WE-THE TELEVISION PRODUCTION HOUSES!!!!

 

A Garment making unit is called – A factory;

A TV Serial making unit is called – A Production House;

The name “Production House”  takes us away from the spectrum of organised businesses;

Thousands of investers are ready to invest in Websites,Online Portals,Mobile Application companies,Logistics Units,Ground Services,Equiptment Businesses,Broadcast Businesses or even Online Content Businesses;

But not many are there for TV Production Houses;

Why!!!

Because we  do not offer stable,organised,structured and scalable business models;

Why don’t we offer so!!!

Because we don’t  focus on that;

I have been interacting with Production Houses as Head of Companies,Creative Director,Writer or Consultant – And now when I myself run my own Production House – I develop a bigger insight into the operations of the Production Houses;

No doubt,To create the entity of Production House itself is great task;

Congratulations to all those friends of mine who made it;Specially my Creative Friends;

But

Its high time to analyse this entity of ours-The Production House!!!

The entity of Production House gives all of us names on Screen,Good Finances,Cars,Houses,Hollidays,Imported Specs,Colourfull Clothes,Offices,Staff,Good PR,Localised Fame;

 Giving above mentioned things;

But not giving us a real corporate existance;

A big company making dozens of serials can easily die down  in few months;

And a new company having no track record can be created in few months;

That’s the excitement of Production Houses;

That’s the fear of Production Houses;

We have seen big companies vanishing into thin air;

We have seen new companies emerging all of a sudden;

Oh,Sorry;

I should not say-a Company!!!

Because,Though we might be registered as a company,We  are not treated as companies by the corporate world;

We  are known by the names of the producers;

Sometimes people even don’t know the name of the company,People just know the person who is the producer;

Its not an ideal situation for the organised growth of this space of the Media & Entertainment Sector.

 Lets understand what the real situation is!!!

The Production Houses survive on the raw material of Concept and Ideas – There is no factory manufacturing these Concepts or Ideas,There is no organised form of the creation of ideas,Its badly cluttered,badly oriented;

So the back bone area itself is not specifically structured!!

There is no stable work systems,Work systems come and go with people in production houses – It creates lack of deliverance promises,You can trust someone today but you may go wrong with the same person tomorrow;

So the faith remains with people and faith in the entity of the business house  is not developed!!

There is no “Proof of the Concept” element here –A Production house may make a successful show but the next one might be a failure,

So there cant be any kind of minimum guarantee system!!!

There is no Tender system for getting work from broadcasters – Any business strategy is very difficult to be designed,Mostly the entire business runs on personal equations;

That’s why you will rarely find a CEO or COO in any production house!!!

What a Producer want from his or her show!!!

Does he or she want to create a company around the business of TV Serials!!

Or he or she wants to become rich and famous!!!

Mostly,The Second One!!!

Production Houses pay taxes,but not for becoming an entity to attract the investers;

We  do so,Only when It becomes a compultion;

Most of the money is diverted to personal purposes;

And why not!!!

We  know,  that In most of the cases,No invester is waiting to invest in their company,

And Its not a myth;

You just check it around;

How many investers have invested in TV Production Houses!!!

Negligible!!!!

A Production House producing a highly famous TV serial for more than 15 years is still a Partnership Firm!!!

Most of the Production Houses are partnership Firms;

Even if we are Limited Companies,We have very limited use of it;

There is no permanent employment within Production Houses;

There is no leave system,No HR policies or practices,No PF,No Insurance,No Appointment Letters,No Notice Period,No IPR Protection system,No Legal Contractual Systems....Nothing!!!!

You go on a shoot;

It does not look like an organised factory where serials are made;

It looks more like a Marriage Ceremony where so many people are managing things;

You don’t find a great library in most of the production houses;

In this scenerio;

How can we expect from the stalwarts of Media Businesses to look upon us with constructive vision!!!

They will not;

 Once I asked a  head of a TV Channel;

To enhance the business of Production Houses,You need to support the Eco System of them;

He asked me – What do they do to create a great infrastructure!!! A Great Company!!!

And I did not have answers;

He was rights;

As most of the Production Houses create offices just for the investment purposes;

We  do only the running things;

And untill those things are done;Stalwarts will not treat us like an important part of the industry.

 

Broadcasting is serious business;

Production Houses are the back bone of their businesses;

But even in broadcasting industry,

Production Houses are nothing but small entities run by colourfull people termed as Producers;

Creative or Non Creative people who can manage the Production Units;

But we don’t belong to FICCI,FICCI FRAMES,Stock Markets,Panel Discussions,Parliamentry Committee Discussions;

Production Houses are not even the part of TAM or BARC circuits;

We  are not invited for Marketting,Branding or Rating discussions;

We  are not linked to Advertising Associations for any purpose;

 

All these mentioned entities are run by management professionals;

They don’t find any connect with this fraternity;

 

Production Houses are Producers’ Dukaan,

And not a corporate entity;

This is the perception!!!

 Can we break the perception!!!!

Yes;

Few ones are trying to do that;

But for doing that;

We need to disconnect our individuality from the enity called Production House;

We need to pay taxes;

We need to invest in the company;

We need to create an HR,Legal,Finance and all other systems;

We need to move beyond Cars – Towards Company Secretaries;

We need to offer permanent employment;

We need to sustain the employees even in the absence of the TV serial;

We need to provide Insurance;

We need to systemise the output not depending upon the individuals;

We need to create various faces for the company;

We need to dismantle our individual brands for creating the brand of the Production House;

We need to become a Content Creation Entity,Not a Production House;

We need to become Content Aggregators;

We need to get into online plateforms;

We need to create a not so dependent on few clients kind of business models;

We need to be a part of all business organisations;

We need to read Economic Times,Instead of reading Trade Guides only;

 

Can we do that!!!

Yes;

Because this is the only future for production houses;

Else;

Today you are here;

Tomorrow you wont be here;

Production Houses are judged by the performances of their todays;

And that’s not wrong also;

We  get paid for that;

We  don’t have any stake in the larger business;

A day might come,When Production Houses might get into a profit and loss sharing business models with various plateforms owners;

And that might be the day of starting the real business;

A possible future;

Owning IPR of thousands of ideas;

Owning various Online Content Plateforms;

Aggrigating content for plateforms;

Making things in partnership with broadcasters;

Intigrating various verticals of the content business;

Making content beyond Audio-Video formats;

 

There can be thousands of ways of doing that;

But;

If it remains a matter of one concept only,There is no future for Production House Business;

If it becomes a matter of one person only,There is no future for Production House Business;

If it becomes a matter of expanding vision,There is great future for Production House Business;

 I am sure that we have visionaries;

I am sure, we have Production Houses that understands all this;

I am sure that Production Houses will come out of the circle of Helpless and Dependent Business;We will move into the circles of Systemised and Broadbased businesses;

Technology is ready to support the vision;

We must have a vision;

When we have a vision;

We should go to Channel Heads,Programming Heads,Their CEOs;

And should request them;

Help us grow;

Support Us;

We need your assistance;

Assist us please;

They will support once they are convinced with the vision;

I am sure about it;

You too should be sure about it;

Hundred Percent!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE HUMAN , THE RAJAT SHARMA

Kuch hi dino key andar;

Rajat Sharma;

will become;

PADMA BHUSHAN Rajat Sharma;



He is the one who gave me a break into Television;

He is the one who took personalised efforts to send me to Mumbai;

He is the one who taught me the importance of clothes in the Screen Worlds;

He is the one who sent me on my first reporting assignment to Aligarh;

He is the one who told me about Mumbai;

He is the one who tried to transfer his old MTNL Mumbai phones to me;

He is the one who spoke to Subhash Ghai…For Me;

He is the one whom I always called first whenever I landed in Delhi;

He is the one who personally  showed  me his Amar Ujala Newspaper cuttings to encourage me on Hindi;

He is not only a National Personality;Owner of a News Organisation;

He is beyond that;

Remembering my journey with him;

I want to tell the world about the unknown Rajat Sharma;

The Real Rajat Sharma!!!!

 

Scene 1  &  The Rajat Effect

October ,1994;

During the early morning hours,Rajat Sharma at his house in Delhi receives a call on his Landline phone;

An unknown boy speaks to him in Hindi for Ten Minutes;

Explaining what he wants to do,clarifying his abilities and dreams;

Rajat Sharma was a celebrity even then;News and Current Affairs Director of Zee TV in Delhi;

He did not interrupt the boy,Just listened,Gave him his office number and asked him to call him after few days after he finishes the shoot; (He was shooting for Aap Ki Adalat during those days)

This boy had searched the Directory of Delhi MTNL and found 28 Rajat Sharma listed in it;

He tried to call all of them,and finally got the one whom he wanted to get on phone;

Rajat Sharma did not know about these efforts,about the boy

He just invested his 10 Minutes on phone for a stranger;

And a professional was born;

Myself!!

 

Rajat Effect of Scene 1

 

How many of us remain open or accessible to new talent!!!How many of us even take phone calls of not usable people!!! (Sad but the reality)

How many of us don’t even dump old relationships in the graveyards of our successes!!!

Rajat Sharma was and is an exception;

Remain Accessible to people;

Mostly Unpracticed Need of the Media and Entertainment industry;

Even Today;

He replies,He answers,He remains available!!!

He is much bigger than so many successful people around,

But;

He is also much bigger a person!!!!

 

Scene 2 & The Rajat Effect

 I was told to wait;

He was checking my Patience; (This I later realised)

After a long wait of 8 Hours at the reception of  Zee TV office at J 27,South Extention 1 in New Delhi;

Rajat Sharma appeared in a bright yellow shirt;

Haa Batao;

And I spoke at length;

Aap Ki Adalat is a great programme but I don’t like Helpline as It helps only a few people,It does not serve the larger purpose,But I want to work for Aap Ki Adalat;

Khalid;Would it not be better to work on that which you feel is not good enough,You can make it better.

I was neither sent to Aap ki Adalat not to Helpline;

He sent me to Umesh Upadhyay to work for his show “Insight”

 

Rajat Effect of Scene 2

 

He knew how to give a clean slate to a newcomer to perform without any bag and baggage;

He gave me a sentence also : I cant give you a job but an oppurtunity to proove yourself in 15 days!!

How many of us know the Science of igniting the hidden energies of newcomers!!!

Rajat Sharma allways knew it;

Later;

Most of the Biggest names of News Television today were appointed  as newcomers by Rajat Sharma in Zee TV;

Some people can forget,I can never forget;

Rajat Sharma has got an instinct to choose and appoint people;

He does not go by CV,He goes by his instinct.(He himself told me once)

How many of us can take chances with people like this!!!

Rajat Sharma takes chances with people;

And it gives us professionals!!!

Hundreds of people should be thankful to him.

 

Scene 3 & The Rajat Effect

 

I worked for him in Aap ki Adalat also; (He was noticing my notes made on Newspaper Cuttings)

Finally;

13^th March,1995 :Zee News was launched at 10 PM on Zee TV!!!

He will come at 10 AM for the Editorial meeting,He will come at 8.30 PM again for the Mastering of the News Bulletin.(Those were the different days for News)

Sometimes,He will visit the Newsroom during the daytime also;

One lazy afternoon;

The PTI Ticker gave us a news :Riots in Aligarh!!!

Aligarh me Danga ho gaya ji , Said Umesh Upadhyay.

Kisi ko bhej do,Kisko Bhejey,

He looked around,He looked at me,Isko bhej do

After sometime;

A News Researcher was travelling to Aligarh with an Ex Wedding Photographer-Cameraman to cover the Aligarh riots;

I became a News Reporter in few hours.My fellow Cameraman became a News Cameraman in few hours.

 

Rajat Effect of Scene 3

 

I have always realised that he walks slowly but he thinks very fast;

He notices minute things without letting others realise this;

He creates opinions after observations;

And he throws people in a situation;

Where they have to perform;

They have to become what they deserve to become;

How many of us learn this HR attitude of working in our daily practices!!!

Rajat Sharma does it;

He believes in First Time Efforts;

Because he himself made it that way;

Got into Television without any background in Television!!!

WOW!!!!

And the man has created a News Empire today!!!

 

Scene 4

He called me to his small room.

Have you got your salary? / Yes Sir / Go and buy new good clothes today. / He said;I also used to wear Khadi once upon a time but we need to change ourselves to suit our surroundings.

The Rajat Effect:Get involved with your people up to that extent where you advice them on their clothes.How many of us get so involved with the life of our Co Workers!!! Its not a Science,Its an art!!!

 

Scene 5

See these News Clipping. / I looked at a file full of old Newspaper cuttings in Hindi / These were Rajat Sharma’s writings for Amar Ujala in Hindi / I looked at him / He said;I too used to to write in Hindi but English is equally important / Learn Fast / And I learnt!!!!!

The Rajat Effect:Train your people with personalised efforts.How many of us have taught our people like this!!!!Rajat Sharma becomes a friend!!!He could be the best friend if we remain best to him!!

 

Scene 6

When the whole world did not know his plans beyond Zee TV;

One Fine Morning,In his small room;

I am leaving Zee TV very soon.You go to Mumbai before I leave as someone else might not transfer you to Mumbai once I leave!!

WHY!!!!

The Rajat Effect : Keep your Commitments.He had promised me to send to Mumbai which I always wanted and he wanted to fulfill his promise before he leaves.

How many of us remember our promises,And that too made to a young new employee!!!

Rajat Sharma was true to his words.Its a rare quality in him.

 

Scene 7

Rajat Sharma came to me in Newsroom and sat just behind me;

Almost Whispered in my ears;

Khalid Mohammad;I have spoken to Subhash Ghai,You go to Mumbai and work with him.

 Later He draws a map of Mumbai on paper,Explains about Mumbai;

He speaks to someone in Mumbai,If his old Landline numbers of Mumbai are still activated,They can be given to this young boy!!!

Rajat;Why don’t you send him to Nitin Keni,asked Ritu Dhawan!!!

And he did all that he could do;

 The Rajat Effect: Corporate life exists beyond Corporate responsibilities also.Help People and he always moved beyond the Corporate dimentions to help new people.

 

I came to Mumbai.

Later I resigned to join Rajat Sharma’s IMPL.

I shared the Defence Colony days of him when there was no India TV;

And he got busy in creating his News Empire;

I got busy in creating my life in Mumbai;

Zee TV,IMPL,Hinduja Group,Journalism,Corporate,Daily Soaps,Scriptwriting,Ekta Kapoors and RonnieScrewwalas,GEC,HeadingCompanies,Indonasia,Dubai,Pakistan,Consultant,Digital,Producership,Enterpreneurship

This all belongs to that phone call that I made to Rajat Sharma in October 1994;

Choosing those 28 names and calling all of them;

In search of Real Rajat Sharma of News;

I found out the real one;

But many people still have not found out the real one;

They talk about Rajat Sharma-the Newsmaker of India,They talk about India TV,They write good or bad things about him on Facebook and Twitter,They follow or Unfollow him;

But there is allways something which not many know;

We need to travel with the person on a journey ;

I was fortunate enough that I travelled with him for sometime;

I could understand him through my understanding of him;

 

I shall post this piece online;

I am surely going to tell him about this post;

Sharing with  him;

That I wrote not on the Chairman of India TV;

I wrote on “him”

I know,Sometimes It will be difficult for him to keep alive this “him” in the political atmosphere of Delhi;

But;

Please keep this alive;

 

This "him" is more important;

 

This "him" in you inspires a Khalid to remember every thing of you even after 20 long years;

 

I am sure,This "him" of him will stay alive for years to come;

And;

There will be so many Khalids  in coming years to write on;

THE HUMAN,THE RAJAT SHARMA!!!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NEWS IS NOT NEWS UNTIL!!!!! (CONCLUDING PART 2)

 

Year 1996,New Delhi

 At J 27,South Extension Office of “To Be Launched Zee News”

 My teacher in Television News started telling me things.(He was in those few in the country at that time who knew about Television News as he had worked with the only News Provider of that age:Doordarshan News)

He said, “In Television News,Visuals are more important than the Audio.We are in the business of images.Keep this in mind.”

Oh My God!!!!

He knew the biggest secret at the time of the Big Bang of Television News in this country,

He moved on to other sectors;

And  his precious saying was forgotten by the coming generation of Television News fraternity.

Yes;

The Images!!! Not the Audio!!!

We are not discussing  a Silent News Bulletin on a News Channel;

But his saying tells us about the power of visuals in Television News,It does not need the support of shouting anchors or overdoing reporters from the spots,All It needs is the understanding how the viewer will understand it!!!

This was directly related with the form of the Narrative.

Now the teacher is back in a bigger role as the head of a News Network,I hope that his forgotten saying will be brought back to create a connect of usefulness  between the Television News  and the viewers.

So

POINT NUMBER 3 : The connect of usefulness  has to be created. (This connect of usefulness can be found and studied in the advertising industry driven initiatives and products.Entertainment Television is a connect of Engagement.)

OK

Now What!!!

Nothing;

We just need to watch Entertainment Channels for few days.We can find many weekend shows and programmes on these channels , in disguise of an entertainment programme , But they actually are News programmes.

Television News did not innovate  its programming and much of its possible programming was hijacked by the entertainment channels..And there,It delivers good ratings…Crime Based Shows,Issue based Shows,Truth Exposing Reality Shows,Humanatarian Programmes..All- that could have been giving ratings to News are today on Entertainment channels.

Television News should get it back with more innovation on it.

Any format,Any Form can be changed anytime.It should just experience good.

Formats can be changed in seconds;

As I change  the format of this piece of writing NOW!!!

 My dear Television News!!

You have an advantage!!!You go LIVE!!!They don’t.(Mostly),So the power of Live Realism with right kind of the connect of usefulness will any day bring your things back to you.

NOW

The issue of talent.

Dear Television News!!

You are mostly based in Delhi;

Do you know the fact that thousands of talented people working in Mumbai come from Delhi only.

Why don’t you hold them for News industry!!!They are there..But they might not be there in News channels..They are young  and bright boys and girls studying or planning their lives..Catch them..They will give you great output but they will remain with you.. only , If you create an exciting creative layout of News and its programming for their talent to get exposed.

I guess,you should also look at another interesting fact , My Dear Television News!

The biggest entertainment channel in India is being run by many News persons today.They are the ones who are handling and controlling the world of fictitious stories.They are doing it very successfully.

These News persons discuss Scripts,Clothings,Sets,Music,The Look and Feel..The Content Positioning,Its designing to touch the pulse of the consumers..Viewers

They do it all very successfully,This I can tell you with confidence,

How is it possible !!!

Because a News person always gets a 360 degree view of the surroundings and happenings;

A News person can fit into anything with right kind of attitude;

So the power lies within!!!It just needs to be understood!!It just needs to break the barriers of restricted thinking!!It just requires courage!!

I feel that AAP KI ADALAT  on India TV is the biggest example of courage shown in last Eighteen  years of private news bulletins  in India.

The presenter of the show,The owner of the channel,is a landmark personality;

He is my mentor,He gave me a professional life to start with,I can be biased towards him,But I am not;

This is a fact that;

He created the format of the Adalat in Television News twenty  years ago taking the risk of being laughed at,Taking the risk of being rejected by the viewers..He took the risk and  did it..and Yes ,There was a visionary business  man at Zee TV  standing to support him.

Why did he support him;

He supported because he was a businessman,He focussed on the pulse of the people rather talking about the academic  seriousness of the News business

So I can say again;The bigger roles of Corporate groups in Television News may enhance its output.

I am very hopeful for the Television News industry;

I may be right on few things,I may be wrong on few things;

But my perspective will remain a third angle perspective as I write it from a point  where I am neither inside the Television News nor completely out of it.

Oh yeah;
How can I forget it!!!!

One of my friends , The powerful head of a News Channel,has just completed his first Hindi feature film as a Director..Should I tell you the name..I am sure you know him.

See,He has narrated News Stories all his life;

He is easily narrating a fictitious story now!!!

Question:What does it mean?

Answer:It means that anything is possible.News people can do anything.For doing things outside News,For doing things inside News..So you do you job..I do my job..Before that,Let me congratulate him.
Congratulations My Dear Friend,You could be the latest inspiration for the entire Television News world.

J