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Tag: Simon Mirren

  • Content India summit sets stage for global romp

    Content India summit sets stage for global romp

    MUMBAI: India’s entertainment moguls have their sights set on world domination—and they’re not being coy about it. The inaugural Content India Summit 2025 wrapped up two days ago with grand ambitions and plenty of showbiz swagger, positioning itself as the launching pad for Indian content’s international conquest.

    The summit, a partnership between DTH platform Dish TV India and C21 Media, brought together industry heavyweights to tackle the thorny question of how to make Indian entertainment as globally irresistible as its cuisine. Conversations probed everything from audience consumption patterns (binge-watching included) to the commercial scalability of Bollywood’s finest exports.

    Dish TV’s chief executive Manoj Dobhal didn’t mince words about the company’s ambitions: ” Our vision with Content India is to build a dynamic content eco-system that connects each and every constituent of Content creation in India with global opportunities. The Content India Summit 2025 marks the beginning of a transformative journey—one that fosters long-term collaborations, drives industry innovation, and expands market potential. With Indian storytelling gaining global acclaim, this is the moment to amplify international partnerships and position India as a content powerhouse.”

    C21Media’s managing director David Jenkinson chimed in with his own dose of enthusiasm, trumpeting India’s “undeniable influence” on the global content market. Said he: “Content India Summit is a crucial step toward shaping the future of Indian entertainment in a globally connected landscape. This event has brought together the brightest minds in the industry to address key challenges and unlock new opportunities for collaboration. India’s influence on the global content market is undeniable, and this summit lays the foundation for meaningful partnerships that will drive the industry forward.As we look ahead to the full Content India conference in 2026, our mission remains clear—to create a platform where ideas, talent, and business come together to define the next chapter of entertainment. This is just the beginning of an exciting journey for India on the world stage.”

    The gathering wasn’t all champagne and canapés, though. Sessions delved into India’s creative advantages—its talent pool, technical prowess, and budget-friendly production costs—while also wrestling with the delicate balance of preserving cultural authenticity while making content palatable for international viewers.

    Simon Mirren of Case Closed offered perhaps the most sobering advice: “Understanding the local culture is key to success in the Indian market. Many creators try to make TV for the West, which is a mistake. The focus should be on telling great stories that resonate here.”

    For those eagerly awaiting the industry’s new playbook, a report titled The Future of the Indian Entertainment Business Debate is set to drop within four weeks, promising to reveal how Bollywood and beyond plan to seduce global audiences.

    With streaming platforms hungry for fresh content and international viewers increasingly open to subtitles, India’s entertainment industry appears ready for its close-up—and Content India seems determined to direct the scene.

  • Applause Entertainment teams up with Case Closed Entertainment & Locomotive Global for crime pro-serial drama

    Applause Entertainment teams up with Case Closed Entertainment & Locomotive Global for crime pro-serial drama

    Mumbai: In collaboration with Locomotive Global, Applause Entertainment has teamed up with international content maverick Simon Mirren and his partner Benjamin Anderson to develop a crime pro-serial drama.

    The term “pro-serial” describes a procedural drama series with some serialised elements in the plots.

    Applause Entertainment CEO Sameer Nair said, “Stories are universal, and yet must have intense and local authenticity. Telling international stories in an Indian context has always been an integral part of us at Applause, and now, taking it a notch higher, we are bringing international creators to work with us.”

    He further added, “Simon and Ben are veterans in the field of crime dramas, and we believe having them on board will help us develop a local ‘international’ series with a fresh pair of eyes applying international best practises in narrative storytelling. These two mavericks, along with Sunder Aaron and the creative team at Applause, have set out to create an original multi-season crime drama series.”

    Mirren was the driving force behind popular programmes like Waking The Dead, Spooks, Without A Trace, Versailles, and the iconic 15-year-long running series Criminal Mind, bringing the global phenomenon to India.

    A pro-serial precinct project will be developed by Case Closed, the company owned by Simon and his partner Ben.

    Locomotive Global co-founder Sunder Aaron said, “Our vision at Locomotive Global is to create global quality content with rooted Indian stories. It’s a pleasure to work with Sameer Nair and the Applause team, who share the same vision and ambition for storytelling. Simon and Benjamin bring with them heaps of experience and global best practices for the creation and execution of high-quality iconic content. I really look forward to working with the duo and Applause to create a potent partnership and an unprecedented writing team in India to create a never-seen-before crime drama.”

    Simon, who is credited with developing, writing, and directing authentic crime procedurals, will establish a creative eco-system using his years of experience to enable regional writers to manage the program. He and Ben will then continue to collaborate to fully develop and produce the series.

    Simon said, “As a storyteller, I really like to go out into the world and find new stories, meet real people. There is nothing more impactful than tapping into local storytellers, and we aim to bring forth the talent’s authentic voices into our show. Applause Entertainment is the hub of some gripping crime dramas, and it is truly a pleasure and a whole new experience to work on an Indian crime drama, collaborating with the best of entertainers—Applause and Locomotive.”

    Benjamin added, “With the growth of Indian OTT, there is a wide canvas of scope and creative potential in storytelling. It is the start of an interesting journey ahead to work with a force of creative minds at Applause to create an Indian story for a global audience.”

    The creative and production teams at both Locomotive and Applause will support this new approach at all stages of the creative process.

    It all begins with a select and talented pool of committed writers who will collaborate closely with the team and have the opportunity to explore the creative, visual, technical language, and other best practises used in international procedural dramas.

    Simon and Ben are currently engaging in an experiential process to bring the storylines for the first series to life by meeting with the judiciary, police experts, crime reporters in India, and production facilities.