Of passion & opportunity
By Vinit Karnik National Director, Sports and Live Events, GroupM ESP Main Entertainment hoon… that may sound too filmy, but I am willing to run the risk of being labelled as filmy. Entertainment defines our country’s pulse, and it has always fascinated me. I still enjoy watching Sholay, 3 Idiots, DDLJ and QSQT on my TV recorder or reliving the 2011 World Cup final hysteria till the last ball and I can continue to do so for many more years… A little about me here: I watch every Mumbai Indians match; I have to watch a new movie in a theatre every Friday, I watch every award show on TV, I read Bombay Times everyday… Actually, I like to create business opportunities out of my interests and that is what keeps me going. From making feature films to advertising to celebrity management to sports and live sponsorship —I see an entertainment quotient in everything. Entertaining content supplements are a daily dose of emotions in your mundane life… the right dose of content can make or break your day. A nail-biting finish to an India win keeps me upbeat all day. I have always traversed a non-traditional path; anything ordinary and obvious doesn’t really excite me. When several brands were contesting to be seen on the prime time Saas Bahu slot on television, I was integrating brands in films & creating value in a clutter free environment. You don’t need to negotiate better value for a TV spot; you just need to see what is relevant for the brand. Even today, when my team comes up with any new exciting opportunity, I jump with enthusiasm like an 18-year-old. I impatiently start chasing it, even if it is 3am at an after-party discussion. I guess it is this enthusiasm and excitement coupled with hunger to do something new that has helped me realize my passion. The ability to foresee a trend has kept me ahead of the curve. I always like to stay relevant to the audience and give them content that they want to see; be it through Entertainment, Sports or Live Events. I see opportunity in leveraging power of sports with brands and create relevant and shareable content out of it. Every small event or activity by a brand can be converted into interesting content. I always try to harness the power of content for brands to activate solutions through movies, music, sports, live events, celebrities and characters. Be it an office boy or the CEO of a company, I keep on probing them through active conversations. Apart from being fun, it gives me an insight into the way they understand things, which are mental notes in fine-tuning brand integration for various properties. For me, the key to developing a solutions-centric approach is keeping your eyes and ears open and falling back on these observations in a crisis situation. Being at the intersection of Media, Sports and Entertainment, I pump up my team to see things differently and set higher standards every day. I hope this hunger and enthusiasm never leave me and I continue to follow my passion forever. Feedback: vinit.karnik@groupmesp.com
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