Bauhaus to Broadcast
SDC / November 2021 / PromosI have scripted, directed and edited over 40 promos, sponsored ads, idents and whatnots for a variety of clients but the bulk of the work was for Discovery Networks when they were setting up in South Asia. I conceived of, directed and shot local campaigns for their programme specials like Children's Day, Beat The Heat and Living Dangerously. Filmed Anchor links (in-between programme presentations) with Bollywood actors Rahul Bose, Sanjna Kapur and Nafisa Ali. Yes I also Produced-Directed programme segments and shorts for Animal Planet, Discovery Kids Specials. The bread and butter of my job was winning and making sponsored promos for Nestle, Titan, Citibank and many others where I created and presented pitch decks and then produced the promos.
I remember being called in for a meeting on a dusty spring day after I wrote a (slightly tongue-in-cheek) essay called "How to Address The Nation" which was a response to the number of international TV networks jostling to set up an India-specific feed. Having learnt from Hollywood's failures in the Indian market, these (mostly American) networks were determined to tailor their content to Indian tastes. Or, at the very least, present it in a marigold-festooned and curry-flavoured wrapping. It reminded me of Orwellian NewSpeak or even Star Trek's universal translator (don't ask). So, anyway, I get called in to meet the Head of Programming for Discovery Networks South Asia along with the charismatic CEO Kiran Karnik. And that was the first time I learnt of the importance broadcast promos can play in conveying a TV channel's "voice" to the masses. Get eyes on stuff, get bums on seats and do it again and again.
In terms of assessing how succeessfully I managed to "promote" the channels' content to a vast subcontinental audience, I like to relate this story. I was filming in Ladakh for a programme segment called "Beat The Heat" (an annual summer stunt) and we had set up in a traditional Ladakhi family house. The TV was blaring in the background and Discovery Channel was on, the Hindi dubbing feed, a commercial break came on along with my latest promo for an adventure travel series featuring Rahul Bose. While I tried to repress my yelp of recognition, I was amazed to hear the family humming along and repeating some of the taglines from the promo!
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