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Tag: Rajiv Lakshman

  • Roadies co-creator Rajiv Lakshman takes charge at Infinitum as IP chief

    Roadies co-creator Rajiv Lakshman takes charge at Infinitum as IP chief

    MUMBAI: Rajiv Lakshman, one of the masterminds behind iconic reality TV juggernauts MTV Roadies and Splitsvilla, has joined Infinitum Network as group head of intellectual properties, bringing his 25-year creative arsenal to the rapidly expanding multi-channel network.

    “I’m thrilled to share that I’ve joined Infinitum Networks,” announced Lakshman on his social media. The content veteran, who has spent over two decades crafting genre-defining shows across adventure, romance, culinary and startup territories, is set to inject his creative firepower into one of India’s fastest-growing digital content stables.

    Already a heavyweight in the digital arena, Infinitum boasts a staggering global footprint that would make even tech giants blush:

    •    200+ influencers with a combined following of 24 million+

    •    400+ shows across 10+ platforms

    •    Content in 100+ languages reaching 160+ countries

    •    A whopping 4 billion+ followers across platforms

    •    60 million+ subscribers across 400+ YouTube channels

    The MCN has made content for platforms such as aha, Star, Disney Hotstar (JioHotstar), Zee5, Asian Cinemas, Moj, Geetha Arts, facebook, ShareChat and YouTube.

    The network’s talent pool reads like a who’s who of digital fame, featuring influencer powerhouses such as Srishti Shukla (6 million followers), Deepthi Sunaina (4.2 million), and Shanmukh Jaswanth (2.7 million). Its YouTube portfolio includes NBK Originals with a jaw-dropping 10 million subscribers.

    Looking beyond traditional MCN boundaries, Lakshman’s vision for Infinitum includes creating cross-platform franchises that can travel globally while nurturing emerging talent from tier two and tier 3 cities.

    “What excites me most about Infinitum is their hybrid approach,” Lakshman explained, highlighting the network’s impressive track record of producing 275+ web series and educational content across multiple languages.

    His bullish strategy aims to establish Infinitum as the launchpad for creators transitioning from social to mainstream media while developing sustainable economic models that fairly reward talent – a refreshing approach in an industry often criticised for exploiting creative minds.

    As traditional media continues its digital metamorphosis, Lakshman’s move signals a seismic shift in how content powerhouses are positioning themselves in the creator economy’s gold rush.

  • Flipkart’s latest campaign delivers a healthy dose of nostalgia

    Flipkart’s latest campaign delivers a healthy dose of nostalgia

    Mumbai: Flipkart, India’s homegrown e-commerce marketplace, has launched a star-studded campaign that will have you grinning from ear to ear. A series of four films brings Flipkart’s most valued traits to life, with a hilarious trip down memory lane featuring a few of India’s most beloved entertainment icons. The campaign reminds us why Flipkart is the chosen shopping destination for millions of Indians through a delivery of great dialogues by characters that most of us will remember.

    Bringing the campaign to life:

    1   The audience is reminded of Flipkart’s commitment to value and trendy selections from great brands by Shehnaaz Gill, as she  expressed her love for Flipkart with the iconic dialogue “Twada style style, Saada style Flipkart!”

    2  The promise of same-day delivery is reinforced by Boman Irani, reprising his iconic ‘Virus’ character, reassuring customers that “All is well” with Flipkart

    3  Unbeatable deals and quick delivery are humorously showcased by value conscious Rupali Ganguly and Ratna Pathak Shah as ‘Monisha and Maya’ in a laughter-filled Flipkart Grocery shopping spree

    4  Customer centricity remains a #1 priority for Flipkart, as demonstrated by Raghu and Rajiv representing ‘Customer is God’ officers, ensuring every customer’s needs are met without compromise

    Speaking about the new campaign, Flipkart senior director – marketing and media Pratik Shetty said, “Our latest campaign reaffirms Flipkart’s commitment to customer delight by offering great value on original brands, exceptional savings on monthly grocery, same-day delivery through our ‘Dawn to Dusk store’ and our promise of being the single point of contact for a speedy resolution for all consumer concerns. This promise is reinforced with beloved characters like Virus, Maya, and Monisha, alongside celebrities such as Shehnaaz Gill, Raghu, and Rajiv, who join us as Flipkart officers for each of these promises.”

    Leo Burnett India CCO Sachin Kamble said, “We thoroughly enjoyed bringing together some of the most iconic audience-favorite characters and the creative process of bringing their signature dialogues into play with real characters resulting in a series of humorous yet very reliable brand promises for Flipkart. We have woven a series of 4 films with quirky characters and each film reiterates an important attribute about Flipkart while keeping it fun and humorous.’’

  • Colosceum gets Siddharth Anand Kumar on board

    Colosceum gets Siddharth Anand Kumar on board

    MUMBAI: It was in July that Lalit Sharma, who was part of the founding team with Ajit Andhare and Rajiv Lakshman, took charge as the CEO of Colosceum.

     

    And since then he has been working hard to take the production house, which saw a few senior exits in the past couple of years, to greater heights because he believes it’s the work that matters as people come and go. In the last couple of months three new hires have been made to strengthen the production house’s top line management.

     

    “We have already introduced Hitesh Bhatia and Vikrant Bharadwaj in the non-scripted space, and now we have got on board Siddharth Anand Kumar as scripted creative head,” says Sharma while adding that the main aim is to strengthen the team.

     

    “People come and people go, but what really matters is the work. One should let the work talk,” adds Sharma.

     

    The deal was negotiated by content and talent management company, Tulsea Pictures, which represents both Kumar and Colosceum.

     

    Kumar studied filmmaking in Hampshire College in USA and has worked as a freelance cinematographer and editor for several film and TV projects. He has worked as an assistant to Mira Nair during the making of Kamasutra (1995), as DOP and editor for Bobby Bedi during the production of the TV series Rajdhani (2000), and as the executive producer for Shekhar Kapur’s company Digital Talkies during which he oversaw the production of two feature films and the country’s first International Digital Film Festival (2001).

     

    He has directed two films: Let’s Enjoy (2004), a film about a Delhi farmhouse party and Semshook (2010), a coming of age story set in the Tibetan exile community while his TV projects include Seven and Khotey Sikkey by Yash Raj Films on Sony and Mahabharat by Swastik Pictures on Star Plus.

     

    Kumar states, “With various popular shows as part of their existing show reel, Colosceum has already started to establish its superiority in the Hindi GEC space. I am confident that my partnership with Colosceum will result in some exceptional fiction television content for India to watch. I am enthusiastically looking forward to working with Colosceum and to take its fiction shows to the next-level as ‘must-watch’ Indian television.”

     

    Currently, producing Splitsvilla, the production house prouds itself of multi-seasonal properties for both youth channels and GECs. “With more and more GECs concentrating on younger audiences, the line separating the content between the two is thinning and GECs too want to attract younger eyeballs,” highlights Sharma. He credits his young-blooded team as well as experienced research team for grasping the new trends amongst youngsters and used those insights to create popular shows.

     

    On International production houses making a mark in the Indian television industry, Sharma feels that the competition is healthy. “It is important as through these companies we get an exposure of how they work.”

     

    The year (2013) Andhare left, the company did have to face a tough time, but things have improved now and business is only growing. The production house is already in talks with various broadcasters for new shows which will go air in the near future.

     

    Apart from that, it is also concentrating in building the film arm and the next six months could see some good news.

  • Raghu-Rajiv and Ravi Luthria team up for new venture ‘Monozygotic’

    Raghu-Rajiv and Ravi Luthria team up for new venture ‘Monozygotic’

    MUMBAI: Days after Rajiv Lakshman quit his as COO of Coloscem, he has announced a new venture with his twin brother Raghu Ram. The duo has come together with Ravi Luthra, a marketing veteran to start a new content and communications hub – Monozygotic. This new startup will mainly focus on content creation across various avenues of media from TV to digital to on-ground.

     

    Speaking about their new venture, Monozygotic co founder and managing zygote Rajiv said, “There has been a tectonic shift in the consumption of media in the past decade and it is critical for any brand manager to not only figure the right media mix but also the right communication for a specific media. This is where Monozygotic steps in with our cumulative experience in building enduring, genre defining brands like Roadies, Splitsvilla and Masterchef India”.

     

    “We have had the opportunity of multifunctional experience in content, both behind the scenes and facing the camera. The experience has helped us not only to understand the business of content but has also to develop a deep insight into audience psyche. I believe Monozygotic will be able to bridge the need gap, catering to audience and advertisers with equal ease. We have been contemplating this venture for a while now. I view Monozygotic as a natural progression in our respective careers”, added Monozygotic co founder and managing zygote Raghu.

     

    While majority of people know them as the face of the cult show Roadies, the dynamic duo Raghu Ram and Rajiv Lakshman, with experience of more than two decades have also been responsible for creating a number of other enduring, genre defining television shows such as Splitsvilla and instrumental in the launch and success of Masterchef India. They have also broken new ground in the digital content space with Roadies Battleground and Jack & Jones Hitched. Ravi Luthra, with 15 years experience, has also made a mark in the industry with companies like Marico Industries, Visa, Star TV, MTV and Sony Entertainment Television among others.

     

     “The twins are masters at content creation and community building. Monozygotic aims to create clutter-breaking content catering to a wide array of audiences and marketers. The duo has a keen understanding of the audience which we plan to leverage with a focus on new media, the future of content consumption.  Unfortunately, a huge gap exists in this space in the connect between brands and consumers. Herein lies a great opportunity to create innovative and customised market driven content that is both sharable and sustainable” said Monozygotic chief executive zygote Ravi Luthria.

     

    Monozygotic has already started working with some established brands on new, exciting projects.

  • Colosceum gets a new CEO in Lalit Sharma

    Colosceum gets a new CEO in Lalit Sharma

    MUMBAI: Colosceum, which has seen a few senior exits in the past couple of years, has reasons to cheer.

     

    Lalit Sharma, who was part of the founding team with Ajit Andhare and Rajiv Lakshman, has been promoted to CEO. He was earlier working at the capacity of COO with the company.

     

    “Yes, I have taken charge from today and already have had three meetings, so far. So it’s business as usual,” says Sharma who plans to finish the existing workload before he can look at other expansion plans.

     

    “We are working on a number of shows right now. And once that’s done we will be venturing into two more verticals,” elaborates Sharma without revealing much about the two verticals. “It will take a couple of years for things to take shape,” he adds.

     

    The production house has shows like Roadies and Master Chef India to its credit.

     

    Prior to Colosceum, Sharma has worked with Star India for a decade for its operations department.

  • Rajiv Lakshman quits Colosceum as CCO

    Rajiv Lakshman quits Colosceum as CCO

    MUMBAI: Colosceum’s chief creative officer Rajiv Lakshman has decided to quit. He is currently serving his notice period, with his last day in office being 31 July 2014. Lakshman has been one of the founding members and the creative core of the company. He is expected to announce his new venture soon.

     

    That apart, Hitesh Bhatia has joined Colosceum as VP – programming. Bhatia has been associated with Colosceum for more than four years and has been director of all seasons of MasterChef for Star Plus. Bhatia has over 14 years of rich experience working as both director and creative director. Further, Colosceum has also elevated Vikrant Bharadwaj as VP – programming.

     

    Speaking on the development Colosceum COO Lalit Sharma said, “Rajiv has been an invaluable asset to the company. He gave the team strong creative leadership with the freedom to experiment and he’ll be hard to replace. I wish him good luck with his future venture. I am sure soon we will be working together on our next big project. At the same time I repose full faith in Hitesh and Vikrant who have been associated with Colosceum for quite some time now. In fact we have worked with Hitesh on all our big ticket shows. The ability of both Hitesh and Vikrant to create and execute shows fits well with Colosceum’s goals.”

     

  • Nat Geo Covershot: Mission North East

    Nat Geo Covershot: Mission North East

    MUMBAI: This season, photography will take a competitive turn as India’s top 10 amateur photographers fight it out for one of the most coveted opportunities for a photographer – to be featured on the cover of National Geographic TravellerIndia magazine! Bringing back its successful mission series, National Geographic Channel is set to challenge young amateur photographers from across the country to embark on a journey of their lifetime on Nat GeoCovershot: Mission North East. Set in the serene North East, the show will bring out the competitive best of these young guns and make them do whatever it takes to click that perfect shot. Bringing together a compelling combination of breathtaking views, survival instincts, edgy photography along with a sharp strategy, the show premiers on April 26th and will air every Saturday at 10 pm on National Geographic Channel.

    Mentoring and judging the second season of Nat Geo Covershot will be two esteemed personalities – award winning photographer Lana Slezic and actor producer Rajiv Lakshman. With expertise in skill and psychology, the two judges will present a series of tasks for the contestants, urging them to bring out their best shot this season.  Hostess Shibani Dandekar will accompany these aspiring photographers in this life changing journey in the magnificent locales of North East India.

    Talking about Nat Geo Covershot: Mission North East, Debarpita Banerjee, Vice President, Marketing and Communication,NGC Networks and FOX International Channels, said, “Whoever thinks of photography as just a passive hobby is in for a great surprise this season. Nat Geo Covershot: Mission North East brings back the grandiose of Nat Geo photography and couples it with passion of these young photographers to create an edgy viewing experience. This season will bring out the competitive spirit that our youth embodyand our expert panel will help them channelize it with a compelling strategy to get that perfect shot.”

    Manas Mohan, Publishing Director, National Geographic magazines in India, shared, “Associating with National Geographic Channel for their Mission Covershot is an extension of our belief of encouraging young talent while capturing the best images highlighting the beauty of India. We are confident that the opportunity of featuring on the NGTI cover will motivate the participants to give their best shot!”

    On being part of the series, actor and producer Rajiv Lakshmansaid, “It’s immensely exciting to be part of the Nat Geo family that boasts of such an aspirational and respectable legacy. For a show like Nat Geo Covershot: Mission North East, which promises to bring the best of the amateur talent we have in photography, no other platform could have been better. My role in the show will beto nurture the creative disposition of the 10 photographers and bring out their competitive best besides adding more personality to their work. I am sure the viewers will have a great ride against the beautiful backdrop of North Eastern India.”

    Get click happy as Nat GeoCovershot: Mission North East premiers on April 26th, every Saturday at 10 pm on National Geographic Channel.