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Tag: Caleb Franklin

  • In collaboration with HeyHey, Gajendra Verma launches ‘Maar Sutteya’ NFTs

    In collaboration with HeyHey, Gajendra Verma launches ‘Maar Sutteya’ NFTs

    Mumbai: Singer Gajendra Verma has teamed up with HeyHey to enter the web3 arena. HeyHey is an online platform that powers immersive connections between celebrities, influencers, creators, and businesses globally, using technology.

    Verma launched his new song, Maar Sutteya, featuring American hip-hop band Flipsyde,. The song, which was released on 10 October, has received major traction all over social media. As for the second part, the song was released alongside an industry-first NFT collection. The Maar Sutteya NFT collection was released on 18 October on HeyHey’s NFT marketplace. This is also the first of many NFT projects that Verma will be launching in the near future. The collaboration will further enable the fan following of Verma to get exclusive perks upon getting their NFTs.

    To add to it, the Maar Sutteya NFT collection is offered in three categories. Maar Sutteya Genesis NFTs, the first category, are a collection of unique posters for the song that are available to everyone as a free souvenir. The second category, “Maar Sutteya Alpha NFTs,” includes some memorable parts of the song that have been recorded and converted to GIF format. The third category, Maar Sutteya Supreme NFTs, consists of a selection of behind-the-scenes footage from the recording of the song that is available only to those who buy the NFTs.

    “We are delighted to collaborate with the well-known singer and performer Gajendra Verma and are happy to make a difference in the web3 community space. The web3 world evolves every day with news of innovation, development, updates, or new artists entering the space. Gajendra Verma is famously known for being the voice of unforgettable songs like Mann Mera and Tera Ghata, amongst many other hits. And we are extremely delighted that we could make a difference to his recent hit Maar Sutteya and showcase a different dynamic in the NFT space,” said HeyHey CEO and founder Caleb Franklin.

    Nonetheless, Maar Sutteya NFTs come with access passes and prospects for everyone who claims them. One of these is having special access to the Gajendra Verma fan community on Discord, and in addition to many other benefits, NFT holders stand the chance to win one-on-one conversations with him and appear on his social media broadcasts.

    Fans can find out more about the perks and pricing of Gajendra Verma’s Maar Sutteya NFTs on HeyHey’s marketplace, www.heylabs.io.

  • HeyHey! is helping brands across the entertainment industry enter web3 and navigate new waters: founder & CEO Caleb Franklin

    HeyHey! is helping brands across the entertainment industry enter web3 and navigate new waters: founder & CEO Caleb Franklin

    Mumbai: HeyHey! is a leading-edge online platform that facilitates new forms of experiential engagement between fans and global celebrities, creators, and influencers by utilising new-age tech like web3, blockchain, and NFTs to create digital products that are ahead of the curve. The platform also acts as a gateway through which fans can discover and directly interact with their favourite stars, while empowering celebrities to develop memorable bespoke experiences for their fanverse through personalised video messages and shoutouts.

    Having launched in key international markets like the US and Japan, HeyHey!’s foray into India brings with it an appreciation of the celeb-fan relationship nuances that may differ from one market to another.

    HeyHey! uses its innovative tech to partner with brands, celebrities, and entertainment entities to deliver unmatched experiences with the help of cutting-edge web2 and web3 solutions to fanverses. HeyHey! helps connect fans with over 2,500 artists on its robust roster, ranging from famous Indian names such as Govinda, Amish Tripathi, Sharman Joshi, Evelyn Sharma, Elnaaz Norouzi, Kaneez Surka, Sarfaraz Khan, and K. Gowtham. Apart from films, they also have leading television stars like Rupali Ganguly, Divyanka Tripathi, Rashmi Desai, etc., alongside regional stars like Angel Thomas, Monal Gajjar, Deeksha Joshi, Ojas Rawal, and more, and leading Hollywood stars such as Johnny Depp, Keira Knightley, Michael Fassbender, Mariah Carey, and Tom Hardy.

    Indiantelevision.com caught up with HeyHey! founder and CEO Caleb Franklin. He currently operates out of HeyHey!’s Mumbai office, building an exclusive platform for fan-celebrity engagement with some of India’s biggest talent being present on the platform. In addition to its India operations, HeyHey! is present in Japan and attracts some of the best regional and international talents in sports, media, literature, and art.

    He is also Matter Entertainment founder and CEO. Matter produces premium television and film series for top OTT platforms such as Netflix, Disney+, Amazon, etc. Matter is a premium literary management company representing some of the leading global artists from India in the realms of writing, direction, books, and production.

    Before founding HeyHey!, Franklin spent a decade working for the Creative Artists Agency (CAA). In his time at CAA, Franklin represented the company’s clients across the global landscape of media, entertainment, technology, and sports. Caleb spearheaded many of the agency’s international initiatives and was part of the founding team of CAA’s presence in India and the Middle East.

    Franklin graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. in Social Studies from Harvard University with a minor in South Asian Studies. In his personal time, Franklin is a board member of the Ron Brown Scholar Program and serves on the founding committee of Soho House Mumbai. He currently lives in Mumbai with his wife Anisha and their dog Morty.

    Edited excerpts:

    On the idea of HeyHey!

    Caleb: HeyHey!’s mission is to help fans connect with their favourite celebrities, brands, and creators and provide premium experiences at scale. We started as a platform which helped customers get personalised video messages for their loved ones from our roster of more than 2,500+ celebrities. HeyHey! was a growing and touching success, with requests for every occasion ranging from birthday wishes to marriage proposals, haircuts, and even breaking up with someone! We wanted to bridge the gap between a fan and their favourite creator and also help creators build a community.

    On NFTs and the metaverse, allowing celebrities and brands to build better fan engagement

    Caleb: Until now, we’ve seen the focus in the NFT and metaversal spaces revolve around the collectible and novelty aspects. NFTs and the metaverse are still in their nascencey, but we’ve seen that a lot of our partners are interested in this space and are curious to explore it more. As we see more adoption from fans who want to have a more personal touch from their favourite celebrities and creators starting to realise the potential of dedicated fanverses, we will witness a great shift in how both personal and corporate brands start to develop better trust and cultivate a more organic approach to showcasing their products and services with interactive opportunities and experiential engagement.

    On leveraging these opportunities

    Caleb: Staying true to our mission of providing premium experiences to fans at scale, we realised the power of web3. Our aim is to build fanverses, communities, and a platform where fans and celebrities get to build a deeper connection. The concept behind HeyHey! NFTs is to allow fans to have pathways into their favourite celebrity’s community with exclusive perks that are only available upon ownership of that artist’s NFT.

    Apart from making the NFT community in general bigger, we’re trying to provide community building provisions to our NFT creators as well as NFT enthusiasts. HeyHey!’s idea, however, includes having global artists and a global fanbase. We want to create a fanverse where the confines of geographical barriers are broken and both artists and fans worldwide can come under one umbrella.

    On the celebrities that HeyHey! is working with currently

    Caleb: We help connect fans with over 2,500+ Indian and global artists from our network, ranging from famous Indian names such as Govinda, Amish Tripathi, Sharman Joshi, Evelyn Sharma, Elnaaz Norouzi, Kaneez Surka, Sarfaraz Khan, K. Gowtham, Rupali Ganguly, Divyanka Tripathi, Rashmi Desai, etc., to regional stars like Angel Thomas, Monal Gajjar, Deeksha Joshi, Ojas Rawal, to Hollywood stars like Johnny Depp, Keira Knightley, Michael Fassbender, Mariah Carey, and Tom Hardy.

    On creating awareness among celebrity fans to use its service

    Caleb: Our previous collaborations have worked as a great case study for us to pitch to other celebrities and potential NFT creators. Being able to show them both what the market is like and what we have done with other artists only gives them a better understanding of what the space is like and they can further decide upon things.

    Creators are now understanding the several use cases web3 offers that are not available in existing web2 solutions. Fans are also understanding the importance of dedicated fanverses and communities built around creators they follow/brands they use and feel like a part of their journey.

    On the experiences that fans can get with celebrities using NFTs that otherwise would not be possible

    Caleb: To give a simple example, we’ve gamified Sunny Leone’s ‘I Dream Of Sunny’ NFTs, which gives its owners many benefits that go above and beyond monetary, ranging from coffee dates, set visits, joining her on Instagram live, attending a private yacht party with her, to even going skydiving with her! All these benefits depend on the category of the NFTs the enthusiasts have purchased.

    One of the NFT owners, who lives in another country, was a winner in one of the weeks, and he got to go on an Instagram live with her. To the ones who didn’t know how he did it, he was flooded with queries about how he got an opportunity like that. Sunny too received many DMs asking her how they would also get an opportunity to go live with her. That’s the power of having ownership of her NFT.

    We don’t think that the same would be possible otherwise, because when you think of it, she has millions of followers and she would not go through her list to select a person who she would want to go live with. Also, there would be no purpose. It is because of the NFT that a particular owner owned that enabled him to go live with her. These NFTs allow Sunny to get to know her fans up close and personally, and vice versa.

    On the impact that NFTs and the metaverse will have on the M&E industry

    Caleb: NFTs and the metaverse are already here, having an immense impact on how the media and entertainment businesses approach new avenues. We see it as various stakeholders in the industry are looking to get in on the action, whether to use it as a tool for showcasing an already-existing product or giving users a preview of what they can expect.

    That’s not all. We can see a lot of entertainment businesses incorporating NFTs and metaverse in a way that it’s an extension of what they already offer, essentially helping to offer a more holistic and complete experience.

    In the very near future, we are going to see a lot more NFT projects from big and small creators alike, bringing great ideas to the forefront using the crowdfunding method. This comes through the power of community and the feeling of being part of something you genuinely believe has great potential to be something remarkable, and we believe this is just the tip of the iceberg in how the industry can be part of this movement.

    On the opportunity that HeyHey! sees in India

    Caleb: India as a market has always been selective in what appeals to the masses and if it’s new or revolutionary enough to warrant learning something entirely new. Web3 is the same and in the last two years, we’ve already seen so many ambitious projects from different industries utilising web3. It’s only a matter of time before the infrastructure is adopted all over, and when that happens, our consumers are going to enjoy some exceptional experiences by being part of like-minded communities.

    We want to approach this section of the market and help provide the tools to make such a reality accessible and usable. We are confident that India is ready to be more immersed in web3 and the metaverse.

    On the collaboration with Viacom18 Studios

    Caleb: Viacom18 Studios has been a behemoth in the industry for many years. As a market leader, HeyHey! helped them understand the importance of community building and how web3 was a way of building this long-lasting community. With a full proof concept and plan in place, Viacom18 Studio’s Shabaash Mithu was the perfect opportunity for them to step into the web3 space. With a solid understanding of how we would have liked this to be, and with HeyHey! as their technological partner, we made it a point to show them the path and process.

    On the other projects that HeyHey! is working on in India

    Caleb: We have some exciting projects in our pipeline. A lot of our partners are curious to understand the potential of web3 and NFTs. HeyHey! is helping brands across the entertainment industry enter web3 and navigate new waters. As showcased with our partnership with The Olive Group, we’re also gearing up to put into production some projects for top-tier brands who want to re-imagine their own existence in the upcoming (virtual) reality.

    We’re working with some hard-working teams who want to ensure that they offer their consumers the best possible version of their products they can, whether the consumer is at their store or at home staring at their phone screen.

    On some of the misconceptions that exist when it comes to NFTs

    Caleb: Due to the high NFT prices we’ve seen in the media, there has been a common misconception that NFTs are only art, a way to “get rich quick” or a scam. This has led to people buying NFTs as an investment with the hope or expectation that they’ll increase in price. We have seen a trend of multiple industries, including art, gaming, ticketing, and entertainment, venturing into the web3 space to understand more about it and explore the multiple use cases it can offer.

    HeyHey! NFTs will provide every buyer with utilities, including offline exclusive experiences and the opportunity to join a community of like-minded individuals. Our agenda is to help brands and creators create a community around themselves and also for fans to feel deeply connected.

    On web3

    Caleb: We see web3 as a means for creators and brands to build communities around themselves or their IPs and for fans to feel more connected and build a deeper relationship with these creators and brands. HeyHey! wants to empower these creators and brands to help build these fanverses and communities.

  • Viacom18 Studios partners with HeyHey! to launch NFTs

    Viacom18 Studios partners with HeyHey! to launch NFTs

    Mumbai:  Motion picture studio Viacom18 Studios has collaborated with HeyHey!, an online platform powering experiential engagement between celebs, influencers, creators and brands globally via new-age tech – to venture into the Web3 space. In line with this, the film studio has launched its first-ever NFT project called the “Shabaash Mithu.” This is an NFT collection. HeyHey! is its technology partner.

    “Shabaash Mithu” stars Taapsee Pannu in the lead role. It is directed by Srijit Mukherji and produced by Viacom18 Studios. The film is based on the life of the former Indian cricket team captain, Mithali Raj, who is considered one of the greatest female cricketers in the Indian squad. The film chronicles the ups and downs and moments of glory in her life. Intending to provide fans and audiences with a holistic experience of this film that transcends beyond the movie screens, Viacom18 Studios is foraying into the Web3 world. For this, the media company has partnered with HeyHey! to launch its “Shabaash Mithu” collection of NFTs and, in turn, build a thriving Web3 community of movie fans.

    NFT holders including audiences and enthusiasts will be allowed to claim their free NFTs that will allow them to be a part of the “Shabaash Mithu” NFT film club and enjoy several benefits alongside the updates they will be receiving on the same. The other set of NFTs that consumers can purchase will give buyers exclusive access to unlock offline experiences.

    While talking about the partnership with HeyHey! and the NFT collection launch, Viacom18 Studios COO Ajit Andhare said, “Good storytelling makes for an immersive experience, and we are taking it one step further by layering digitally forward engagement avenues. Our partnership with HeyHey! to launch an NFT collection for “Shabaash Mithu” is a unique collaboration that will appeal to cricket enthusiasts and the digitally savvy audiences.”

    HeyHey! Founder and CEO Caleb Franklin mentioned, “NFT is the future of experiencing experiential engagement in the virtual world and has opened an infinite number of opportunities in building brand value. We are delighted to collaborate with Viacom18 Studios, and we believe that we will empower the fan base by providing a personalised and premium experience with our new-age Web 3.0 technology. Our technology experts have dedicated themselves to making the launch a success, and we believe that it will bring triumph for both HeyHey! and Viacom18 Studios in building a unison community.”

    Previously, HeyHey! had partnered with actress Sunny Leone for her “I Dream Of Sunny” NFT collection and The Olive Group of Restaurants’ “Oliverse” to mint NFTs for them. Besides that, the platform said that it is on the verge of signing artists, production houses and brands to empower them to create their fanverses – thereby building a strong track record for itself in the dramatically growing Web3 space.

  • GUEST COLUMN: How brands can leverage metaverse for connecting with consumers

    GUEST COLUMN: How brands can leverage metaverse for connecting with consumers

    MUMBAI : Through the years, what has been constant is how brands evolve with new tools and modes of communication to best connect with their customers and fulfill their wants. In fact, with the steady rise of mobile web and social media back in the 2010s, the way brands engage with consumers has undergone a massive transformation – witnessing brands building a community with their consumers. And the customers, in turn, enjoy these novel ways to connect with their brands.

    However, in 2022, we now stand at the precipice of an exciting new form of communication and experience – the metaverse. And perhaps the biggest challenge is understanding the metaverse and realising one crucial key point – “The Metaverse is Now.”

    Ascent of the Metaverse

    Blurring the lines between physical and digital, the metaverse is fast emerging as a new space for people to shop, be entertained and participate in virtual experiences. With the metaverse giving rise to this new ecosystem of virtual life, a resultant paradigm shift is underway. One is that the metaverse is revolutionising how brands and consumers engage – with both scrambling for tools to best connect in this unprecedented virtual space.

    But why should you become a metaverse brand to connect with its audience?

    The truth is, the metaverse has opened the floodgates to a variety of burgeoning benefits and connection opportunities for brands and consumers alike –

    1) Minimising geographical distance

    From our online presence on platforms like online games (esports), social media and even simple communication on messaging apps, the experiences and connections we value most often take place in a digital world over the physical world. For instance, unlike before, a significant number of people we daily communicate with live outside of a 15 km radius from our home or office.

    However, the metaverse allows you to build meaning around experiences even though people we value spending time with are out of our physical grasp. In fact, it can essentially replicate the real world – goods and experiences from your offline existence can now be imitated for people anywhere in the world. Want to go on a date with the person you just met in Hyderabad while based in Delhi? Want to meet and greet your favourite Bollywood Celebrity when you’re in Lucknow? You can do this and much more in the metaverse. A lot of restaurants too, have stepped into the metaverse so going on dates with a significant other just got easier.

    The barrier of geographical distance is eliminated, and brands can now capture a global consumer base by bringing their products immediately into the home of every person in the world.

    2) Metaverse & its commercial appeal

    The metaverse lets customers try out digital items and see them within a fully 3D world. Several brands are already utilising this capability today. Moreover, blockchain technology, cryptocurrency, and NFTs (building blocks of the Metaverse) are also empowering brands and consumers to interact in ways unlike before.

    For instance, Adidas’ claim to fame as one of the most crucial metaverse brands comes from NFTs (Non-fungible tokens). When people think of an NFT, it’s usually related to online images. However, it’s essential to understand that metaverse models also use digital artwork. As such, metaverse items can also be NFTs. Adidas uses that technique to sell wearables in the physical world and metaverse.

    Adidas Originals created an NFT campaign, “Into the metaverse.” For this, it partnered with three of the most renowned NFT brands – Bored Ape Yacht Club, PUNKS Comic and Gmoney for exclusive wearable digital items that can be used on various blockchain-based gaming platforms. The collaborative project launched in December 2021, when a limited amount of 30,000 NFTs were sold saw the company earn more than $22 million from the sales in a few hours! Buying an NFT gave owners access to special, physical goods, like a hoodie and tracksuit worn by the Bored Ape that Adidas owns and other upcoming digital experiences.

    Some companies benefit by tying their online and offline market together. Other companies can leverage it by creating a whole new type of store. These are digitally exclusive offerings. And all of this can be tied together with digital wallets within the metaverse, making it easy to buy and sell goods. It’s easy to see the metaverse’s commercial appeal.

    On the consumer products front, Coca-Cola launched an NFT collection that fetched $575,000 in an online auction. It relied on the power of its brand to push forward its collection and raise over $500.000 for charity within 72 hours!

    While the metaverse’s full potential reach will definitely increase & at a much faster pace in the near future years, it is clearly on its way to the very fabric binding people across the globe and connecting them. And with this tool at our fingertips, it is absolutely critical for brands to venture into this exciting virtual space that presents disruptive new ways to build deeper and more meaningful relationships with their audience.

    The author is Caleb Franklin CEO and Founder of HeyHey

  • HeyHey, Olive Group bring ‘Oliverse’ wave on full display at ONFT

    HeyHey, Olive Group bring ‘Oliverse’ wave on full display at ONFT

    Mumbai: An online platform HeyHey has collaborated as a technology partner with Olive Group of restaurants recently to showcase non-fungible tokens (NFTs) in the event christened ‘ONFT’. It is the first Indian restaurant group to showcase NFTs.

    The two organizations came together for ‘ONFT’, an event which put some of the finest NFTs on full display to spread the word about a new medium that is set to revolutionize the world of art & their fans. The event is one of the first of its kind in India, and brings to light how brands and celebrities are entering the metaverse. This NFT exhibit was held at Olive Bar & Kitchen in Khar and was attended by personalities from the spheres of business, art, and entertainment.

    Indian cinema actor Sunny Leone attended the event with her husband Daniel Weber. Interestingly, Leone too has launched her NFT with HeyHey as the technology partner. She showcased her collection called ‘I Dream of Sunny’ along with other masterpieces from the entertainment industry. Some of these included ‘We Are Actors’ by Rahul Bose – a discourse on the struggle of the industry, another one by leading fashion designer – Narendra Kumar – based on the idea of how every coercion is overshadowed by a distraction and, ‘One@mumbai’ by JJ Valaya – founder of House of Valaya, a culmination of moving & imagery interpretations of some of the magical cities of this country.

    From within the NFT space, well-loved NFT artist Amrit Pal Singh displayed ‘Cleopatra Toy Face’ alongside stylist & creative director Kshitij Kankaria’s piece about raw authenticity. It was a collection of photographs where every image told a different story. Multi-disciplinary artist, Santanu Hazarika, also presented his NFT, called ‘Cat-fishing 2.0’. Among the exhibition was also 22-year-old NFT artist Kashish Arora’s ‘Catching Ether’.

    Olive Group founder and managing director AD Singh said, “Since we launched The Olive Group over 20 years ago, we’ve been fortunate to have always had our finger on the pulse of what our customers want and like. We’ve introduced many industry ‘firsts,’ and now, we’re excited to see what our integration into the metaverse means, both for our customers and us as a Group. We look forward to welcoming you all to the Oliverse.”

    HeyHey CEO and founder Caleb Franklin said, “We are delighted to work with illustrious names in the industry and showcase our expertise at the ‘ONFT’ event. The metaverse is the next big thing which will revolutionize the experiential marketing world and more opportunities ought to open up the different worlds in this space. We are glad to be associated with an outstanding restaurant chain and become the first in India to curate an event like this.”

    Other noteworthy personalities at the event included, Sandeep Goyal, Anisha Dixit, Taha Shaha alongside Sunny Leone & Daniel Weber, Narendra “Nari” Kumar, Santanu Hazarika.

    HeyHey has been associating with notable brands and individuals in the industry to create experiential engagement. At ‘ONFT’, buyers, audience and guests in attendance were taken on special NFT tours, and educated about the benefits of NFT that don’t just include collecting, but also real-world experiences that can be enhanced and accessed using these NFTs.

  • Writers are the key to creating great content: Radhika Gopal and Caleb Franklin

    Writers are the key to creating great content: Radhika Gopal and Caleb Franklin

    MUMBAI: Day two of The Content Hub 2020 started with a fireside chat with Tulsea talent manager Radhika Gopal and Matter Advisors founder and managing partner Caleb Franklin where they discussed the importance of creating an ecosystem and a platform for writers. Writers are the key to creating great content.  

    Radhika Gopal said, "Through Tulsea we worked with some great writers, directors and actors. We make sure the talent roaster is balanced. We want to be an objective narrative party in order to make deals more transparent."

    Franklin, who has been in the content industry for the past 16 years, believes the journey from storytelling to origination to how writers are delivering the content to end-user is important. “There is a plethora of talent in India. Our primary job is to inform business to our clients. What story is happening, what are the current trends, new podcasts and much more. We usually don’t care about where you are or what your background is," he said.

    Radhika further added, “I believe being financially stable helps you to focus on your passion. We at Tulsea are also enabling producers to get one-stop access of talent so that they can access our platform to deliver great content. We are talking to people across the globe to set the proper structure.”