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!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A NEW EPIC!!!!

 

Afsos!!!Its not a Promotional Write Up on the eve of the launch of EPIC!!! We realise that it may be misunderstood as a promotional material , But we decided to write it,As we feel for  it.

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION!!!!!

So Here we write!!!

 

The last post on Uday Shankar became the most read post of our Blog – In Thousands!!!

People do want to read about those who bring change;

Who carries their own stamp,Who creates an impact;

And this is why;We have always loved the stories coming from our grand past;

The History!!!The Mythology!!!

So,

It’s not a surprise;

 That, A new Television channel is being launched;

EPIC!!!

Watching the Promos of Epic;

We salute the vision of Epic;

Someone sitting over there has captured the magic of History  in its true sense;

History is not all about wars and dates;

History is all about people and their interactions;

All Genres of Fiction Television are hidden in our History;

Someone understood it and decided to decode it;

If our reading goes correct;

It’s going to be Clutter Breaking Channel!!!!

 

 

I have spent my entire life reading and studying History and Beyond History;

All cannot be squeezed into the stories of Laxmibai,Akbar,Maharana Pratap,Chandragupta,Ashok or Raziya only;

It was;

And It is;

Much beyond the scope of personality driven Television shows;

Unfortunately,Indian Television remained focused on personality driven Historicals mainly,

We forgot;

That;

When we read the Daily Schedules of Moghul Emperors,We find that It’s a Drama;

When we read the lost years of Jesus in India,It’s a Suspense thriller;

When we read how administrative divisions took place during partition,We may find it a Comedy;

Have a look at Autobiography of a Yogi,It’s a Supernatural Thriller;

Story of the Vishkanyas of the Mouryaas – A  Spy Thriller;

The story of the TajMahal-The grandest love story;

The forgotten Sarswati River –Potential of a Reality Show;

The Mahabharat – A Game Show?

The Alien theories and our temples – A Space Drama?

A boy looking at the Freedom Movement with his small eyes –A Children’s Show!!!

 

This list will never end;

Because;

If we know the art and craft of innovating fiction with the mix match of History and Mythology;

We shall be getting a new kind of Fiction Programming;

And I guess, That’s the idea of Epic!!!

SIMPLY GREAT!!!

 

We believe that the new channel has mostly stayed away from traditional GEC producers and creative professionals!!!

We agree with this approach;

Most of us have been trained to think in a specific manner;

Most of us have been trained to think History or Mythology the GEC way;

And this thinking will not be able to break the Clutter!!

So they are right!!!

But;

As we move on,We have to create a new generation of Creative Professionals who will understand and accept the Innovations required for such initiatives;

Yes;

Another problem;

We don’t read much,Specially the History and Mythology;

Until we read much,We shall be dependent on Researchers;

As we move on,We have to read more as this kind of Innovative Creation will deliver greater outputs if its studied by the creator himself;

The arrival of EPIC will open all these opportunities for the Television industry.

 

Oh Ya!!

What about the responsibility factor!!!!

How real they will be!!!

We simply don’t know!!!!

Yes,Everything real may be very boring;

But while fictionalising the historical facts,How far can we go!!!

Chandragupta will be seen by our Kids at home..If a Love Affair is shown there just to have a love story..What shall we tell our kids when they ask..Did Chandragupta Mourya have a girl friend!!!

Fictionalised History also leaves a very strong impact;

It has to be presented with the Tag of HANDLE WITH CARE!!!

If its handled with care, It will not only entertain but also will bring a change in our careless attitude towards our grand past!!!

We are sure that all this must have been discussed in the board rooms of EPIC;

We are sure that this all must have been discussed by Mukesh Ambani and Anand Mahindra;

We are sure that this all and more must have been there in the mind of the man,Yes,The Man :MAHESH SAMAT!!!

The man who made it happen!!!

 

Mr Mahesh Samat;

Today,We know you  through one thing  only :EPIC!!!

The channel will be launched tomorrow;

But a Vision has been launched;

You must have worked on this vision for years;

It’s a great vision;

Carving out an Entire GEC from the world of History and Mythology!!

WOW!!!!

 

Congratulations Mr Ambani;

Congratulations Mr Mahindra;

Congratulations Mr Samat;

And Yes, Thank You Very Much;

For giving India;

That was required for a very very long time.

 

In the world of all GECs;

You all have written;

A NEW EPIC!!!!!!