From left CEO Appu series Sanjay Raheja, Technicolor head Biren Ghose, Vedatma Studio CEO B.S. Srinivas, Vivek Lath
Three years after it signed its MoU with Reed Midem, ABAI finally brought its first ever delegation to to MIPJunior 2017 this year at JW Marriot, Cannes in France. We spoke to some of the key members of ABAI who were present at the event.For a first, we had a chat with B.S. Srinivas, CEO of Vedatma Animation and also the joint secretary of ABAI who emphasised that it is an association committed to the growth of AVGC sector in Karnataka.
Congratulations on bringing the delegation! How was it achieved?
The Karnataka government and minister Priyank Kharge have been very supportive of this industry. We are trying to build a very strong ecosystem in our state. We have been taking delegations to several events over the last few years.However MIP Junior is something we have been trying since a long time and speaking to the government for a long time. This being the largest content market of the year. We thought that we should take delegation this year. We pursued it. So finally we have got the first time delegation of Karnataka. Seven members were selected for both the events.
How did you select the studios who have come here? How much are you sponsoring?
They were selected on the basis of merit, the kind of work done by the studios and if they are really promising. We are sponsoring 60 percent of the expenditure for the visit.
How was the MIP Junior market for you this year?
MIP Junior market has been really good. I have attended MIPJunior in the past also. This time I feel the opportunities have been really qualitative. We met a lot of qualitative people. I have bought my IP here from Vedatama animation studio – Aetius, the eagle kid. We have done the pre-production for it and we are looking for opportunities. We are trying to find broadcasters. I had good meetings and hope to take positive things from here. There has been interest shown. We look forward to a positive outcome for this.
Tell us about the Vedatma IPs which you have brought to MIPJunior.
We are into services but we are also coming out with IPs. One of them is the local flavour of Karnataka. It is called Dasa the fables. It is already out in the form of DVDs across the world, Amazon and
on Flipkart. It is about the local stories of Karnataka and the stories that are told through the songs. The project is getting a very positive response. We are still working on it. For the global market we came with an IP called Aetius the eagle kid. The story is of a young boy who has the power of an eagle. He fights with the dragon serpents to save his land. That’s what the story is about. The characterisation, pre production everything is done. Production is going on. At MIPJunior we found someone who is interested in going forward. We are thinking of a proper business plan and how to realise it.
Are you looking for co-productions or what?
I will always ideally do it myself but I’m looking for an investor also who will believe in the concept and co-produce it. Because the look, feel and the story is really global. The characters and the story line are more adapted to the whole audience. I am looking at both a person who can believe in the idea and also has some really good connections with some broadcasters as well who will be interested in seeing it to the next level. I will either come back or pursue one episode which I am working. We are thinking of 11 minutes, 26 episodes. Once the episodes are ready. We are doing one episode and approaching the broadcasters. The broadcasting and funding will go on parallelly.
The idea behind bringing bringing the delegation?
The Karnataka government has been very supportive in all these initiatives in these last few years. Because the policy has come recently which the upgraded AVGC policy which has a lot of benefits for startups and
medium sized enterprises. It gives grants for IPs and medium sized enterprises and also enables production grants. It is an exposure to the studios about how the global market operates. How their products rate among those offered by global companies. It is for them to develop their business also. So we thought that it is one place where we should come. Though other markets are also available like Annecy, ATF, Gwangju ACE Fair, but we felt that this has to be done. After pursuing it for two years, we finally got it through. They have believed in us and sent the delegation. We hope that these studios who have come go back with positive results. It will enable the government to take steps in the right directions so that they will sponsor more delegations to more events in the future.
Which other content market ABAI is planning to visit?
We have been regulars at Annecy, Children Media Conference, ACE Fair Korea. We have started with SIGGRAPH last year and we intend to continue. We have put up a proposal for Kids Screen Summit also. As of now these things were there in the list.The studios who have come should take a lot of interest and come back with, if not results, then with some positive signs so that we can submit a positive report to the authorities. I think in our country it is one of the most progressive governments in terms of thinking about the AVGC industry. It is really very nice to see the support we are getting from them. Hope the AVGC industry this south Indian state continues to grow over the years with the support of ABAI and Karnataka government
We also spoke to president of ABAI and country head of Technicolor Biren Ghose.
How was your MIPJunior experience this year?
Biren : MIPJunior is always very special. Because it is a meeting place where new content meets reality and library content looks for new rights. From an ABAI perspective, it is extremely important that we continue to partner the Karnataka government in helping to create new IPs out of India with Bangalore as a hub that is sponsored by the local authorities. The new animation policy announced in July 2017 gives a new impetus to IP creators. Be it for animation, games, VFX or comics. MIPJunior is a place where IP creators from across India have come in and ABAI has brought in a small delegation who can pitch as well as observe how content is pitched. The government is keen to help local companies to access markets. We are looking to create a differential reimbursement of the cost for companies of Bangalore when they come to such markets. Startups and IP creators will have a larger reimbursement so that they get a better chance. Large companies will also be assisted on a case to case basis but the amount of reimbursement will be
lower.
This will be a part of the operational framework that is being finalised for the future. The policy gives an impetus to people that can strike co-production deals as well. So when work comes to Bangalore be it for services or co-production the grants which companies can receive as a part of new policies and this will make their visit here opportune to meet with other IP creators that may have projects and strike deals that will bring this work back home to their studios.
How has been things with regards to your company Technicolor?
On the Technicolor front our team is here from US and Canada every year. We had a fantastic success at these markets in the past. Our show ‘The Deep’ is right now trending as a top show in three continents. It has been extremely satisfying to see a company like Technicolor and its family of brands growsubstantially in the services business and see it being considered as a great partner for original IP creation.
How has been the market this year?
I think the maturity that one sees as MIPJunior is that it has been able to categorise the projects that are in the market into different phases. Early stage, ready for production, introduction and library content. This has matured over time. It makes it easy for people to target what they believe is the engagement they want to have across these different segments.
I see in such a show is that it’s not just the number of people that needs to increase but also the quality of deals that need to improve. On the sidelines of the show we saw some outstanding presentations in the theatres. In particular the question about will happen to SVOD, licensing. We saw some technology presentations where you can talk about rapid productions with real time tools from a Belgium company. The keynote at the end of the day by Netflix really laid out unanswered questions that were there on everyone’s lips. It was a great end to the show. I am particularly thrilled to see that the Chotta Bheem franchise has been given a new life on Netflix with a CG animated commission that I think is going to take the property to the next level in terms of its reach and its sophistication. My congratulations to the team at Green Gold for this fantastic achievement.
Rajendra Praveen, CEO Creodomus Entertainment who attended MIPCOM 2017 as a part of the ABAI delegation for the first time with some gaming and technology IPs shared his excitement. Said he: “ABAI is doing a great job. ABAI has been helping us a lot. I am super happy with their support.”
CEO Appu Series Sanjay Raheja who is a part of the delgation spoke about the ABAI delegation.
What were your major plans in MIPJunior 2017 ?
Sanjay: Our plan was to license our content and find a co-production partner for our next project which is a feature film on Appu.
What do you think about ABAI’s support for bringing the delegation to MIPJunior? How has it been helpful to you?
Sanjay: Any support given to us is helpful. With support like this we can increase our participation and attend more markets.The experience is great since the market is very focused.Most of the meetings were great and I think we should be able to close on a couple of deals. We will definitely come next year.
Vivek Lath who is a major investor of the successful IP Trigo which was selected at the top five pitch at the international MIP Junior animated pitch is also a part of the ABAI delegation and expressed his gratitude towards ABAI and shared his happiness over Trigo success.
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