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!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TV DREAMS @ 2015

·         Masters of Television business analyse the trends and predicts the future trends ,So it’s a thing being already taken care of.No need to guess or predict what might happen in Indian Television in 2015.

·         We would rather share our personal Wish List for 2015.Though It’s a personal wish list,It will pass through the professional dimentions of Television industry reflecting the needs and the desires!!!

·         Where to start!!!

·         From the point when it all began :

·         Hum Log –India’s first soap opera;

·         Lets remake that.

·         Allready,The age of Remaking has started in Television;

·         Pavitra Rishta , Sasural Genda Phool , Satrangi Sasural on Zee TV recently;

·         Why not the selected old classics from the Doordarshan era!!!

·         Buniyaad , Rajni , Malgudi Days , Ye Jo Hai Zindagi , Charitraheen , Chunouti , Neev ,  List is endless.

·         For this ,We need a business model;

·         There are so many to create a great business model for this.

 

·         What else!!!!

·         Lets try to innovate a new method of story telling and its execution;

·         Lets create a multi dimentional programming stream;

·         Lets attempt to create an eco system where on air experiments are possible;

·         Lets decide finally:What works in Television :Gut or Research!!!

·         Lets search for the tools  to create a less pressurized work atmosphere ,Pressures affects creative output;

·         Lets get better and open  communication between various stake holders;

·         Lets make things more transparent;

·         Lets not build only houses;Lets build companies; (We are impressed with the way Shashi Sumeet Productions is moving , They are building the company)

·         Lets bring BARC this year. (What do we do with TAM!!!)

·         Producers!!!! Lets talk more to each other;

·         Lets resolve the all Copyright issues at FWA and for producers;

·         Lets create institutions around Television business; (A direct request to you Mr Uday Shankar)

·         India hears to  Dr Subhash Chandra Show;

·         Lets hear from him on Television continuously,He could be the best teacher. (Please make a request to him on our behalf ,Mr Punit Goenka)

·         Where is Ronnie!!!

·         He Tweets on whole of India;

·         Lets get him back somehow in Indian Television also ;We need him;

·         Oh!!!! Off Course,We need Zarina also;

·         Lets respect and honour the efforts of a man –Mahesh Samat of Epic;

·         Lets create a new programming around sports. (Training Required!!!!)

·         Lets be aware of the new language –The language of the Digital Content :Just see that :Its fresh!!

·         Lets write on contemporary Television;

·         Lets express ourselves (Without fear of losing businesses);

·         Lets appreciate people like  Mr Anand Mahindra and  Mr Mukesh Ambani who have arrived to change our Eco Systems : Take Over of Network 18 and Viacom 18 : Launch of Epic!!!

·         Lets send flowers to NMA – As Mrs Nita Mukesh Ambani  is called within the RIL – For her great display of support to various Television ventures;

·         Lets send best wishes to Mr Amir Khan – For using his brand value to give us a usefull Television show;

·         Lets hear to Prime Minister Narendra Modi more on Television please,Our own version of MAN KI BAAT!!!

·         Lets make a Show for the needs of the nation – Not for the TRPs;

·         Lets ask  Rajat Sharma Sir –My Mentor – to give us a new channel;

·         Lets innovate Doordarshan. (Thank You Mr Arun Jaitley for meeting the producers.)

·         Oh!!!!Lets see Farmers Channel of the government. (My friend Junaid Memon has already launched a channel for farmers :GREEN TV : Congratulations!!!!)

·         Lets welcome Vinod Kapdi into the entertainment industry. (My old collegue and friend from News who has sold his directorial debut film to Star Plus,He proves that anyone can do anything :Best Luck for Miss Tanakpur Hazir Ho)

·         Lets encourage those TVwalaas who are independently creating entertainment content for Web :Creating Future today;

·         Lets see new anchors on News Television;

·         Lets create bridges between Regional and National Television;

·         Lets educate ourselves more on Technology;

·         Lets create some Hot Lines systems within Television Industry,Where voices could be heard;

·         Lets force  Anirudhdh Pathak to continue with his strong ventures like Mahadev and Mahakumbh;

·         Lets expect to see Anil Kapoor’s 24 this year. (Requesting Ms Manisha Sharma and Mr Raj Nayak very strongly)

·         Lets continue to see Mr Bachchan in KBC;

·         Lets support Siddharth Tewari ; He brought a new element in Television –An Elephant!! (WOW!!!)

·         Lets request Ekta to give us some nation shaking show;

·         Lets go to Uday Shankar,Lets hear him on various things of life,It all is usefull for people in Television;

·         Lets attempt a studio model in Television;

·         Lets continue to have high hopes from a leader who works silently :Mr Punit Goenka!!! (Like Father,Like Son!!!)

·         Lets continue to react on : The Nation Wants to Know!!!! ( His Energy is inspiring!!! Remember my words : He can be the next Uday Shankar in Entertainment world , If he decides to venture into.)

·         Lets have Musical Fictions on Television;

·         Lets have a great Trade Magazine of Indian Television; (Few exists but not so good)

·         Lets create the most hated Reviewers for Television too; (Requesting Khalid Mohammed to attempt here.)

·         Lets stretch our time bands please;

·         Lets get the morning and afternoon band back please. (Requesting Business Heads to give us a model)

·         Lets attempt Revenue Share model in Television;

·         Lets create Sports Entertainment Professional. (Only Mr Uday Shankar can do that)

·         Lets see more from Animation Experts!!! (Where are you Guys!!!! Please arrive!!! )

·         Lets have Apps for the industry;

·         Lets have Apples for our Kids who sometimes get ignored because of our work;

·         Lets sit and think –Where we all are heading to!!!

·         Lets give more time to our families;

·         Lets spend sometime in reading books;

·         Lets create  for our own.

·         Shashi and Sumeet Mittal – We heard your old poem..Write Again please , Saurabh Tewari,Please have a Baithak for Recitating Poems , Nirav Vaidya – Get your poems out in public,Sing them aloud please,You have got a beautifull voice,Let the world know…Samidha Khalid..Ourselves…Please Compose Music,Sing,Write Lyrics..Publish your Fiction Novels and Non Fiction Books now..Sudhir Sharma..We want to see your great photography..Kinnari Mehta..Please share your paintings with us..JD Majithia..Give us a new play please..Why have you stopped doing that..Shanti Bhushan..You taught Bhojpuri to Amir Khan for PK,You can give all of us a lot more.

·         The list will not end;

·         Lets rediscover our personal creativities;

·         Lets enjoy that too;

·         We all have been Creative People;

·         Lets live happily;

·         Lets live Creatively;

·         Lets live purposefully;

·         With our Industry;

·         With our Families;

·         With our Nation;

 

·         Lets enjoy the arrival of 2015 on the night of 31^st December;

·         And sleep;

·         To see;

·         TV DREAMS @ 2015 !!!!!!