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  • Mia by Tanishq inks partnership deal with Bacardi NH7 Weekender

    Mia by Tanishq inks partnership deal with Bacardi NH7 Weekender

    Mumbai: Jewellery brand Mia by Tanishq has announced its partnership with music festival Bacardi NH7 Weekender for the event to be held on 26 March in Pune. The association was set up by Mates, the content unit of Madison World.

    Bacardi NH7 Weekender is an annual multi-city and multi-genre, music, and comedy festival held in India. Under this partnership, Mia by Tanishq will get a ‘Mia Lounge,’ an exclusive lounge that will provide festival-goers access to “innovative digital beauty experiences and a fun-filled paradise complete with WiFi, air conditioning, mobile charging stations etc,” said the statement.  

    A virtual trial of Mia jewellery will be conducted in Pune using augmented reality. Mia will receive ten tickets for each city of Goa, Kolkata, Chandigarh, Chennai, Bangalore, Mumbai, Shillong/Guwahati and Delhi to distribute to their top spenders. Additionally, Mia by Tanishq will receive branding across all of Bacardi NH7 Weekender marketing communication platforms.

    “We are very happy to partner with MAates and Bacardi NH7 Weekender,” said Mia by Tanishq head of marketing Sampurna Rakshit. “We feel that this is a great property to reach out to the young, modern free-spirited Mia women. We plan to give them a taste of the Mia way of life through the uber-stylish on-ground lounge.”

    Mates is the entertainment specialist unit of Madison World that focuses on content marketing, celebrity management, film marketing, influencer associations, OTT collaborations, video production, and partnerships with gaming companies, platforms, and e-sports influencers.

    “We at Mates are delighted to enable the association of Mia by Tanishq and Bacardi NH7 Weekender,” said Mates head Kumar Siddharth. “Both brands that appeal to the free-living independent women of today. We have worked closely with the NH7 organizers to enhance the festival goers’ experience by providing them with a space where they can unwind and be themselves. Creating associations between brands and properties that have true synergy is the cornerstone of our strategic approach and we’re hoping this is the first of many such innovative collaborations.”

  • Kumar Siddharath joins Madison Media to lead Mates

    Kumar Siddharath joins Madison Media to lead Mates

    Mumbai: Madison Media on Wednesday announced the appointment of Kumar Siddharath to lead its entertainment unit Mates.  Mates now will be integrated within Madison Media and will focus on brand solutions including in-film associations, celebrity associations, and other ancillary services related to entertainment, content and branding, the company said.

    In this role, Siddharath will report to Madison Media and OOH partner and group CEO Vikram Sakhuja. Former founder and CEO of Mates Sooraj Bhalla has decided to pursue other interests.

    With over 14 years of experience, Siddharath joins Madison Media with a multi-faceted understanding of content marketing, partnership & strategic alliances with a sharp focus on client servicing and business development. He has worked with companies like Endemol, UTV, Viacom 18, Reliance Broadcast Network, Optimystix Entertainment, and other production houses where he has produced big shows including “Roadies” and created AFPs for brands like  HUL, Hero, Idea and Woodland amongst other brands. 

    Apart from production houses, his exposure ranges from industries like broadcast (TV and radio) to films and OTT to print and events. He was also director brand solutions at Omnicom Media Group.

    “I am excited to have Siddharath join our team and provide our clients’ brands content solutions and further strengthen our Madison Media offering, all under one roof,” said Vikram Sakhuja.

    Prior to joining Madison, Siddharath set up his own e-sport and gaming company Oreka eSports.  He has also worked on brands like Daimler, Ford, HP Laptop and Hike over the years.

    “I am excited to join Madison and look forward to creating a lot of interesting brand solutions that help our premium roster of clients create magic and meet their business goals,” said Kumar Siddharath.

  • Sooraj Bhalla to step down as founder & CEO of Mates

    Sooraj Bhalla to step down as founder & CEO of Mates

    Mumbai: Mates founder and CEO Sooraj Bhalla has announced his decision to step down from his position. Under his leadership, the entertainment specialist unit of media agency Madison World emerged as a prominent name in the industry. 

    Bhalla played a significant role in building the branded content and content marketing advertising vertical to its leadership position. His last day at Mates is 31 December.

    “So far, my focus has been to work towards driving impact for clients and touch an emotive chord with consumers with the power of content and communication,” said Bhalla. “In this next chapter of my professional life, I am looking forward to taking these years of rewarding experience with Mates and continue delivering value through the various channels of communication in the content space.” 

    An alumnus of Jamnabai Narsee School, Bhalla spent his initial 10 years in creating content – direction and production, followed by fourteen years in content marketing, branded content, film marketing, celebrity management and solutions.

    He has worked on blockbuster projects like “Andaz Apna Apna,” “Damini,” “Ghatak,” and “Barsaat,” having started his career as an assistant director to Rajkumar Santoshi. He was also the executive producer of Hindi feature film – “Shararat.”

    After procuring prolific experience in content production and direction, his first independent venture, TeamWorks focused on branded content, celebrity management & film marketing. It was eventually bought out by Sam Balsara to create Mates.

    Bhalla has worked on more than 100 films from the country’s top producers and studios, being instrumental in delivering breakthrough communication with engaging content formats. He has won over 17 accolades in the advertising and media industry.

  • Do IT talent venture has big plans for the unorganised sector

    Do IT talent venture has big plans for the unorganised sector

    MUMBAI: Two of India’s creative mentors, in a unique collaboration, have launched an integrated multi-disciplinary talent management firm called Do IT Talent Ventures. Darshana Bhalla and Radha Kapoor Khanna’s new talent venture firm aims at broadening the horizon of talent management and development across genres.

    Darshana Bhalla, who was the former CEO of Mates – the entertainment unit of Madison Communication and Radha Kapoor Khanna, the founder and executive director of Do IT Creations – a flagship holding company of The Three Sisters: Institutional Office (TTS:IO) focused on establishing new age creative businesses, formed in Do IT Talent Ventures in April 2018.

    In a span of three months, the brand has already signed a number of personalities across films, TV and sports namely Farhan Akhtar, John Abraham, Lara Dutta, Kajal Aggarwal, Neeraj Pandey Samir Kochhar in entertainment and Vicky Ratnani in culinary. While in sports, the brand has tied up with Virender Sehwag, Mahesh Bhupathi, Geeta Phogat, Ashwini Ponnappa, Robin Singh, Viren Rasquinha and Aparna Popat. 

    With a staff of trained professionals, mentors and promoters, the team possesses a cumulative experience of over 500 deals in the celebrity management business.

    Darshana Bhalla says that the company’s primary vision is collective progress, focussing on talent from various genres of the creative industries and enabling constant optimisation of their time and resources.

    Radha Kapoor mentions that under the holding company Do IT Creations, with a presence in entertainment, sports, media, retail amidst other consumer focused businesses, the group saw an opportunity to establish a presence in the talent ecosystem wherein they had the unique advantage of unlocking synergies by leveraging their portfolio of new age creative ventures.

    Do IT wants to aim at having all creative people under their umbrella including culinary, technicians, artists, writers, TV actors, Bollywood celebrities, musicians, directors and sports mentors. 

    The talent venture will not look at only having celebrity talent. Radha Kapoor says, “Tomorrow we could also have writers, artists and designers. We are looking at it from a 360 degree approach wherein we can start catching these talents at a much younger age. the idea is on how do we find the right talent and create solutions for them.”

    She figured that the DNA of their institution was to invest in entrepreneurs. And while the talent business in India has been primitively handled in sectors, Do IT is aiming at becoming an aggressive venture unlike the rest of them. They believe in having collective success and collaborations where there will be talent across creative industry.

    The two describe it as a challenging business, but are excited about make their mark. “It is challenging to make them understand that it’s not about managing their existing work but also about optimising their talent.”

    For now, the company’s client list only includes popular celebrities and other personalities. “We are not after having quantitative list of clients but want every client that we have on board is well thought of and ask ourselves, ‘if we can add value to them?’ We won’t take anybody on board if we are not sure and we don’t want to mess with anyone’s career,” they say collectively. 

    Doing business with celebrities and influencers isn’t all fun and games. Bhalla says, “The process is just business while the starting process and the outcome is always glamorous. But it is a lot of hard work as managing people has its own issues. There are some cultural disparities and functional disparities but you just deal with it.”