MAM
Milind Naik joins Pepper Media as Tech director
MUMBAI: Milind Naik, the former Star and Widen Cricinfo CTO, has been roped in by Pepper Media as technology director.
Pepper Media, a multi-channel network (MCN) on YouTube, floated by former founder and CEO of iStream.com, Radhakrishnan Ramachandran. iStream.com was a premium video-on-demand service launched in 2011 with backing from SAIF Partners.
“If you are looking at building a sustainable business model in the MCN space, technology will be one of the key accelerators. We are looking at marrying brands with content concepts and we need to see brand managers looking at online videos as a cost effective and powerful alternative to TV. Technology will play that key role in simplifying the model for brand managers, by helping them analyse the impact of their video campaigns on platforms like YouTube,” said Ramachandran
Naik has over 22 years of experience. This includes an entrepreneurial stint; when he launched Pappilon, one of the earliest mobile application development companies. He then launched an analytics firm specialising in buying patterns and consumer analytics for brands for the international markets.
“With videos being watched more on multi devices, it is imperative for brands to maximise on the same, the likes, dislikes, what is trending is yet to be captured in a 360 degree and that is the aim here at Pepper Media. I am excited to be part of a team that has been pioneers in the online video space. Metrics for consumer analytics on video is the next big thing. Technology analytics are faster and accurate as people are moving towards a more expressive form of personal views. For technology to make a difference it is the collective intelligence of the team which matters the most and that is what I see here at Pepper Media,” said Naik.
MAM
VML India lands two finalist spots at Cairns Hatchlings 2026
The Mumbai agency is back in Australia with two teams, a UN brief and 24 hours to impress
MUMBAI: VML India is heading to Australia again. The Mumbai-based creative agency has secured two finalist spots at the Cairns Hatchlings 2026 competition, one in the Audio category and one in Design, making it the only Indian agency to have reached the finals in both editions of the contest since its launch in 2025.
Four people will make the trip. Senior copywriter Shilpi Dey and senior art director Raj Thakkar will compete in Audio. Art directors Shabbir and Shruti Negi will go head-to-head with the world’s best in Design. The finals take place at the Cairns Convention Centre from 13th May, culminating in an awards ceremony on 15th May.
The work that got them there is worth examining. For the Audio category, Dey and Thakkar tackled a brief for LIVE LIKE MMAD with a campaign called Inner Voice, Interrupted. Using spatial audio techniques, the campaign recreates the overwhelming self-doubt that descends after a long workday, physically panning negative thoughts left and right before cutting the noise entirely to reveal a confident inner voice. Strategically targeted at commuters via Spotify during evening rush hours, the campaign reframes the hours after work as an opportunity for personal growth and charitable action.
For the Design category, Shabbir and Negi worked on a brief for Canteen’s Bandanna Day, a campaign highlighting how cancer pushes teenagers out of their own defining moments. Using a pixelated design language to create stark contrast between a blurred world of isolation and a focused world of connection, the campaign, titled The Flipside of Cancer, shows teenagers fading into the background of birthdays, skateparks and school proms. As a Canteen bandanna appears, the blur flips and the teenager snaps back into sharp focus.
Kalpesh Patankar, group chief creative officer of VML India, made no attempt to disguise his satisfaction. “We are immensely proud to see our teams consistently excel on the Cairns Hatchlings platform since its inception,” he said. “They have masterfully tackled challenging briefs across diverse categories, demonstrating both layered storytelling and a unique creative approach. This exceptional teamwork is truly inspiring.”
Dey and Thakkar, returning to the finals after last year’s run, were candid about the demands of the audio medium. “It’s one of the most demanding mediums, where we only have a few seconds to capture a listener’s world with sound alone, so absolute clarity is essential,” they said. “The true measure of creative work is its ability to create positive change, and our audio submission was made to help those who need it most while encouraging people to silence the inner voices that hold them back.”
Shabbir and Negi, competing in Design for the first time, described the experience as “a completely different beast.” “We see it as an opportunity to showcase our expertise, raise the bar, and challenge ourselves in new ways, while also learning from creative minds from across the globe,” they said.
In Australia, the four finalists will face a live 24-hour brief from the United Nations before presenting in a live pitch session. Twenty-four hours, one brief, one shot. VML India has been here before. It knows exactly what is at stake.
