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Tag: Optimystix

  • Optimystix appoints Rajesh Bahl as director and group CEO

    Optimystix appoints Rajesh Bahl as director and group CEO

    MUMBAI: Optimystix, the leading production house in both Fiction and Non-Fiction programming, appointed Rajesh Bahl as the Director and Group Chief Executive Officer.

    In his role as Director & Group CEO, Rajesh will not only be responsible for Optimystix’s growth strategy but will also help the company accelerate its next phase of growth and transformation from a bespoke TV production company to creating and producing digital content and venturing into feature film business.

    "Till date our focus as a company has been in growing our TV production business which has shown credible growth YOY and now to create  more significant value and harness the growth across 3 big content spaces i.e. TV, OTT & Feature Films we need someone to guide us strategically and be the torchbearer of our next round of growth. In order to reimagine and reinvent Optimystix I have invited Rajesh Bahl to lead this initiative for us," said Optimystix Entertainment chairman and managing director Vipul. D. Shah.

    Bahl is a senior M&E & Digital business leader with over 20 years of experience of being at the helm in globally acclaimed media companies, namely Times Group, Star TV, Eros International, Universal Music Group and Sony Music, and has been instrumental in establishing their digital & content businesses.

    “I am very excited to join hands with Optimystix at this time when the demand for premium content is on massive upsurge and is being consumed by various audience segment across screens, across platforms, across languages, across genres and across story-telling formats which in turn is fuelling demand from the TV broadcasters, OTT services, and feature film business alike. This presents a great opportunity for Optimystix to expand businesses furthermore”, said, Bahl.

    Before joining Optimystix Rajesh Bahl was the Founding CEO, of Times Studio, A Times of India Group (BCCL) entity where he played a pivotal role in setting up Times Studio business. Under his leadership Times Studio grew from 0-60+ member team, produced few marquee original shows for MX Player and have executed many digital video campaigns for multiple brands and advertisers.

    In his previous stint as the COO at Eros International, he overlooked the development and digitization plans of the digital arm of Eros International. He successfully built and launched www.erosnow.com, India’s first premium OTT service and was involved in driving the product, content & marketing strategy for the same apart from being responsible for feature film marketing. 

  • ‘Baalveer Returns’ to bridge quality gap between TV and OTT: Sony Sab’s Neeraj Vyas

    ‘Baalveer Returns’ to bridge quality gap between TV and OTT: Sony Sab’s Neeraj Vyas

    MUMBAI: Sony Sab is aiming to reduce the quality gap between channels and OTT platform with the launch of its new show Baalveer Returns. Baalveer Returns is the first show from Sony Pictures Network India which is digital-first. The show will be streamed on Sony LIV at 9 am for paid subscribers and it will be telecast on Sony Sab at 8 pm from 10 September.  

    Sony SAB, PAL and Sony MAX movie cluster business head Neeraj Vyas said, “Television today is competing with OTT which essentially is about binge-watch, less number of episodes and the quality that they deliver will also be a challenge for TV to match. But this one show will be bridging the quality gap. The show will go a long way in enhancing the perception of the channel and the brand even more than what it is.”

    For the past few weeks, Sony Sab has been consistently seen at number 2 or 3 in the top 10 Hindi GEC channels list of BARC India ratings. With the launch of the new show, the channel expects that its efforts and time taken in creating ‘Baalveer Returns’ gets transformed into ratings.

    However, Vyas is of the view that more than ratings, the attempt is to get people to take note of the quality.

    The channel is also elated that even in a post-NTO world, subscribers have decided to pay Rs 15 for Sony Sab. "Ratings is one reality but it is not the only reality which means we have to work on the quality of the product that we deliver day in and day out," he said.

    Giving more details into the show, Vyas said, “Baalveer is not just a show, it’s a legend! Years ago, when we showcased Baalveer on Sony SAB, it quickly gained a huge fan following. We are expecting this fan following to become bigger than ever with the launch of Baalveer Returns. This show is a true example of fantasy done right. With cutting edge VFX which will delight, stunt work that will boggle the mind and performances that will move, Baalveer Returns is going to be an epic adventure that audiences are sure to fall in love with. With a universal theme of Good vs. Evil, the show will appeal to everyone – young and old alike and is a true representation of the kind of content Sony SAB is appreciated for – values driven and with a heart. The show fits beautifully with our commitment to provide happiness and we believe it has got all the ingredients to become a massive hit.”

    Sony Pictures Networks CEO NP Singh said, “Sab is in its fifteenth year now. In April 2004 we re-launched SAB after the acquisition of the channel as Sony SAB. I am very proud and satisfied as it is one of the most stable channels in the genre. For the last couple of months, SAB has been in the top three channels.”

    He further said, “A new fresh energised SAB is something that we are showcasing now, from being a comedy channel it has now become a channel for family. After the NTO implementation SAB’s audiences have remained loyal to the channel and our subscriber numbers are also increasing month on month. With the launch of Baalveer Returns, it is expected to grow further. Time spent on the channel has grown dramatically. People not only subscribe to it but also watch it on a regular basis which is reflecting when the ratings come."

    SonyLIV Digital Business business Head Uday Sodhi commented, “We are excited to bring this iconic show to our digital viewers in India on our OTT platform. For the first time ever, Baalveer Returns will be available on SonyLIV a few hours prior to its televised broadcast to all premium subscribers. This is an innovation to get the mobile-first audience to watch the show and add to the excitement that the show offers. SonyLIV has always been a frontrunner in streaming relatable content to its viewers and this is our endeavour in that direction.”

    Optimystix Entertainment founding chairman & MD Vipul D Shah said, “Baalveer Returns has been produced such that it revolutionises the way people watch fantasy dramas on television. Besides the new cast, a lot of effort has gone into designing the costumes and the sets, so that we provide a thrilling, edge-of-the-seat, visual treat to the viewers. The fans are in for a real extravaganza! Besides the look and feel of the show, a lot of fine work has gone into the scripting which will get the fans hooked on to the show and we hope to receive the same love & approval they have shown before.”

  • Colors to strengthen weekend programming with ‘Comedy Nights Bachao’

    Colors to strengthen weekend programming with ‘Comedy Nights Bachao’

    MUMBAI: All India Bakchod’s (AIB) roasting session might have raised many controversies earlier this year, but it did introduce India to a new kind of comic genre – ‘insult comedy.’ And now popular Hindi GEC is ready to take up the challenge of bringing this genre to national television through a new show called Comedy Nights Bachao, which is an extension of the Comedy Nights franchise.

     

    Produced by Optimystix, the show will take jibes at famous and infamous celebrity guests at the hands of actor-comedian jodis through acid-tongued humour. The funny panel of comic assassins will descend on television screens from 5 September, every Saturday at 10 pm on Colors.

     

    Colors CEO Raj Nayak said, “They say comedy is a serious business and we have realised it is indeed a serious one. As a progressive channel we keep a tab on the evolving taste of our viewers and thus have identified the various elements of hilarity that makes them tick. Through Comedy Nights Bachao, we are foraying into a new genre of comedy, which is getting extremely popular. With this new brand of humor, we hope to redefine the comedy genre altogether.”

     

    Every week Comedy Nights Bachao will bring together celebrity guests whose feelings, personality traits will be ripped apart through tongue-in-cheek punch-lines, poking fun at their personal lives and public image. The roasting burns will be served by comic crusaders teamed together as five jodis – Krushna Abhishek, Sudesh Lahiri and Sara Khan; Bharti Singh, Karan Wahi and Pritam Singh; Anita Hassanandani and Mubeen; Shruti Seth and Shakeel Siddiqui; and Pooja Bose and Naseem Vicky.

     

    Elaborating on the show’s format, Colors programming head Manisha Sharma said, “There is a whole new rapidly-developing genre of insult comedy, which has been grabbing eyeballs lately. Through Comedy Nights Bachao, we are looking forward to curate a daring enterprise adding a new dimension of wit. We will be putting an eclectic mix of celebrity guests in the spotlight as actor-comedian jodis target them with carefully put together comic gags while raising the laughter quotient on a weekly basis.”

     

    Optimystix Entertainment India producer Vipul D Shah added, “Distinctive and sustained comedy is our strength at Optimystix. Comedy Nights Bachao is a unique show and will prove to be an extremely entertaining one.”

  • Life OK to take ‘Comedy Classes’

    Life OK to take ‘Comedy Classes’

    MUMBAI: With high ambitions and the passion to reach the top, Life OK EVP and general manager Ajit Thakur, plans to achieve it all sans the sure-to-succeed saas-bahu soaps. “Though Life OK is not the staple diet of viewers, but whenever they want something different, they are most welcome,” he says.

     

    After exploring crime, thriller, domestic violence through its shows, the channel is ready to tap the genre, which Thakur believes is not much explored in India – comedy. 

     

    Christened ‘Comedy Classes’, it promises to add a smile on the face of its viewers by taking them back to the classroom. Produced by Optimystix, the new show is a sitcom about an acting school called ‘Ache Din Institute’ with a crazy bunch of teachers and students.

     

    The class consists of mad teachers such as Krushna, the flamboyant, flirtatious and artful acting coach who is a struggling actor himself and does odd jobs for a living. Bharti plays the dance instructor, whose contemporaries include Saroj Khan and Farah Khan. She has invented her own moves and grooves like Bharti-Natyamand Gambra (a mix of garba and bhangra).

     

    The ‘Kanjus’ but romantic old music master Sudesh who never misses a chance to mix two songs to create his ‘original’ compositions and the inimitable Urdu expert from Pakistan, Shakeel Siddiqui, who can speak no more than seven sentences in Urdu.

     

    “We thought we will not make a sitcom with the unknowns, so we have got on-board the four best stand-up comedians to create a big impact,” says Thakur on the star cast.

     

    Thakur informs that a recently-concluded survey conducted by the channel in Uttar Pradesh highlights that Indian men want more of comedy and crime. He believes that there is still so much one can do with the genre as today most channels only focus on either stand-up and drama comedy.

     

    “We wanted to get the genre on board and we got a lot of ideas as well. But since most of them revolved around stand-up, we said no. We finally cracked the code and settled for a sitcom,” says Thakur while adding that 10 years ago sitcoms ruled the Indian television screens with shows like Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi (1984), Wagle Ki Duniya (1988) Zabaan Sambhalke (1993), Shrimaan Shrimati (1995), Office Office (2001) and many more.

     

    Optimystix producers Vipul D. Shah and Sanjiv Sharma are confident that with a strong creative idea and powerhouse of talent, audiences will love its new age classes. “Comedy Classes is a very entertaining concept of mad teachers and students who will bring the house down with laughter through their weird classroom sessions,” say the producers.

     

    It won’t be all laughing business, the channel has taken it seriously and at the end of each episode, there will be a small goodness message delivered to the viewers.

     

    The new series will air five days a week at 10 pm from 7 October. It will be facing tough competition with properties like Aur…Pyaar Ho Gaya (Zee TV), Pyar Ka Dard Hai Meetha Meetha Pyara Pyara (Star Plus), Meri Aashiqui Tum Se Hi (Colors), Maharana Pratap (Sony Entertainment Television) and Chandrakant Chiplunkar Seedi Bambawala (Sab).

  • Optimystix’s ‘Nirvana’ rated amongst top 5 Mipcom formats by ‘Broadcast Magazine’

    Optimystix’s ‘Nirvana’ rated amongst top 5 Mipcom formats by ‘Broadcast Magazine’

    MUMBAI: Optimystix Entertainment’s format ‘Nirvana’ has been picked by Broadcast Magazine as one of the top five formats of Mipcom 2006.

    Whereas India is now a big player in sourcing formats from the world market, this will be the first time an Indian content producer has created content for the world market, informs an official release.

    Executive chairman of Optimystix, Sanjiv Sharma said “This is a format what we pitched to our fellow members at the Sparks Network at MIP TV in April this year. Whereas the format was extremely well received, it really exciting to be picked as one of the top five formats of the world’s biggest content market. We have serious interest for Nirvana from Networks in the US, France, Finland, Belgium, Poland and Italy.”

    Nirvana is a format where seekers from a country will come to India to seek spiritual solutions that will help them cope with modern life, the release adds.

    Managing Director and Head of Creative Services at Optimystix, Vipul D Shah said “This is matter of pride for the entire country. Whereas India will continue to consume creative ideas from the world market, it is very important to create content which can be pitted against the best of the best in the global arena.”

    Chairman of the Sparks Network, Nicola Soderlund said “This is the first time an Indian Format has hit the international TV market and this proves that Optimystix can compete with global players. We are very proud that Sparks has played a part in this achievement and expect several more original and ground breaking ideas to come out from this talented team. This is just the beginning.”

  • Optimystix has format down pat; looks to widen view

    From being the first Indian production house to tie up with two international format owners to foraying into fiction, Optimystix has been experimental. The production house will be completing six years of their existence in October this year. And with a total of 11 non-fiction shows and one fiction show telecast on leading broadcasters like Star, Sony, Zee, Nick and Pogo, over six years of their existence, Optimystix this year, has its kitty full with a reality talent hunt show to be launched in October. The production house also plans to venture into film production and set up an advertising division by early next year.

    Sanjiv Sharma, cofounder of Optimystix

    On entering the Optimystix office, located at a suburb in Mumbai, the first thing that catches your eyes is the office décor, which highlights the colour used in the logo of the production house. Saffron, Blue, Green and Golden…

    Ask the “Optimistic duo” or the founders of the production house, ad film director Sanjiv Sharma and writer director Vipul Shah, about it and pat comes a reply, “It is a simple logo. Four bands of colours in the logo depict four earth colours. Saffron is the colour of India, Blue-the colour of water and sky, Golden depicts wheat and Green is nature. And as all these elements of nature don‘t meet, similarly the edges on the logo don‘t meet. It is symbolic to wide varieties of programmes that we have been making, which has no similarity with each other.”

    Sanjiv is quick to quote a line from Shakespeare, “Greatness is thrust upon you,” and this is what happened with Optimystix. While working on Khul ja sim sim in 2001, we got the understanding of the business. It wasn‘t the hottest formats like KBC. Yet it managed to capture the Indian audience. So the point is that it is not necessary that we get the most popular formats. It‘s about understanding the Indian mindset and getting the best format for adaptation.”

    Vipul adds, “Khul ja Sim Sim gave us the recognition as a production house in format business.”

    Optimystix tasted success with Indian Idol part one

    But it was Indion Idol part one in 2004 which reinforced their position in the market. At that time, Optimystix had a three-man leadership team that included Rajiv Vyas as well. Vyas joined Optimystix as its CEO in October 2003, soon after he quit cable MSO InCableNet where he was CEO. Vyas was with Optimystix till March 2006. It was during that period that the production house not only produced Indion Idol, but also struck a deal with two international format owners, Sparks Network and Zodiak International.

    Queried as to the reasons for Vyas‘ departure, Sanjiv says, “He got better opportunities and decided to move on.”

    While Indian Idol was a sort of watershed landmark in Optimystix‘s evolution, the production house could not be a part of the second series of Indian Idol. So the Vipul-Sanjiv duo continued their efforts to remain in the position of format owners.

    The Road To Victory:
    Founded by Sanjiv and Vipul in October 2000 with an aim of producing world class programming for Indian television, the production house has come a long way.

    Vipul started his career about a decade ago as writer with sitcom Dekh Bhai Dekh, after which he went to write popular shows like Philips Top Ten, Battle of Bollywood, Zee Horror Show, BSA Star ki Pasand and I Love You to name a few.

    It takes two to ‘tango‘, Sanjiv Sharma and Vipul Shah

    Sanjiv has had a successful stint as an ad filmmaker with nearly 1,000 ad campaigns to his credit. The talented twosome met during the making of BSA Star ki Pasand and since then there has been no looking back.

    Six years down the line, the production house has undoubtly managed to attain the objective of bringing quality entertainment into the television industry.

    And when asked, why a name likes Optimystix Sanjiv says, “Why not Optimystix?” Vipul then explains the meaning. He says, “Optimystix is a combination of two words. First is Optical, which deals with optics and the second are Mystix, which means mystery. Therefore, we relate story telling as being mystical.” The camaraderie between the two is such that that you are tempted to call it endearing.

    From format shows to reality shows… including fiction, the production house has done it all. A sneak peak into Optimystix through the eyes of its creators.

    Formats: Format shows are currently in vogue in the Indian television market, with every broadcaster having one or more reality format shows running. Optimystix has also managed to carve its own space by being the first production company in India to tie up with two international format owners to exclusively market their formats in India. Both tie-ups were announced at MIPCOM, Cannes October 2005.

    One is Zodiak Television, which is a leading international TV-format distributor based in Copenhagen, Denmark. Kam Ya Zyaada launched on Zee Television on 12 December 2005 was based on a format owned by Zodiak TV, and adapted for India by Optimystix. And the other is Sparks network. But as Sanjiv puts forward. “With Sparks‘s network, it was not a tie up. Rather it was getting on board with 12 independent producers from Europe and one from South America. Optimystix, being the only Asian company in its network.”

    ‘Khul ja Sim Sim‘ was the first format show from Optimystix

    Some of the formats adapted from Sparks were Khul Ja Sim Sim (Let‘s make a deal) on Star Plus, Kismey Kitnaa Hai Dam (Night fever) on Star Plus, Indian Idol (Pop Idol) on Sony, Dum Dum Dum on Nick and Bum Bum Bum Gir Pade Hum on Pogo.

    And this year at Cannes, they plan to go a step further by not only buying formats but selling its indigenously developed format to production houses in France and USA.

    With their shows, Kam ya Zyaada (Zee) and Jet set go (Star one) coming to an end, with a lukewarm response this year, there has been a decline in the programming hours of Optimystix.

    But in 2007, Optimystix will once again be adapting a “Zodiak Format” (Stars on the Stage), which will be launched on Star early next year, “In this show, a trained singer would train a celebrity. For instance, Sunidhi Chauhan will train Ronit Roy and both of them will perform together. They will be judged on the basis of their performance. Besides this particular format two other formats will be locked soon,” informs Sharma.

    Stills from ‘Yeh Meri Life Hai‘, the first fiction show from Optimystix

    Fiction: The production house forayed into fiction with Yeh Meri Life Hai in 2004. The serial had a run of 323 episodes from May 2004 to November 2005. “It ran parallel to Jassi Jaisi koi Nahi, which was considered to be the most successful property on Sony,” says Sharma.

    Future plans on fiction: Plans are afoot to launch two fiction shows by March 2007. And each show will be targeted to a 600 episode running. As put across by Sanjiv, “Our team is already in place. Vipul, being a writer is working on the shows.”

    Film Production: In all these years, Optimystix have established themselves as major players in format shows on Indian television. With a script writer and director at home, Optimystix plans to get into film production next year. “Our objective is to be in every genre of entertainment,” asserts Sharma.

    Without revealing much, Vipul says, “There are two subjects that we have worked on. One would be a crossover film and the other film would depict a journey of a middle class girl.” But if given a chance Vipul says that, as a team they would like to make a comedy film. “A comedy film with a message-to be more precise… Something like Lage Raho Munnabhai.”

    Take on the Optimystix team:

    The optimistic team of ‘Optimystix‘

    We are a team of around 40 people. “We believe in having the best people with us… not necessarily experienced, but definitely bright people. The stress is on the creative mind,” says Vipul. Sanjiv adds quickly, “As a result of which we are proud to have a fantastic team of creative people as well as a management team. And as far as the production team is concerned, since most of them are with me since my advertising days, they have an eye for detail. And all of them have a hunger to prove a point.”

    Motto: To be the best… “We work as a football team and not a cricket team. As in a football team when you know that you pass the ball down to someone… the person will try to the best of his capabilities to take it to the net. Its teamwork and trust put together. “

     

    Future plans: There are three major divisions of Optimystix right now. One is the TV (India), the other is Focus (which deals with International projects and development work) and the third is the Emerging media division. Sanjiv elaborates, “Our plan is to set up an advertising division by January next year. In the next few months, say six months from now, we will tie up with Dentsu on a few productions. We will also be getting into a partnership with an Australian company Ambience Entertainment. It doesn‘t stop here. It‘s like an organic process. More people, more creative minds and better output at the end of it.”

    There are six ideas on which the creative team of Optimystix is working and by March end next year, Optimystix plans to have eight international properties in its kitty.

    On Cine star ki khoj 2: Zee has awarded the production duties of Cinestar Ki Khoj 2 to Optimystix. The shooting schedule has started and the show will be launched in October. We are involved largely in two key areas, “Production support and format. The set this time will be different from the one in first series. We have worked with Umang on the sets,” informs Sanjiv.

    Five years from now: Next to Walt Disney and Pixar. Sanjiv says, “Creative leadership propels the company, not the desire to amass wealth and going by our approach and vision will lead us to that position. After five years we see ourselves as an entertainment company working in association with a creative team which becomes the cynosure of media at that point of time.”

    Vipul Shah, cofounder of Optimystix in conversation

    Finally Sanjiv on Vipul:
    We are totally different but our goals and objectives are the same. When two people stand and look at a horizon and dream of reaching it one day following two different paths, the result will be unexpected. He is the man who understands the need of television as a medium better than anybody else. My advertising background gives him technical support.

    Vipul on Sanjay: It‘s about aesthetics. Latitude between two people. When two sets of values cojoin to the same people… the success rate is higher.

  • Optimystix to outsource formats at Mipcom this year

    Optimystix to outsource formats at Mipcom this year

    MUMBAI: Format specialist Optimystix plans to go a step further this year by selling its indigenously developed format to production houses in France and US.

    The production boutique hopes the deal will be finalised at Mipcom this year.

    Format shows are currently in vogue in the Indian television market, with every broadcaster having one or more reality format shows running.

    Optimystix co-founder Sanjiv Sharma says, “We were the first production house in India to buy international formats and market them to Indian broadcasters. But this year at Mipcom, we will not only buy formats but also outsource indigenously developed formats to production houses in France and USA.”

    “There are six ideas that our creative team is working on and by March end next year, we will have eight international properties in our kitty,” adds Sharma.
    Optimystix was the first production company in India to tie up with two international format owners to exclusively market their formats in India. Both tie-ups were announced at Mipcom in October 2005.

    One was Zodiak Television, which is a leading international TV-format distributor based in Copenhagen, Denmark.

    Kam Ya Zyaada, which launched on Zee Television on 12 December 2005, was based on a format owned by Zodiak TV, and adapted for India by Optimystix.

    Optimystix will once again be adapting a “Zodiak Format” (Stars on the Stage), which will be launched on Star early next year. “In this show, a trained singer would train a celebrity. For instance, Sunidhi Chauhan will train Ronit Roy and both of them will perform together. The pair will be judged according to its format. Besides this particular format, two other formats will be locked quickly,” informs Sharma.

    The other format owner was Sparks network. But as Sanjiv puts forward. “With Sparks’s network, it was not a tie-up. Rather it was getting on board with 12 independent producers from Europe and one from South America. Optimystix, was the only Asian company in its network.”

    Some of the formats Optimystix has adapted for the Indian market include Khul Ja Sim Sim (Let’s make a deal) on Star Plus, Kismey Kitnaa Hai Dam (Night fever) on Star Plus, Indian Idol (Pop Idol) on Sony, Dum Dum Dum on Nick and Bum Bum Bum Gir Pade Hum on Pogo.