CEO Insights Magazine

Many production companies struggle to reach, connect with, and retain their audience because they are slow to adapt to new trends and find it difficult to compete with a diverse range of media platforms. In a rapidly changing market, media companies must keep their loyal audience engaged while also keeping the larger audience in mind. Investing in how people consume content is no longer enough one must learn to adapt to the rapidly evolving audience as well. Making the audience stay with the shows for years is nothing short of a miracle, and Hemant Ruprell, the Co-Founder of Frames Production Company, has been able to achieve this feat for more than a decade now.
"What motivates me to keep going even in difficult times is a guiding principle that i sincerely believe in “never giving up"
With nearly 20 years of experience in the entertainment industry and after working with top media houses, Hemant Ruprell and Ranjeet Thakur established Frames Production Company in 2011. Frames Production Company has grown to become one of the most well-known television content production companies, specializing in entertainment and informative programming.

Below is an excerpt from Hemant’s interview with CEO Insights.

What inspired you to venture into the media & entertainment domain? What is it that drives you today?
I grew up in Mumbai and Media industry always captivated my interest. When I was 19, I joined an event company. I worked there for four years but then I quit. After that I joined a Broadcast Network as I wanted to move to the world of entertain ment. That, I would say, was the place where I learned the ins and outs of producing a show that promises entertainment, as well as how TV had the potential to improve people's lives and make commoners' dreams come true.

I saw how purely on the basis of talent, one could become a celebrity overnight. But I also realized that there were many obstacles when it came to tapping the genuine talent in such a big and diverse country.

After working there for years, my partner (Who I met at the network itself) and I decided to quit and do something independently. We wanted to create a place, which could become a safe haven for any aspiring talent in our country.

What were the major challenges you have encountered so far in your

journey? How did you overcome them to emerge as a successful entrepreneur?
We live in a country, which is brimming with 1.3 billion people so finding the apt talent for the right platform is always a challenge. Every year, we produce multiple talent shows, and ensuring that each show receives the best talent and that each talent is directed to the appropriate platform is both a task and a huge responsibility. We have an in house team that leaves no stones unturned in reaching the remotest of the corners of this diverse nation and ensure that it finds talent that’s never seen before and has the potential to astound the audiences when it comes on stage.

I think the attitude of dedication, consistency and never giving up is what keeps us afloat. In any case, challenges are always there, but I would say, it’s been quite a rewarding journey. Every year we take immense pride, when we see our finds find their way to their dreams.

What will be the long term influence of technology on media and entertainment, particularly in the post-covid period? What are the primary trends you are seeing in this domain right now?
saw a significant shift in audience from TV to OTT, which undoubtedly influenced audience viewing habits. From appointment viewing, now it’s more about viewing at your convenience and as per your preference. During this time, we also saw how technology helped the entertainment industry survive and grow, as many movies were released on OTT platforms even when theatres were closed.

The majority of viewers now prefer and wait to watch movies starring their favorite actors on OTT rather than in theatres.Technology has enabled increasing number of people to gain access to content that was difficult or nearly impossible to access just a few years ago.

Viewers can now watch anything on their mobile phone, including their favorite movies, TV shows, Web series, sport events and much more. In terms of content consumption, we are currently witnessing a great revolution in comparison to the pre-COVID era, as the audience base is growing and becoming more and more niche, and this trend will continue. This ever evolving audience and new pattern of content consumption is pushing content creators to think, innovate

and evolve in order to sustain their audience base.

Reflect on some of the major projects you have worked on so far. What did you learn from them and how are you implementing that knowledge across your current operations?
We consider ourselves fortunate to have been associated with some of the most successful brands created in Dance genre in our country. We have produced brands like Dance +, Super Dancer, India’s Best Dancer, Dance India Dance and many more. These are original brands that were developed in collaboration with broad casters. Currently we are producing Hunarbaaz, which is a variety talent show on Colors. With OTTs coming into picture, the competition has increased multiple folds. Audience in comparison to decades ago has shorter attention span. With every year, it’s becoming more and more challenging to create content that keeps our audience engaged and yearning for more. But as I previously said, consistency, dedication and never giving up attitude is what keeps us going. We as content creators, consider this as our responsibility to make shows that serve our audience and keep them entertained.

Tell us your views about the current and future scenario of the media and entertainment industry across india? How are you gearing up for your future plans?
We have been pioneer in creating original formats in the non fiction category in various genres and in various languages. We have also successfully produced feature films, web series, branded content, short format series, quiz shows, and fiction shows in recent years. We aim to become a one-stop shop for all kind of content solutions and hence will continue to diversify to cater to the content needs of all kinds of media.

Enlighten us about the opportunities for new talents who are eager to venture into the media and entertainment industry? Being an industry leader, what would be your advice to them?
This industry necessitates a great deal of potential and hard work. Compared to the days when we first started, today the number of platforms, service quality, and market demand has increased by a whopping 25x. The overall number of content creators has grown. So, if anyone is interested in entering this industry, they simply need to really work hard and approach it with correct attitude, which will lead to plethora of opportunities to grow. Currently, there is a significant shortage of people in our industry, particularly creative talent. For all the freshers out there, this is a huge and dynamic industry. However, if you have the talent, you must have the right attitude and a willingness to persevere in order to stay and grow within it.