ITV

Tag: Anish Mehta

  • Cosmos-Maya acquires rights to ‘The Smurfs’, ‘Boonie Bears’, ‘Little Baby Bum’

    Cosmos-Maya acquires rights to ‘The Smurfs’, ‘Boonie Bears’, ‘Little Baby Bum’

    MUMBAI: Cosmos-Maya has acquired the Hindi language rights to the widely popular series The Smurfs. The series had premiered on its YouTube channel WowKidz on 19 December 2018.

    The company has also acquired the English language rights of the successful Chinese franchise Boonie Bears and the same will be aired on WowKidz for the holiday season. For the pre-school category, WowKidz will begin airing content from the massively popular YouTube channel Little Baby Bum.

    Bablu Dablu, the Hindi version of the show, has garnered around 400 million views on the channel.

    Commenting on the acquisition, Cosmos-Maya CEO Anish Mehta said, “It has been our endeavour to provide the best in class entertainment for kids across the globe. Now with iconic global brands from The Smurfs to really popular digital IPs like Little Baby Bum to one of China’s biggest IPs, Boonie Bears, WowKidz has a diversified mix of great content and kids will not have to look for any other destination when it comes to entertainment this festive season.”  

    WowKidz currently provides a wide range of domestic and international shows in 8 languages to its subscriber base of more than 13 million. The channel offers an eclectic mix of shows across 20 diverse sub-brands like WowKidz Action, WowKidz Comedy, WowKidz Rhymes, and more. Apart from its brimming domestic catalogue, it also features foreign shows like Simba, a spin-off of Lion King, Jungle Book, Hotwheels, Jackie Chan, and Lilly The Witch among others.

  • Cosmos-Maya appoints new COO and CFO

    Cosmos-Maya appoints new COO and CFO

    MUMBAI: Cosmos-Maya, a name synonymous with quality kids’ content has appointed a new COO, CFO and HR director as the market leader beefs up its C-level staffing in pursuit of further growth.

    The people appointed are Adi Shayan, Kalyani Rane and Ashutosh Tipnis as the new COO, CFO and HR director respectively.

    Prior to joining Cosmos-Maya, Shayan was a COO at the Bangalore based Xentrix Studios. In a career almost 20 years in the VFX and computer graphics industry (CGI), he has held various positions, including a 9-year stint at DreamWorks Animation India as studio manager and almost 4 years at Tata Elxsi – visual computing labs (VCL) as a business development manager and producer. "I am elated and humbled to help lead and grow the company that has without a doubt changed the animation landscape of the country," he said.

    Cosmos-Maya CEO Anish Mehta said, “With KKR backed Emerald Media acquiring a controlling stake in Cosmos-Maya, it became imperative to have a well-structured organization to ensure scalability. This has also enabled us to develop SOPs aimed at achieving efficiency, uniformity of performance and international quality output. The company is looking at a more holistic approach with robust systems in place.”

    Rane joins the company after a 10-year stint at JSM Corporation, where she was CFO. She has more than 20 years of experience across diverse industries including food and beverage and retail. Her credentials include professional degrees like Cost and Works Accountants and a Management degree with a specialization in Finance.

    Tipnis brings along with an experience of over two decades. He started his corporate journey with Crompton Greaves and was previously head – HR (West and South) at Hindustan Times. With a Masters in Human Resources from KJ Somaiya Institute of Management Studies and Research, he carries with him the pedigree of a premier B-school.

    Today with 16 shows on air/in production, including 3 European and one Brazilian Co-Production, with over a 60 per cent market share in the domestic Indian animation production business, the company is already a force to reckon with.

    “With the new appointments, Cosmos-Maya is poised to make a leap into the next orbit of growth, both in the domestic sphere as well as a global player. In the coming two quarters, we aim to up production from the current 35 half hours per month to 50 half hours per month. We also plan to reach the 2000 employee mark during this time”, Mehta concluded.

  • Cosmos-Maya hires COO, CFO, HR Director

    Cosmos-Maya hires COO, CFO, HR Director

    Cosmos-Maya, a name synonymous with quality kids’ content has always been a frontrunner in shaping industry trends. After Emerald Media, the Pan-Asian media investment platform backed by US private equity giant KKR, acquired a controlling stake in Cosmos-Maya, the company is now consolidating. It is now a hub to attract the best-in-class talent across all fields.

    Cosmos-Maya has appointed a new Chief Operating Officer, Chief Finance Officer and Human Resource Director as the market leader beefs up its C-level staffing in pursuit of further growth. Anish Mehta, Cosmos-Maya’s backed CEO spoke on the development. “With KKR backed Emerald Media acquiring a controlling stake in Cosmos-Maya, it became imperative to have a well-structured organization to ensure scalability. This has also enabled us to develop SOPs aimed at achieving efficiency, uniformity of performance and international quality output. The company is looking at a more holistic approach with robust systems in place.”

    Adi Shayan, the new COO, comes to Cosmos-Maya from Bangalore based Xentrix. Studios where he worked as COO. In a career almost 20 years in the VFX and Computer Graphics Industry(CGI), he has held various positions, including a 9-year stint at DreamWorks Animation India as Studio Manager and almost 4 years at Tata Elxsi – Visual Computing Labs (VCL) as a Business Development Manager and Producer. His sparkling dossier also has a 4-year stint in LA/Hollywood. He carries with him the pedigree of Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore from where he pursued an executive course.

    "I am elated and humbled to help lead and grow the company that has without a doubt changed the animation landscape of the country," Adi said in a statement.

    Kalyani Rane, the dynamic CFO, joins the company after a 10-year stint at JSM Corporation Pvt. Ltd., where she was CFO. Kalyani has more than 20 years of experience across diverse industries including Food & Beverage and Retail. Her credentials include professional degrees like Cost & Works Accountants and a Management degree with a specialization in Finance. A result-oriented and decisive leader, she is also a persuasive communicator with a knack for success.

    A result oriented HR professional, Ashutosh Tipnis brings along with him a vivid experience of over two decades. Mr. Tipnis, who started his corporate journey with Crompton Greaves, was previously Head – HR (West and South) at Hindustan Times. With a Masters in Human Resources from KJ Somaiya Institute of Management Studies and Research, he carries with him the pedigree of a premier B-school.

    Today with 16 shows on air/in production, including 3 European & one Brazilian Co-Production, with over a 60% market share in the domestic Indian animation production business, the company is already a force to reckon with.

    The CEO further added,” With the new appointments, Cosmos—Maya is poised to make a leap into the next orbit of growth, both in the domestic sphere as well as a global player. In the coming two quarters, we aim to up production from the current 35 half hours/month to 50 half hours/month. We also plan to reach the 2000 employee mark during this time.”

    The three appointees bring along with them a vivid experience of several multi-national companies and will be instrumental in supporting the company in its journey towards the next orbit of growth.

  • From Maya to a real super success, the Cosmos Maya turnaround story

    From Maya to a real super success, the Cosmos Maya turnaround story

    MUMBAI: When it comes to producing animation series, very few can hold a candle to Cosmos Maya. Founded in 1996 as Maya, the animation studio has progressed over the years from creating a single intellectual property Motu Patlu in 2012 to a handful of them in India and overseas.

    Operating out of Mumbai and Singapore, Cosmos Maya  has grown leaps and bounds over the years, always being the trendsetter in the Indian animation industry and now it is en route to rubbing shoulders with some of the prominent studios internationally.

    Following the resounding success of Indian animation productions like Motu Patlu (MP), ViR – The Robot Boy, Kisna, Shiva, Bure Kaam Ka Bura Natija, Kyun Bhai Chacha, Haan Bhatija (BKBNKBCHB) and Guru Aur Bhole (GAB), the studio also branched out into crossover Indian animation productions with Eena Meena Deeka (EMD) and the soon to launch Tik Tak Tail which are Indian shows for global audiences.

    And it’s not just domestically where Cosmos Maya is leaving its footprint… It currently has three international co-productions Captain Cactus, Atchoo! and Help Me Ganesha, in different stages of production and development.

    The journey started when Anish Mehta came in and took over as CEO of the company and he decided to get things moving at a blistering pace.  In the five years since he has been at the helm, Cosmos Maya has produced 12 shows and 1000 plus episodes. In the world of animation that kind of a performance is unparalleled – possibly for any studio not just in India but globally. And continuing on it’s growth trajectory, the company has confirmed contracts and execution plans for around 400 odd episodes within this year.

    What started off as a dream with a handful of team members, is now a fully evolved studio with equipped with systems and processes to handle continuous and simultaneous workflow on account of multiple projects; with a scalable model for growth, with 100% utilised production facilities, both in house as well through a multitude of vendors to whom production work is outsourced, within India and in several parts of Asia. Add to that a well-entrenched penetration in the global markets through its highly developed international distribution and marketing network, and Cosmos-Maya is all set on the growth path.

    The long term vision of the company entails a plan to produce an independent world-class Hollywood feature film, something that BlueSky did with Ice Age. This is the next target that Anish intends to achieve five years from now.

    “We have a great team out here. Be it creatives, production, operations, digital or marketing, each member in the super core team brings in the same passion that helps us create the difference. Then there is the core team which takes the vision to the next level from an execution perspective, while keeping the passion levels intact. And then there are over 600 odd people, each one again working with the same madness,” says a visibly proud youngish academic looking bespectacled Anish Mehta.

    “At Cosmos Maya, the way we approach an IP is keeping in mind what is going on in the market and how do we bring in the next new trend,” explains Anish. “Balancing both of these things is what we focused and continue to focus on, a perfect combination of creative and business acumen.”

    This includes selecting innovative subjects and concepts. The first IP that rolled out was a first of its kind for India as it featured two adult protagonists behaving like silly kids and was titled Motu Patlu. “It was India’s take on the evergreen franchise Laurel & Hardy,” says Anish.

    Cosmos Maya invested in creating a pilot for Motu Patlu and then approached broadcasters – a process which the studio follows to this day. Viacom18’s kids channel Nick bought into it. And Anish’s baby has not looked back since. The Motu Patlu franchise has only grown. Cosmos Maya has 300 plus episodes of the series (600 stories altogether) in its catalogue, 13 TV films and one theatrical film, Motu Patlu – King of Kings.

    And, why not?

    Motu Patlu over the past five years has been a TRP topper for Cosmos Maya and the channel’s creative & programming head Anu Sikka is happy that they have a winner on their hands. So much so that she has signed a long term contract for both Motu Patlu and Shiva with the studio, ensuring that many more episodes and films of the franchises continue to regale audiences. And Anish has a deal with Viacom18 to develop another one.

    Currently, work is on to spin off two series from the Motu Patlu franchise. Anish was willing to talk about one which is being driven by the studio and features characters who have gained popularity with Indian kids: the adorable police officer – Inspector Chingum & Guddu Ghalib – the timid circus lion who became the protector of the jungle in the feature film Motu Patlu – King of Kings. He did not disclose much about the other, cryptically saying that “the new shows will be with a major digital partner and will be digital first productions.”

    He points out that the company has a three pronged strategy:  keep domestic productions such as Motu Patlu, Shiva, GAB, and BKBNKBCHB which have an earthy Indian appeal going successfully. “Then there are shows like Eena Meena Deeka, Tik Tak Tail (which we will be launching soon) don’t necessarily look Indian because they have a wider appeal globally; and lastly there are the international co-productions” he further explains.

    The India centric shows which can travel to about 20 odd countries on an average fetch revenues in the range of around Rs 3 million per episode; while category toppers and milestone makers like Motu Patlu of course fetch at least a 30 per cent higher revenue than this average. On the other hand,  cross-over shows that can travel to over 50 countries have a revenue potential of Rs 5 million per episode. And then the third category of shows, the ambitious globally targeted ones like Captain Cactus and Help Me Ganesha hold a revenue potential of around Rs 10 million per episode.

    Amongst the more ambitious international projects is the one featuring a cactus called Captain Cactus which is at pre-prod stage and is being developed under the creative supervision of Olivier Jean Marie the creator of Oggy & the Cockroaches. An announcement about a worldwide distribution partner should be made by end-August, and Asian partners are expected to sign on the dotted line by end-September.

    Anish is hopeful that Captain Cactus will bring about a revolution in global co-productions since it has got the best of both worlds – that is a strong Asian studio, a European creator and European distribution partners. It is also in talks with a couple of broadcast or digital partners worldwide.

    “From a show perspective we have Olivier Jean-Marie with us who is known for a certain style of story-telling and people jump at the chance of working with him,” he expresses. “So we are quite confident that Captain Cactus will deliver.”

    Anish and team at Cosmos Maya are banking on a new IP inspired by Lord Ganesha which it is developing in a co-production with Gerhard Hahn of Hahn Films. The co-production with the German creator who is one of the more respected animators globally is tentatively called Help me Ganesha.

    “We are very confident that we, with Gerhard Hahn as a partner, will take it on a never seen before global level,” says a sanguine Anish.

    The company is doing well on the digital front too with its IPs on YouTube. Its channel WowKidz has been growing at a rapid clip despite being a late entrant. At last count over 1.5 million subscribers had clocked up around 1.6 billion views for the over 3000 videos that Cosmos Maya has on the channel.  Amongst its foreign imports is a show called Hot Wheels Battle Force 5 which is being promoted with the help of Motu Patlu and is raking in good views.

    “ViR – The Robot Boy has been one of the most important IPs on WowKidz, as per the data analytics from YouTube and we are creating spin-off content from this show for WowKidz,” says Anish. He mentions that because ViR, is a digital phenomenon, a further push for content creation will be given, and new episodes of it will be produced. With spin-off content and a digital first next season plan in place, ViR is going to be one of the key focus IPs in the days to come.

    Its second channel WowKidz Rhymes has 130,000 plus subscribers and caters to the pre-school kids need for freshly narrated nursery rhymes – a slot that the Chennai-based ChuChuTV has very cleverly exploited. Currently, its popular characters Motu Patlu and VIR the Robot boy have been used to recite the nursery rhymes in an engaging manner.  More content around Imli is in the pipeline. With innovation in mobile gaming industry, another focus is towards WowKidz mobile games, engaging kids more towards the popular IPs.

    WowKidz will also introduce another division- WowKidz edutainment for kids for toddlers and pre-school kids to learn alphabets, numbers, shapes, values and general awareness in form of rhymes and shows.

    With so much on its plate, the studio will need to scale up in terms of manpower and further strengthen its infrastructure. A dedicated new facility is coming up in Mumbai near its operational headquarters in Film City.  Additional captive satellite units are also coming up in Hyderabad and Kolkata. The goal is to add around 300 professionals to its 550 strong artist pool.

    Anish believes that the founders of Maya – Ketan Mehta and Deepa Sahi – wanted to do something; hence they set it up.

    “Their dream went on to become an industry,” he says. “I am hopeful that AR and VR (a content area that the company has recently started investing) too will help us polevault to another level. Our animation business too is looking very good.  With so many avenues for our content in place, it is indeed one of the best and the brightest phases for the animation industry.”

    Amen to that!

    ALSO READ :

    Turner gears up to make a splash with Oggy and Tik Tak Tail

    Effective story-telling in India is yet to evolve, says Viacom18 SVP Anu Sikka

    Four original, Indian, animated shows to start with: ‘Local’ to be Sony Yay! USP

     

     

  • MIPJunior: Can Indian animation make its mark?

    MIPJunior: Can Indian animation make its mark?

    CANNES: As the MIPJunior Lab got filled with an inquisitive audience, “The Passage to India” session began with the moderator, Indiantelevision.com founder, CEO and editor-in-chief Anil Wanvari, giving facts and figures about the kids broadcasting space in India.

    Wanvari started off by mentioning the humungous size of the 0-14 year population group – at 350 million at last count, which is expected to touch 375 million or so by 2020. Which is why the Indian market is attractive, he pointed out for kids programming and animation. Highlighting statistics from 2015 data, he stated that localization is helping the 20-plus kids channels operating in India up the local-international ratio from 10:90 to 80:20. With that wide a ratio and language dubs of each channel, content from the US dominates the television market with about 44 per cent, Japan 17 per cent, India 16 per cent, the UK and France four per cent, Canada one per cent; and if compared to statistics of 2014, it was 42 per cent, 17 per cent, 13 per cent, seven per cent and four per cent, three per cent, respectively.

    These statistics clearly paint the picture of how locally produced shows are being favoured not just by the audience but also the broadcasters. The top six to eight spots of the kids genre are occupied by locally produced programmes such as Motu-Patlu and Chotta Bheem, among others.

    Wanvari pointed out that kids genre accounts for six minutes per cent of total viewership and most of the kids content is in animation format the production cost of which per 30 minutes is between Rs 1.5 to six million.

    After introducing the panelists – Green Gold Animation founder and CEO, Rajiv Chilaka, Viacom18 Digital Ventures COO Gaurav Gandhi, Cosmos-Maya founder, Anish Mehta, and Graphiti Multimedia director and COO Munjal Shroff, Wanvari threw the question to the panelists asking what makes the prospects of the Indian animation sector so bright this time around; earlier attempts have failed.

    He also queried them about how the Indian animation space has changed over the years, in which areas are the opportunities available for international players, and what content works for broadcasters and digital platform for kids.

    Chilaka mentioned, “Back in 2001, there was only one channel catering to kids segment and now, there are 25-plus channels which showcase content produced locally as well. Over the years, the quality of animation, the technology, the services provided all have improved, and to support that, are the increased budgets.”

    Speaking about the international market, Shroff commented, “Through our show ‘Kulveera’, we did a case study with Cartoon Network UK wherein we produced a pilot episode and gauged the response of the audience and it was interesting to see that kids loved the show.” So, as long as one’s series has a strong storytelling going on, the place from where the content originates hardly matters.

    Mehta’s animation studio Cosmos-Maya has been doing wonders and, at present, has three co-production deals going on. “Our co-production deals are with Italian, French and German companies. We will be launching the French co-produced show ‘Captain Cactus’ which was made in association with Euope’s well-known film maker Olivier Jean-Marie,” expounded Mehta.

    “Over the period of 20 years, our work has evolved from being a service company to IP production, and finally we are at a stage where we can co-produce.”

    With the advent of digital platform, and Voot being probably the biggest kids SVOD service, Gandhi added, “It’s said that, in next three years, more homes will be have the streaming device than television sets. We are an open market, and ready to buy any good content.”

    Mehta also stated that, for co-productions to work, it’s necessary that one needs to understand the demographics. “Personally, after doing research, we follow a mixed model which blends well with both the countries.

    Since ‘Captain Cactus’ is a co-production between India and Europe, the animation style and narrative is set according to the tastes of audience of both the countries.”

    The session was wrapped up with Q&A round wherein many people were interested in learning more about how can they work with not just Indian animation studios but also on how their content can work across the various platforms.

  • MIPJunior: Can Indian animation make its mark?

    MIPJunior: Can Indian animation make its mark?

    CANNES: As the MIPJunior Lab got filled with an inquisitive audience, “The Passage to India” session began with the moderator, Indiantelevision.com founder, CEO and editor-in-chief Anil Wanvari, giving facts and figures about the kids broadcasting space in India.

    Wanvari started off by mentioning the humungous size of the 0-14 year population group – at 350 million at last count, which is expected to touch 375 million or so by 2020. Which is why the Indian market is attractive, he pointed out for kids programming and animation. Highlighting statistics from 2015 data, he stated that localization is helping the 20-plus kids channels operating in India up the local-international ratio from 10:90 to 80:20. With that wide a ratio and language dubs of each channel, content from the US dominates the television market with about 44 per cent, Japan 17 per cent, India 16 per cent, the UK and France four per cent, Canada one per cent; and if compared to statistics of 2014, it was 42 per cent, 17 per cent, 13 per cent, seven per cent and four per cent, three per cent, respectively.

    These statistics clearly paint the picture of how locally produced shows are being favoured not just by the audience but also the broadcasters. The top six to eight spots of the kids genre are occupied by locally produced programmes such as Motu-Patlu and Chotta Bheem, among others.

    Wanvari pointed out that kids genre accounts for six minutes per cent of total viewership and most of the kids content is in animation format the production cost of which per 30 minutes is between Rs 1.5 to six million.

    After introducing the panelists – Green Gold Animation founder and CEO, Rajiv Chilaka, Viacom18 Digital Ventures COO Gaurav Gandhi, Cosmos-Maya founder, Anish Mehta, and Graphiti Multimedia director and COO Munjal Shroff, Wanvari threw the question to the panelists asking what makes the prospects of the Indian animation sector so bright this time around; earlier attempts have failed.

    He also queried them about how the Indian animation space has changed over the years, in which areas are the opportunities available for international players, and what content works for broadcasters and digital platform for kids.

    Chilaka mentioned, “Back in 2001, there was only one channel catering to kids segment and now, there are 25-plus channels which showcase content produced locally as well. Over the years, the quality of animation, the technology, the services provided all have improved, and to support that, are the increased budgets.”

    Speaking about the international market, Shroff commented, “Through our show ‘Kulveera’, we did a case study with Cartoon Network UK wherein we produced a pilot episode and gauged the response of the audience and it was interesting to see that kids loved the show.” So, as long as one’s series has a strong storytelling going on, the place from where the content originates hardly matters.

    Mehta’s animation studio Cosmos-Maya has been doing wonders and, at present, has three co-production deals going on. “Our co-production deals are with Italian, French and German companies. We will be launching the French co-produced show ‘Captain Cactus’ which was made in association with Euope’s well-known film maker Olivier Jean-Marie,” expounded Mehta.

    “Over the period of 20 years, our work has evolved from being a service company to IP production, and finally we are at a stage where we can co-produce.”

    With the advent of digital platform, and Voot being probably the biggest kids SVOD service, Gandhi added, “It’s said that, in next three years, more homes will be have the streaming device than television sets. We are an open market, and ready to buy any good content.”

    Mehta also stated that, for co-productions to work, it’s necessary that one needs to understand the demographics. “Personally, after doing research, we follow a mixed model which blends well with both the countries.

    Since ‘Captain Cactus’ is a co-production between India and Europe, the animation style and narrative is set according to the tastes of audience of both the countries.”

    The session was wrapped up with Q&A round wherein many people were interested in learning more about how can they work with not just Indian animation studios but also on how their content can work across the various platforms.

  • Exploring Indian kids’ content opportunities at MIPJunior

    Exploring Indian kids’ content opportunities at MIPJunior

    CANNES: The world’s kids programming screenings and conference MIPJunior is slated to commence today 15 October at the prestigious Hotel Martinez in Cannes. The little French Riviera village was under heavy black cloud cover the whole of 14 October and a constant drizzle through the day forced everyone to bring out their brollies and their rain jackets.

    But that won’t be necessary today and the next three to four days. Reason: the weatherman has forecast that the weekend is going to be mostly sunny through to Monday.

    The sunny weather is expected to encourage some brisk meetings, conferences, workshops, keynotes, panel discussions, networking through the day at the famed Hotel. And of course champagne, wine is expected to overflow through the day at the lunches and in the restaurants as the world’s top animation and kids content executives huddle together to figure out what the world and their distribution platforms are going to look like in the coming few months.

    One session that is being watched with increasing curiosity is in the MIPJunior Lab at 17:15 pm on 16 October Titled Passage to India: Working in this dynamic space, it is being moderated by Animationxpress.com and Indiantelevision.com founder, CEO and editor in chief Anil Wanvari.

    India’s top animation studio heads – Rajiv Chilaka of Chhota Bheem and Green Gold Fame, Anish Mehta of Motu Patlu and Cosmos Maya renown, Munjal Shroff of Graphiti Multimedia – and India’s only kids OTT platform Voot CEO Gaurav Gandhi – will be throwing light on how why it makes sense to look at the growing Indian kids market, and how international studios can make head room for themselves in India in the area of co-productions.

    “Indian animation is just waiting to explode on to the world stage,” says Wanvari – who also represents Reed Midem’s MipCom, MipTV, MIPJunior, MipCancun, and Mipim events for India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal. “We have the talent, the right stories, and even now the focus to make in India for the world with the Narendra Modi government laying an emphasis on it. An animation requires many partnerships for it to achieve global success. Through this workshop we want to demystify many notions or perceptions that the world community has about Indian studios and the kids content marketplace. Reed Midem and MIPJunior have been very supportive of India’s efforts to build a global IP in kids’ animation. If we succeed in enabling even one partnership or co-production or spark one such opportunity, we will have been successful.”

    Shall we say amen to that?

  • Exploring Indian kids’ content opportunities at MIPJunior

    Exploring Indian kids’ content opportunities at MIPJunior

    CANNES: The world’s kids programming screenings and conference MIPJunior is slated to commence today 15 October at the prestigious Hotel Martinez in Cannes. The little French Riviera village was under heavy black cloud cover the whole of 14 October and a constant drizzle through the day forced everyone to bring out their brollies and their rain jackets.

    But that won’t be necessary today and the next three to four days. Reason: the weatherman has forecast that the weekend is going to be mostly sunny through to Monday.

    The sunny weather is expected to encourage some brisk meetings, conferences, workshops, keynotes, panel discussions, networking through the day at the famed Hotel. And of course champagne, wine is expected to overflow through the day at the lunches and in the restaurants as the world’s top animation and kids content executives huddle together to figure out what the world and their distribution platforms are going to look like in the coming few months.

    One session that is being watched with increasing curiosity is in the MIPJunior Lab at 17:15 pm on 16 October Titled Passage to India: Working in this dynamic space, it is being moderated by Animationxpress.com and Indiantelevision.com founder, CEO and editor in chief Anil Wanvari.

    India’s top animation studio heads – Rajiv Chilaka of Chhota Bheem and Green Gold Fame, Anish Mehta of Motu Patlu and Cosmos Maya renown, Munjal Shroff of Graphiti Multimedia – and India’s only kids OTT platform Voot CEO Gaurav Gandhi – will be throwing light on how why it makes sense to look at the growing Indian kids market, and how international studios can make head room for themselves in India in the area of co-productions.

    “Indian animation is just waiting to explode on to the world stage,” says Wanvari – who also represents Reed Midem’s MipCom, MipTV, MIPJunior, MipCancun, and Mipim events for India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal. “We have the talent, the right stories, and even now the focus to make in India for the world with the Narendra Modi government laying an emphasis on it. An animation requires many partnerships for it to achieve global success. Through this workshop we want to demystify many notions or perceptions that the world community has about Indian studios and the kids content marketplace. Reed Midem and MIPJunior have been very supportive of India’s efforts to build a global IP in kids’ animation. If we succeed in enabling even one partnership or co-production or spark one such opportunity, we will have been successful.”

    Shall we say amen to that?