Mumbai: With another weekend upon us, it is time to unwind with the latest Q&A edition of Indiantelevision.com’s Weekend Unwind—a series of informal chats that peek into the minds of business executives through a fun lens in an attempt to get to know the person behind the title a little better.
In this week’s session, we have Animeta SVP – branded content & creator projects Vishu Ray.
As one of the founding members of Meta’s India media partnerships team, Ray has been at the forefront of consulting hundreds of top media partners across TV, digital publishers, creators and talent agencies, helping them build strong and meaningful content communities, and also drive significant business success, on Meta’s platforms. As one of the foremost advocates for creators, Ray has led several key video product launches, monetisable content programs, pop-cultural campaigns, creator and brand education initiatives – such as ‘Born On Instagram’, ‘India Creator Day’ and many others, that have had an industry-wide impact, galvanising and shaping the narrative for the Indian creator economy.
Ray has championed many creator grooming projects & programmes, which have helped 250K+ creators become ‘Mega’ & ‘Macro’ creators. Prior to this stint at Meta, he has worked with popular TV brands such as STAR Movies, STAR World, AXN, and Zoom, among others, and is an electrical engineer & an alumnus of MICA.
So, without further ado, here it goes…
1.Your mantra for life
Stay with your breath.
2.A book you are currently reading or plan to read
Rag Darbari – by Shrilal Shukla
3.Your fitness mantra, especially during the pandemic:
TBH, I didn’t have one.
4.Your comfort food
Khichdi with a lot of veggies, with a piece of crispy fried fish or an omelette on the side.
5.A quote or philosophy that keeps you going when the chips are down
‘तय है वक़्त का गुज़रना’
(A desi and more definitive version of – This too shall pass)
6.Your guilty pleasure
Eating something sweet everyday.
7.The last time you tried something new
It was at the start of this year, when I joined this amazing new creator-first start up called Animeta.
(After having worked only in various MNCs the last 17 years, including behemoths such as Star TV, Sony, Facebook/Meta, this was definitely a big but a highly worthwhile change.)
8.A life lesson you learned the hard way
The great Sufi poet, Sant Kabir, had said:
“Dheere dheere re manaa, dheere sab kuchh hoye. Maali seenche sou ghadaa, ritu aaye fal hoye”
(Slowly-slowly, my dear heart, everything happens slowly. The gardener may water (the plants) a hundred times. But they only bear fruit, when the right season comes).
We often expect to change the course of nature, and expect results for our efforts right away. But many worthwhile things take their own time to happen.
9.What gets you excited about life?
The sun, the stars, and this world teeming with so many lives. To have found my own place amidst it all, fills me up with wonder – and excitement.
(Borrowed from a song by the great poet Tagore).
10.What’s on top of your bucket list?
I am a highly serendipitous being, who hopes to live out things as spontaneously as possible.
But if the good vibes from the readers can improve the chances of them happening, then presently, it’s between watching a Euro/Wimbledon/FIFA World Cup final, travelling to rural Japan, or getting to witness the great migration of wilder-beasts in Masai Mara.
11.If you could give one piece of advice to your younger self, what would it be?
No sincere hard work or good effort ever goes to waste. Everything you are doing now, is a preparation for the future.
Don’t forget to enjoy the journeys, in the pursuit of destinations.
12.One thing you would most like to change about the world
A default and in-built filter in every human, that detects any signals of a privileged mindset early, and sets off a self-correction sequence automatically, till it’s recognised and erased.
13.An activity that keeps you motivated and charged during tough times
Spending time with my family and friends.
14.What lifts your spirits when life gets you down?
Spirits! Kidding. Though a stiff one at the end of a tough week, definitely helps.
15.Your go-to stress buster
Playing a game of FIFA on PS.
