Tag: OML

  • Scara Live turns the spotlight on culture and connection in real time

    Scara Live turns the spotlight on culture and connection in real time

    MUMBAI: In a world where everything’s streamed, Scara Live wants you to feel it live. The new vertical from Scara Gaming is reimagining India’s entertainment landscape by bringing brands, creators, and audiences together in the real world where emotion meets experience.

    At the intersection of entertainment, sports, and culture, Scara Live isn’t just about events, it’s about cultural engineering. It crafts immersive, insight-led experiences that move beyond screens and algorithms to build real-world communities that pulse with creativity, connection, and conversation.

    Helmed by a powerhouse leadership team, Scara Live draws on a collective experience of over 60 years across gaming, tech, live events, and media. Manoj George, with 20-plus years in the gaming and cultural sectors, previously drove business and revenue at Nodwin Gaming, Cornerstone, and UTV Disney. Mazher Ramzanali, who has shaped brand narratives for Budweiser, MTV, OML, and Vice Media, brings his 15 years of expertise in sponsorship and culture programming. Santosh P, former marketing leader at Bookmyshow and OML, adds 16 years of live entertainment strategy, while Vikas Chand brings his operational prowess from marquee sports entities such as BCCI, IMG Reliance, and Delhi Capitals.

    Together, they aim to rewrite the live playbook turning brand engagement into shared memory. “Scara Live represents our belief that live experiences are where culture truly happens,” said Manoj George. “We’re combining the power of creativity with the discipline of data and delivery to help brands engage audiences in meaningful, lasting ways.”

    Mazher Ramzanali added, “The lines between digital and physical engagement are fading fast. Scara Live is built to help brands bridge that space, transforming entertainment, sport, and culture into living experiences that drive connection and community.”

    The company’s flagship properties, Pixel Pulse and Beyond the Game, anchor this philosophy. Pixel Pulse blends music, comedy, fashion, and gaming to create large-scale cultural moments, while Beyond the Game functions as a B2B thought-leadership and networking platform for sports, gaming, and innovation professionals.

    The first project under Scara Live’s belt, iPopstar, is already tuning in audiences. A weekly music reality series featuring King, Astha Gill, Aditya Rikhari, and Parmish Verma, it brings together 12 contestants battling it out over six weeks. The series streams on Amazon MX Player, with Spotify and Warner Music as music partners. Scara Live acts as the culture partner for the IP, owned by Rusk Media.

    As Santosh P put it, “India’s creator and live entertainment economy is on the rise. Scara Live is designed to meet the craving for authenticity and interaction, helping brands not just participate in culture but shape it.”

    With a bold vision and a multi-disciplinary team, Scara Live is poised to redefine how India experiences live entertainment not as an event, but as a living, breathing story. For those tired of watching from behind the screen, Scara Live promises to make life itself the stage.

  • Oneplus launches ‘light a light, plant a plant’ with Jackie Shroff this Diwali

    Oneplus launches ‘light a light, plant a plant’ with Jackie Shroff this Diwali

    MUMBAI: This Diwali, Oneplus is lighting up homes and green spaces alike. The brand has unveiled a heartfelt campaign titled “light a light, plant a plant”, collaborating with actor Jackie Shroff and his NGO, JK Foundation, with a commitment to plant 1 lakh trees across India.

    The campaign encourages communities to celebrate the festival of lights while contributing to a greener future. The hero film delivers a simple yet powerful message: as we illuminate our homes, we can also plant a plant. It reflects Oneplus’s belief that technology and sustainability can go hand in hand: mirroring the clean and fast experience of Oxygenos with the brand’s commitment to cleaner air and healthier cities.

    This initiative continues Oneplus’s eco-conscious journey, building on its 2019 campaign that saw 20,000 trees planted. Plantations under this campaign will prioritise native species and ongoing care, with periodic updates shared with the Oneplus community.

    Commenting on the campaign, Oneplus India director of marketing Ishita Grover said, “Our campaign is a heartfelt celebration of joy and a brighter, hopeful future. By sharing the spirit of giving and togetherness, we hope to spark a movement where celebration and a greener future go hand in hand.”

    Conceptualised in-house and directed by OML (Only Much Louder), the ad film is live across Youtube, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, bringing the festive spirit and a message of sustainability directly to audiences nationwide.

  • Zakir Khan hits the road with India’s biggest comedy tour ever

    Zakir Khan hits the road with India’s biggest comedy tour ever

    MUMBAI: In a blockbuster moment for India’s live entertainment scene, Only Much Louder (OML) and TribeVibe Entertainment, a BookMyShow enterprise, have inked a game-changing deal to roll out Zakir Khan’s biggest-ever stand-up tour—spanning more than 60 cities and reaching 160,000 fans.

    It’s not just the largest comedy tour by an Indian comedian, but also the single biggest deal ever signed in India’s comedy circuit, setting a precedent for scale, structure and star power.

    From metros to mofussils, this laughter caravan will traverse the length and breadth of India, proving that comedy isn’t just an urban indulgence anymore—it’s a mass cultural movement. The partnership blends Zakir’s magnetic stage presence and OML’s talent stewardship with BookMyShow’s data clout and TribeVibe’s grassroots muscle to deliver what could be India’s first truly nationwide comedy experience.

    Shoven Shah

    “This collaboration signals a new form of cultural consumption in India, one that is ambitious in scale, yet grounded in purpose. It’s not just about doing a 60-city tour; it’s about proving that India is ready to host and celebrate live entertainment at this scale across its full breadth. At TribeVibe, we’ve always believed in democratising access to great experiences and Zakir, through his authenticity and connection with audiences, is the perfect artist to lead this vision. Partnering with OML to bring this to life feels like a natural next step in the journey,” said TribeVibe Entertainment founder & CEO  Shoven Shah.

    Zakir Khan, meanwhile, is clear that this is about more than just laughs. “This isn’t just a personal milestone, it’s a celebration of how far Indian stand-up has come. I’m grateful to be doing this with partners who truly believe in the power of homegrown stories and the audiences who’ve made it all possible,” said Zakir. “This tour is not just about performing in 60 cities, it’s about taking the art of Indian stand-up to every corner of the country with the scale and seriousness it truly deserves. For years, we’ve dreamed of comedy being treated like mainstream entertainment, and this partnership is a massive step in that direction. I’ve always believed in building something bigger than myself, and this moment feels like that belief taking centre stage.”

    OML SVP Rishabh Nahar framed the tour as a bold blueprint. Said he: “This tour doesn’t just mark a milestone for Zakir, but serves as a blueprint for the future of Indian live entertainment, bringing live comedy to the cultural and geographic heart of the country. With this partnership, TribeVibe Entertainment and OML hope to lay the groundwork for a touring economy that mirrors the scale, sophistication and ambition of global markets, where data guides decisions, artists build legacies and where audiences everywhere have equal access to transformative cultural experiences.”

    With its eyes set on both major metros and Bharat’s backyards, the tour brings Indian comedy into its most ambitious phase yet.

    And if this deal’s anything to go by, the punchline is simple: local is going live, and laughter is going long haul.

    (Main Picture: Zakir Khan -centre – with the OML team)

  • OML appoints Zoya D’Costa as campaign lead

    OML appoints Zoya D’Costa as campaign lead

    Mumbai: Only Much Louder (OML) has appointed Zoya D’Costa as campaign lead in the GCN (Global Creator Network) India team, as per her LinkedIn update.

    In this new role, D’Costa will be leading the mandate of driving 360-degree marketing and content efforts globally to deliver impactful campaigns for Bacardi 1862, along with other brand accounts and clientele like Netflix, Bumble, Amazon, Zomato, Cred etc within GCN.

    Before joining OML, D’Costa was associated with Times Network for over six years as assistant brand manager – marketing for Zoom, The Zoom Studios, and Flick.

    “From being part of the Network Marketing Team that enabled me to work on 12 distinct brands to building & scaling Zoom, The Zoom Studios & Flick over the last few years…These 6 & a half years have indeed been memorable, challenging & transformative as a Marketing Lead of these brands,” she wrote in an Instagram post announcing her latest professional move.

    D’Costa leads a diverse portfolio of brands with expertise in key facets of brand, digital and content marketing coupled with the power of content development, transformative IPs & brand solutions backed by sound business expansion goals, monetisation plans and revenue strategies.

  • Bacardi Nh7 Weekender 11 goes virtual

    Bacardi Nh7 Weekender 11 goes virtual

    NEW DELHI: OML and Bacardi are all set to go virtual with the Bacardi NH7 Weekender festival this December. The 11th edition of the multi-genre, multi-city music festival will be held virtually on 5 and 6 December 2020 and can be streamed by fans across the country.

    The two-day digital edition will feature an eclectic line-up of musicians. The festival will be streaming all three stages simultaneously — the Bacardi Stage, The Dewar's Stage and Breezer Vivid Stage — clocking 16+ hours of music by local artists and international talent.

    This time around, fans will be able to host virtual parties during the stream, play games, take pictures in a virtual photo-booth, and join live parties along with artists and fans.

    Adding to the engagement factor of the digital festival experience, the tickets for this year’s edition comes with exciting perks – from the opportunity to pre-buy into next year’s edition of the festival at a reduced price, as well as thoughtfully-curated memorabilia.

    OML CEO Gunjan Arya said: “The Bacardi Nh7 Weekender has brought artists and fans together for over a decade and through the unique virtual festival experience, this is what our objective is this year as well. Bacardi’s support and Insider’s support has been instrumental in designing a highly immersive and interactive platform for this edition of the festival, which we’re extremely excited to unveil to fans of music everywhere. The festival will feature its signature programming mix of international and Indian indie musicians, and give fans to enjoy this unique experience together – albeit online.”

    Insider.in founder and CEO Shreyas Sriniviasan said: “Over the years, the festival has brought people together to experience music with their favourite artists. It’s only natural that we continue to enable the same community experience, not just with the artists, but also with each other, this time digitally.”

    "While bringing back the Weekender state of mind, we wanted to ensure utmost safety for all our artists and audiences," said Brand Bacardi India and south-east Asia senior brand manager Sameeksha Uniyal.

  • Amazon Prime Video inks exclusive deal with Zakir Khan

    Amazon Prime Video inks exclusive deal with Zakir Khan

    KOLKATA: Amazon Prime Video today announced an exclusive deal with one of India’s most popular comedians, Zakir Khan (Haq Se Single, Kaksha Gyarvi, Chacha Vidhayak Hai Humare). The association sees Prime Video become the exclusive home to three upcoming highly anticipated Amazon Funnies by Zakir Khan, all produced by Only Much Louder (OML), as well as an all-new season of Chacha Vidhayak Hain Humare. The exclusive collaboration with Prime Video follows a series of highly successful shows on the service, including Amazon Funnies Haq Se Single and Kakshya Gyarvi, a successful debut season of Chacha Vidhayak Hain Humare, as well as his stint as a judge on Amazon Original Series Comicstaan Season 2.

    “There’s been an overwhelming response to Amazon Prime Video’s wide and diverse comedy offering, and we’re excited to keep the laughs coming with today’s announcement,” said Vijay Subramaniam, Director and Head, Content, Amazon Prime Video, India. “Prime Video customers will soon have exclusive access to the latest entertainment from one of the country’s most-loved comedians, including three Amazon Funnies. Zakir Khan has starred in a number of hugely popular comedy properties available on Prime Video and we can’t wait for Prime members to see what’s next, starting with the new season of Chacha Vidhayak Hain Humare.” 

    “Today’s deal announcement marks Amazon Prime Video and Zakir’s long term commitment to comedy ,'' Only Much Louder COO Dhruv Sheth said. “Prime Video has been an incredible destination for comedy, from sit-coms to stand-up specials.  We’re happy to further strengthen that association now that Prime Video is the exclusive home for all the latest entertainment from Zakir.”

    “It is humbling to receive so much love from viewers across the world,” said Zakir Khan. “My association with Amazon Prime Video has only grown stronger since the release of Haq Se Single, my first Stand-Up special on the service. I am really excited to further deepen our association and expand the reach of Indian comedy right around the globe and reach over 200 countries with my next few specials.”

  • THE CIRCUIT – MULTI GENRE COMEDY FESTIVAL PROMISES A LAUGHTER PACKED WEEKEND

    THE CIRCUIT – MULTI GENRE COMEDY FESTIVAL PROMISES A LAUGHTER PACKED WEEKEND

    The first digital edition of OML’s multi genre comedy festival The Circuit’s #SitDownComedy continues to entertain everyone with 5 days of hilarious performances by India’s best comedians. Have a perfect weekend with ace comedians coming live on your screens with a fun mix of stand-up games, roasts, a storytelling show, Punjabi showcase and a lot more. This weekend, the festival will feature comedians like Tanmay Bhatt, Naveen Richard, Varun Thakur, Aadar Malik, Urooj Ashfaq, Abhish Mathew, streaming live from their homes in a variety of different show formats, to give audiences a variety of unique digital experiences.

    Each day, 3 shows go live, each with an interesting line-up and a fun mix of formats. Tickets for the shows can be booked on Insider.in, after which a link will be sent to ticket buyers, through which they can enjoy the show. The festival is designed to give an interesting experience to various kinds of audiences, adapted for at-home consumption to give viewers a unique experience by getting up, close and personal through virtual performances. As we fight against the current uncertainty around us, the comedy festival hopes to spread some happiness and provide entertainment while you are at home.

    The Circuit comedy festival continues the trend of spreading laughter through digital live shows every night until 26th (Sunday) April 2020. The festival is brought by OML Entertainment Pvt Ltd, the creators of India’s decade-old and much-loved Happiest Music Festival ‘Bacardi NH7 Weekender.’, and is empowered by Bumble India.

    Tickets are live on Insider at https://insider.in/the-circuit-comedy-festival-2020/article. After purchasing tickets, details about how to log in to attend the digital festival will be sent over.

    Follow The Circuit on social media for updates.

    https://www.instagram.com/thecircuitcomedyfestival/

    https://www.facebook.com/thecircuitcomedyfestival

    Tickets available at https://insider.in/the-circuit-comedy-festival-2020/article    

  • OML’s The Circuit #SitDown Comedy Festival goes digital with Paytm Insider

    OML’s The Circuit #SitDown Comedy Festival goes digital with Paytm Insider

    MUMBAI: Tickets to OML’s multi-genre comedy festival The Circuit #SitDown Comedy Festival went live with tickets on Paytm Insider yesterday. The festival due to begin in March was called off pre-emptively after the COVID-19 outbreak in India. The festival is now back on in its digital avatar with Paytm Insider powering a seamless experience for the organisers, artists and fans.

    Paytm Insider recently announced a roll-out of new features to enable organisers to publish tickets and manage their event online. The platform currently supports Zoom-based event publishing. Customers who purchase tickets get their event access details on the ticket and a reminder when the show is about to go live. This will be the first digital comedy festival of its kind using the platform’s capabilities.

    Simply having the ability to perform for a “live” audience changes the experience for the artist. Paytm Insider which ticketed over 6,000 comedy shows in 2019-20 understands and values this.

    Paytm Insider CEO Shreyas Srinivasan says: “We went back to the roots of what makes an event special – for an artist and for a fan. Paytm Insider is bridging the distance between the two when events are being run digitally. With our new event self-publishing features, we enable artists and organisers to once again count on ticketing revenue.”

    Starting this week, Paytm Insider will also run contests to provide erstwhile IRL “meet and greet” experiences for fans, this time over video. The Circuit Comedy Festival will be on from April 22 – 26, bringing some of the best and new comedy talent straight to your screens, in fresh interactive formats.

  • HAPPINESS COMES HOME THIS WEEKEND WITH BACARDI NH7 WEEKENDER

    HAPPINESS COMES HOME THIS WEEKEND WITH BACARDI NH7 WEEKENDER

    MMUMBAI: BACARDÍ NH7 Weekender and OML will be announcing a series of online music festivals that will bring together artists across genres to live stream performances every weekend starting Friday 27th March.

    Bacardi NH7 Weekender’s #HappyAtHome edition will bring together artists across genres to live stream performances every weekend (Friday to Sunday) from 6pm to 9 pm. For the pilot of this digital festival, fans can now tune in daily from Friday, March 27  to Sunday March 29 2020 from 6pm to 9pm on the Instagram page for the festival – instagram.com/nh7dotin,to see new artists live every day. The lineup for the 27th (Friday) includes artists like Marty Friedman, FKJ, Ritviz, Sickflip and Abish Mathew who will bring the festival experience to your home from their home  – a mix of genres of music and comedy, your old favourite artists and new ones you can discover. Fans are encouraged to stay home, stay healthy, and enjoy some unique performances by a stellar lineup of artists which will be announced week on week.

    For more detail on the artist line up log in at instagram.com/nh7dotin

    BACARDÍ NH7 Weekender, conceptualized by OML, celebrated its 10th year in December 2019, wrapping up one decade of bringing together top global and Indian musicians on one stage for a multi-genre, multi-city music festival.

  • OML launches a new talent management division to manage writers and directors – signs 6 new talents

    OML launches a new talent management division to manage writers and directors – signs 6 new talents

    MUMBAI: OML, the global artist first company, has defined a new entertainment culture in the country by launching and bringing to fore amazing new talent, be it in the content space, comedy, live entertainment, music or dance.  The company has now launched a new talent management division to manage Writers and Directors and has signed up 6 remarkable talents (Debbie Rao, Dibya Chatterjee, Sidin Vadukut, Shantanu Anam, Janice Sequeria,  Girish Narayandass ) as a part of this venture. OML will not only manage these talents but will also collaborate with them by continuing to successfully develop new series (scripted and unscripted).

    Dhruv Sheth, Managing Partner and Business Head, Content and Talent Management, OML, said “OML as a company has always nurtured and empowered talent. After creating over 200 hours of original content in the last 24 months with more than 50 creators, including some amazing writers and directors, the logical next step for us was to start managing the remarkable talent behind these shows. Today more than ever before, content is king and these amazing content creators are in great demand. With our talent management strengths built over the last 15 years, we will not only help them leverage this demand by providing high quality management services to them but also partner with them to create cutting edge content for consumers in India and across the globe.”

    The 6 new talents signed by OML are:

    Debbie Rao – Debbie Rao is a director based out of Mumbai with over 15 years of experience in the entertainment industry. She is the director of ‘Pushpavalli’ on Amazon Prime Video, a comedy drama and ‘Better life Foundation’, a workplace comedy show, on Hotstar. She previously has worked with MTV and Trouble Maker Studio under directors David Polycarp and Vasant Valsan. 

    Dibya Chatterjee- A writer and director, Dibya is a holistic film maker who has a penchant to tell stories that are slightly unusual in nature. Apart from directing several ad films, documentaries and digital films, Dibya also served as the Executive Producer for the Bengali Feature Film – ‘Aamar Aami’ (2014). He is the writer and co-creator of the Indian Dark comedy show ‘Afsos’ to be available soon on a streaming platform.

    Sidin Vadukut – Sidin Vadukut is a columnist, an author, a blogger and an academic.  He has an engineering degree from NIT Trichy and an MBA from IIM Ahmedabad and is currently pursuing a PhD in the discipline of History in London. In a career spanning over a decade he has made automotive parts, developed online trading platforms, been an editor with the business newspaper Mint and written a number of books – The Dork Trilogy, Sceptical Patriot and Bombay Fever.

    Shantanu Anam – Shantanu learnt fairly early on that it is imperative to hyphenate one’s career. Hence, he considers himself an actor-writer -director. Having worked as an actor-writer on stage in about 25 productions, it was a natural step to move towards another medium. Apart from acting in it, he also wrote on and associate-directed the web series ‘Baked’, that was one of the first web shows to go viral in India. Following that, he spent a year studying Method acting at Lee Strassberg in Los Angeles, followed by a two-year Masters in Screenwriting at Syracuse University. After moving back from the US, Shantanu is now the head writer on this year’s biggest Hotstar Special ' The Plot' that releases this October and also on another Arre Studio Show titled ' Chaos'. Shantanu also will direct the show Chaos. Apart from writing long format shows, he worked as a writer with All India Bakchod and has written & directed sketches for leading digital platforms like LBB and Arre. 

     Janice Sequeria – Janice Sequeira is a creator and host with 9 years of Broadcast Television experience and has been the country’s youngest Entertainment Editor at 26 (Times Now). She has been a part of multiple red carpets in the last decade such as Filmfare, IIFA, TOIFA, HT Style Awards to name a few. Her show Social Media Star with Janice celebrates 2 seasons of interviews with a sterling line-up of celebrities and social media personalities.

    Girish Narayandass – Girish Narayandas is a writer/director based out of Mumbai with over 10 years of experience. His last full-time role was that of 'Head Writer at AIB'. As a writer and director, he's been behind some of the most popular AIB videos like Honest Campus Placements, The Demonetisation Circus, Harassment Through the Ages and Creep Qawwali. Before joining AIB, he worked as a copywriter and Creative Director in leading ad agencies where he headed major ad campaigns for brands such as Godrej Cinthol, Parle Agro, MTS, Cafe Coffee Day and Filmfare Magazine. When he's not writing sketches and branded content, he loves avoiding emails and writing bios in third person.