondary Cast): Areej Shaikh

    Offline Edit: Gaurav Joshi

    Graphic Design: Riffat Aga

    Animation: Pratik Satam

    VFX: Ajay Roshan Singh, Divya Luthra, Shri Ranjan Rath

    Colorist: Avinash Shukla (After Studios)

    Music Composition & Mix: Donn Bhat

    Camera Equipment: RD Equipments

    Light Equipment: One Stop Services, Light Craft

    Spot Boys: Ilyas Bhai, Baba Bhai, Iqbal Bhai, Umesh

  • Manoti Jain to be only Indian woman at Cannes Lions 2019 ‘See It Be It’ programme

    Manoti Jain to be only Indian woman at Cannes Lions 2019 ‘See It Be It’ programme

    MUMBAI: Supari Studios chief operating officer Manoti Jain , is the only Indian to be selected for the Cannes Lions 2019 ‘See It Be It’ programme.  15 women from across the globe were chosen for the programme this year, all of whom will benefit from a curated learning experience at the Cannes Lions festival.

    Jain and the 14 other women were selected from over 760 global applicants across the globe. The programme supports the next generation of female creative directors and takes an active role in shaping the industry to become more representative of the world we live in.

    At the age of 22, Jain, along with co-founders Advait and Akshat Gupt set up Supari Studios in late 2012, after sensing a gap in the country’s digital media landscape. Since then she has helped the company grow into one of the leading content studios in India, winning international awards and building a global audience for brands such as Red Bull, Estee Lauder, Google and Twitter. She strives to create content at the intersection of film, design and technology that is empowering and relevant to audiences.

    Through its ‘See It Be It’ initiative, launched in 2014, Cannes Lions has fully funded over 70 women to attend the festival, providing them with an exclusive learning opportunity and exposure to the global creative community.

    Speaking on the selection, Jain says, “I am extremely honoured and fortunate to share the See It Be It platform with this cohort of resilient and diverse creative minds, at what promises to be a unique week of learning. I hope to bring back lots of learnings and experiences from the programme to both my company and my country in the most effective way possible, by approaching content through a more sensitive, impactful and empowering lens. Attending the festival is an exciting prospect in itself, and I am all geared up to embrace what awaits me at Cannes this year.”

    Supari Studios' Advait Gupt says, “We are absolutely thrilled that Manoti has been selected for the See It Be It programme this year. She has been instrumental in our journey as a content studio from day one. We’re extremely proud that she has been given the opportunity to represent not only the Supari Studios family, but also the many talented, creative women from India at this global platform. We can’t wait for her return to inspire us with her learnings, experiences and stories.”

  • Supari Studios unravels the secrets of Odisha in an exciting travel series in association with History TV18

    Supari Studios unravels the secrets of Odisha in an exciting travel series in association with History TV18

    MUMBAI: Award winning agency, Supari Studios has created an exciting travel series for History TV18 that unravels the rustic beauty and the unique stories of Odisha. Odisha has always been a land of diversity. Every nook and corner has a personality of its own. While some have been explored by many in person, some still wait to meet the human eye.

    In Supari Studios’ latest travel series, in association with History TV18 and Odisha Tourism, the creators explore these hidden gems with host, Sameer Kevin Roy travelling to all over Odisha, interacting with the locals and bringing out the history and stories of each site. Sameer is an actor and model.

    Commenting on the development, Supari Studios, Co-Founder and Creative Head, Akshat Gupt says, “Odisha is a remarkable place waiting to be explored and its stories told. We shot in Odisha for 23 days and covered a total of 21 stories, which are now being showcased in a 6-episode series. Our attempt was to capture these unique stories of inspiration, love, passion and courage that each location would unravel. We cant wait for History TV18’s viewers to experience these visual stories first hand and chalk Odisha out on their next to-do lists.”

    From national parks to beaches and artisan villages, this series will prove to be a perfect checklist for your next travel plan to Odisha.

  • India’s Supari Studios’ video series – ‘Doppelgangers’ wins laurels at the 22nd Annual Webby Awards

    India’s Supari Studios’ video series – ‘Doppelgangers’ wins laurels at the 22nd Annual Webby Awards

    MUMBAI:  Supari Studios announced that its documentary series ‘Doppelgangers’ is the Winner of The Webby People’s Voice Award in Film & Video: Sports (Branded) at the 22nd Annual Webby Awards while competing with a crusade of other video series. Supari is the only Indian agency to win this prestigious award this year.

    The video was first selected after a 2,000-bench jury siphoned out the best out of millions of videos and then put up for a global People’s choice voting.  

    ‘Doppelgangers’ is a documentary series for Red Bull directed by Akshat Gupt. The series  explores the parallels that exist between famous international disciplines and ancient Indian art forms. As part of the series, international experts from the fields of motorcycle stunt riding, B-Boying, and bouldering, visit the worlds of ancient Indian art forms that align with their expertise. The international performers meet their counterparts in a first-time introduction to their doppelgangers. Through the course of the series, viewers not only witnessed certain similarities and understood the complexities and uniqueness of each sport but also learnt the sacrifices and passions of the athletes themselves.

    You can watch the series here – https://www.redbull.tv/show/AP-1TX9HWH492111/doppelgangers  

    Akshat Gupt, Director of the series and founder of Supari Studios adds, “It’s a mark of great distinction for all of us at Supari Studios to be awarded with the Internet’s biggest honor. It’s a testament to the hard work that the whole team put in for this series. There is great talent when it comes to creativity in India and we are happy that the world is now noticing that too.”

    Commenting on this win, Advait Gupt, Co-Founder, Supari Studios says, “Our focus on the digital domain has allowed us to try unique formats and engagement models. Having won the Webby’s while competing globally and being the only Indian brand in the category truly validates our mission of developing content that is recognized globally. We are certain that through the efforts of the teams at Supari Studios we will continue to create compelling campaigns. Our partnership with Red Bull has been nothing short of extraordinary – not only in terms of the nature of our engagement as a content studio, but also through the creative synergies and relationship that we have built with the entire team”.