Future of Media and Entertainment - Opportunities For Startups to Innovate and Disrupt

About Biren Ghose:

Biren is the Country Head for Technicolor India. The company is a 103 year old arts and sciences pioneer. The Company and its brands are world leaders in Animation, Games & VFX offering bespoke services to the media & the entertainment industry.

 He has oodles of experience as a futurist and strategist. He has evangelized the Indian creative technology industry in animation and VFX globally.

 He provides thought leadership and believes that visual communications & digital arts will provide jobs and socio-economic development in India. He runs the world’s largest single hub for Animation, Visual Effects and Games with approximately 5000 artists and technicians across all disciplines. 8 Emmy Awards, 4 Academy Awards and a clutch of other accolades like winning the Cannes Lions Gold; VES & the BAFTAs which are testimony to the quality of the company’s efforts bringing Indian talent to the forefront on the world stage.

 Biren is involved in helping grow the M&E sector. He believes that this industry will be significantly benefited by the success of a vibrant start-up ecosystem. There is a huge upside for initiatives in the imagery business that “invents” the tools and mythologies that helps transform the way talent and technologies will support future methods of creative storytelling.

Biren is multi-faceted and in his personal time is a part of several forums that share his passion for art, music, wines & spirits.

He is excited about exploring the emergence of a new normal at work and in his daily life.

About Saurabh Varma:

With over 20 years of experience in building and partnering world-renowned brands, Saurabh decided to leave the corporate world in late 2019 to don the hat of an entrepreneur. He is now on a mission to create the largest communication start-up in the country.

Prior to this, Saurabh used to lead all the agencies under the Publicis Communications gamut in South Asia including – Leo Burnett India, Leo Burnett Orchard, Publicis India, Publicis Beehive, L&K Saatchi & Saatchi, MSLGROUP, Indigo Consulting, Publicis.Sapient, Digitas, Arc Worldwide and Prodigious.

Saurabh was appointed as CEO of Leo Burnett Group India in November of 2013. In late 2014, he was elevated to the CEO of the Leo Burnett Group across South Asia. And just a year later in 2016, he rose further up the ranks, being named the CEO of Publicis Communications, South Asia. In addition to all his exhaustive duties, he also presides over the APAC Effectiveness Council and is part of Leo Burnett’s global HumanKind Counsel.

Before taking over the South Asia reins, Saurabh's last outing was as the Chief Strategy Officer (Leo Burnett APAC), a stint that saw him work on brands across 16 countries. A multi-award winning ad man, he has also served as a jury member at prestigious awards such as Cannes Lions, Spikes Asia, and the AMEs, to name a few.

Saurabh’s love for brands is nothing short of passion; it comes to life when he is trying to understand people’s behaviour and what fuels it. He loves his arguments just like his morning cup of tea, especially if they involve the future of agencies, teams and communities. He is an avid reader of myth, archetypes and fantasy. And if there is twist in the plot of the story, nothing like it!