MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT INSIGHTS SPOTLIGHT ON INDIA APRIL 2009 BHAVESH DEEPTI RAMU PATEL DARYANANI YALAMANCHI ABHISHEK DAVID SUCHIR KAPOOR TENZER BATRA SUPERNA ASHOK RICHARD KALLE AMRITRAJ FOX ANDY RUJUTA BOBBY BIRD VAIDYA SHARMA NOEL DEBORAH SUNEEL DE SOUZA BOTHUN GUPTA RICHIE RUPAK DEBORAH MEHTA GINN TELLIS ROMA AMIT SYED KHANNA KHANNA AHMED ANIL DAVID NINA KAPOOR TAGHIOFF PALEY THE PEOPLE ISSUE 02 FROM THE EDITORS FROM LETTER 03 REENA SINGH NAZ HAIDER LETTER from Editor Editor THE editors Currently Reena Singh is Director of Naz Haider is an enthusiast of politics, When it comes to India and Hollywood, there is a lot to say. Just think about all the buzz when Anil Development for Disney Channel’s kid anthropology, pop-culture and of course, Ambani’s Reliance ADA Group invested $500 million dollars into the new DreamWorks. Of late, and family branded movies. While at Disney filmmaking. He grew-up watching old classic the talk of the town is Slumdog Millionaire, which turned the spotlight on stories from India. Word Channel, she has worked on the network’s Hindi movies in the family-owned theater in on the street is despite the current state of worldwide economics, Hollywood studios are more highest rated programs—High School Musical Calcutta, India. He even shot a few while in committed than ever when it comes to entering the Indian media marketplace in a significant way. 2, Jump In! and Camp Rock. She collaborates college and later, decided to be a part of the But here’s the thing about buzz and talk and words. That’s all it really boils down to—buzz, talk and with the online, marketing and consumer Entertainment & Media (E&M) industry as words—unless you have the right people with the right vision to execute the right strategy. So for the products on the brand’s most prominent a professional. His extensive international third edition of the Media & Entertainment Insights magazine, we decided to focus on the people franchises. Last year she travelled to India for management consulting career began with who are behind the Hollywood—Bollywood collaboration. the production of the Disney Channel Original Deloitte and Touche in their New Media People like Warner Bros.’ Richard Fox and Reliance ADA’s Amit Khanna. Both executives are Movie—Cheetah Girls One World—and is strategy group. He later joined Cambridge being honored this month with Indian Film Festival Los Angeles (IFFLA) Industry Leadership now developing movies with Disney Channel Management Consulting in the Silicon Valley Awards. In his own words, Raskin Peter Rubin & Simon’s David Tenzer who—along with help territories. She began her media career at with focus on entertainment and new media from Jessica Kantor—sums up what he calls the “Great Convergence” between the world’s Bon Appetit magazine—where, yes, she ate ventures; during the course he assisted firms, two entertainment powerhouses. We’ve also included Korn Ferry’s list of the Top 25 Most very well—and then attended the Annenberg such as Apple, PrimeCable, William Morris Influential South Asians in Media & Entertainment based in the U.S. School of Journalism’s Masters Program at and others. He also played a pivotal role in the University of Southern California. At ABC establishing Cambridge’s E&M practice in Throughout the process of putting this magazine together, we’ve had the opportunity to Network News, she produced day-of-air and Europe. Currently he is the Vice President of speak with dynamic people in the international entertainment arena. After all, the best way to long form documentary-like style pieces for Business Management for ABC Family, a top separate the buzz from the real business is to talk to the players. So we’ve included profiles of World News Tonight with Peter Jennings, Good 10 cable network owned by the Walt Disney leaders from all aspects of the industry. Their stories shape what is currently happening in the Morning America, Nightline and Primetime. Company. He is responsible for the financial blossoming relationship between the two film capitals. Stories such as Ashok Amritraj’s amazing After several years on the road covering U.S. management, business development, journey from tennis to tinsel town; Andy Bird’s insight on developing local content internationally; politics, natural disasters and international driving the long-term strategy, and growing the inspiring kahani (story) from Suneel Gupta; and PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Deborah Bothun’s events, she crossed over to the entertainment multi-platform business for cable contents, expert perspective. division as an ABC Entertainment Associate. including digital and new media. Of course, we couldn’t tell the whole story without the talent. Directors from the East and West, Abhishek Kapoor and Richie Mehta, share their visions as filmmakers for a new generation of multiplex goers. A brave actress—Deepti Daryanani—opens up about her journey to Los Her love for movies began at a young age Naz is a member of Academy of Television Angeles and a second generation Indian American—Rupak Ginn—is hopeful about breaking with the Bollywood films her mother took her Arts and Sciences, World Affairs Council, into mainstream Hollywood roles. There is iconic Bollywood actor Anil Kapoor’s thoughts on to see at a Boston-area university on Sunday and NAMIC (National Association for Multi- the international impact of Slumdog Millionaire. And there are so many more insightful and afternoons. Ethnicity In Communication). He is a board entertaining conversations in the pages that follow. member of Bioscopewalla and a recipient of 2009 Luminaries of the Cable Industry award As for the people on our team, we’d like to thank Arnold Peter of Raskin Peter Rubin & Simon by NAMIC. for extending to us the opportunity of working on this magazine. Additionally, we couldn’t have put this issue together without the support and encouragement of IFFLA Director Christina Marouda whose passion for Indian cinema is tireless. Much appreciation also to our designer Naz graduated magna cum laude with a Elena Kapintcheva who from miles away brought this magazine to life. Bachelor of Arts degree in Mathematics and Well, that’s probably enough talk from us. It’s now time to listen to the people who are leading Economics from Oberlin College and received the way. his Masters in Business Administration from Harvard Business School. He lives in Los Angeles, Enjoy the read. California with wife Zakia and son Aidan. Reena Singh Naz Haider Editor Editor table OF Contents 04 TABLE OF TABLE 05 C ONTENTS 03 LETTER FROM THE EDITORS PROFILES MEET THE PEOPLE WHO ARE SHAPING THE Hollywood—Bollywood Collaboration. 06 THE GREAT CONVERGENCE BY DAVID TENZER 20 STUDIO ANDY BIRD The time is still right for increased partnership between the world’s entertainment powerhouses. Raskin Peter Rubin & Simon’s David Tenzer shares what more Hollywood can do to enhance the creative and business collaboration with India. 22 PRODUCER ASHOK AMRITRAJ 08 BEHIND THE LIST Korn/Ferry’s Bill Simon tells us what it takes to make the U.S.-based top 25 South Asians in Media and PRODUCER Entertainment list. 26 SUNEEL GUPTA 25 MOST INFLUENTIAL SOUTH ASIAN EXECUTIVES 10 ACTOR IN THE MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY BASED IN THE U.S. 30 RUPAK GINN 34 ACTRESS IFFLA INDUSTRY LEADERSHIP AWARDS DEEPTI DARYANANI IN RECOGNITION OF THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF INDUSTRY EXECUTIVES WHO HAVE HAD AN IMPACT ON THE CREATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF INDIAN-THEMED CONTENT GLOBALLY AS WELL AS HAVE LED THE EXPANSION OF THE MEDIA AND ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY IN INDIA. 36 DIRECTOR RICHIE MEHTA 12 HONOREE DIRECTOR WARNER BROS. RICHARD FOX 40 ABHISHEK KAPOOR 16 HONOREE TELEVISION RELIANCE ENTERTAINMENT AMIT KHANNA 44 SUPERNA KALLE 46 CHOREOGRAPHER RUJUTA VAIDYA 50 STUDIO LIAISON NOEL DE SOUZA 54 THOUGHT LEADER DEBORAH BOTHUN 57 ANIMATOR NINA PALEY 59 MUSIC ASHA PUTHLI COVER Abhishek Kapoor photo by Abheet Gidwani Richie Mehta photo by Bob Gundu 62 AGENCY DAVID TAGHIOFF & SUCHIR BATRA A FINAL WORD WITH... 66 ANIL KAPOOR WHY INDIA? To start, executives in the U.S. should look closer at the rich Indian culture as a basis for big studio tent pole movies. For example, developers might turn to the ancient Sanskrit THE GREAT CONVERGENCE HERE ARE THE top SEVEN REASONS WHY INVESTMENT WORldwidE ECONOMIC CLIMatE BE daMNED. THE TEMPERatURE IS STILL RIGHT FOR IN THE INDIAN M&E INDUSTRY MAKES GOOD SENSE transcripts, which form the backbone of India’s cultural heritage. There is also development GRowth BETWEEN THE INDIAN AND U.S. MEDIA AND ENTERtainMENT INDUSTRIES. FOR WESTERN Companies. potential in the smaller films from India and the U.S. Such content is ripe for remakes in 06 By David Tenzer 1. India is the second largest country on the planet, with each other’s market when, of course, culturally appropriate. Who ever would have thought BY DAVID TENZER BY DAVID THE GREAT a population of 1.1 billion people, and it is also the that one of the greatest American gangster movies, The Departed, would be based on a Hong world’s largest democracy. Kong film titled Infernal Affairs (Mou gaan dou). The world will know that the Indian-American Nothing is easy in this economy. That’s especially true for the media business, both in the 07 2. Doing business in India is much easier for the Western cultural convergence is in full swing when Indian remakes of The Godfather and When Harry C ONVERGEN U.S. and around the world. But being asked in 2009 to write about the intersection of world because English is widely used. In fact—along Met Sally are playing at a local Mumbai cineplexes. Hollywood and Mumbai—well, let’s say that there are more difficult tasks.