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Viacom Launches Viacom Velocity
MUMBAI: Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA) today launched Viacom Velocity, a new full-service group offering insights-driven integrated marketing and creative content solutions from Viacom Media Networks Music and Entertainment. Viacom Velocity merges the company’s existing Music and Entertainment Integrated Marketing teams, under Dario Spina, with a new creative team headed by Niels Schuurmans, former Executive Vice President, Consumer Marketing and Executive Creative Director at Spike TV, who joins as Executive Vice President, Viacom Velocity Creative Content Solutions. Both Spina and Schuurmans report to Jeff Lucas, Head of Sales for Music and Entertainment.
“Now more than ever, creative collaboration and custom content are at the center of our client partnerships, and we continue to grow our capabilities to meet marketers’ evolving needs,” said Lucas. “Viacom Velocity is built to utilize our unique relationship with our passionate fans and drive value for marketers through consumer insights, strategic collaboration and creative excellence.”
Within Viacom Velocity, Integrated Marketing will continue to work with clients to build strategic campaigns under the leadership of Dario Spina, Executive Vice President of Viacom Velocity Integrated Marketing. This includes the planning and execution of campaigns across Viacom’s networks and their online and mobile extensions, as well as throughout social media. Viacom Media Networks Music and Entertainment were recently voted the number one and two integrated marketing teams, respectively, in an industry survey conducted by the Myers Media Business Report.
Under Schuurmans’ leadership, Viacom Velocity Creative Content Solutions will produce original content for clients in partnership with MTV, VH1, CMT, Logo, Comedy Central, Spike TV and TV Land. This includes the development of custom creative on linear television, digital platforms and cross-network campaigns. Viacom Velocity Creative Solutions capabilities will include video and digital production, strategy, design, copywriting and more.
Upon launch, Viacom Velocity introduced the Viacom Echo Social Media Network, a new service offering for clients. Through Viacom Echo, the company will develop creative campaigns for clients on the company’s platforms and engineers their extension across social media and measurable earned media.
“Viacom Echo is a one-of-a-kind service that mirrors the way our content travels beyond our screens, across social media and throughout the pop culture. We want to take our clients and their brands with us on that journey,” said Lucas.
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Collective Artists Network reshuffles talent leadership
Fiona D’Souza, Jinal Jhaveri and Arjun Banerjee take expanded roles in core division.
MUMBAI: Collective Artists Network just handed the talent baton to its homegrown stars because when your agents have been building careers this long, it’s time to let them run the show. Collective Artists Network has announced the next phase of leadership for its talent management business, elevating senior agents Fiona D’Souza, Jinal Jhaveri and Arjun Banerjee to expanded roles within the division. The move strengthens the company’s foundational talent arm while it continues to grow into content creation and production-led ventures.
Each of the three has played a significant part in shaping artist careers across films, digital platforms and brand partnerships. Together they now represent the next generation of leadership for Collective’s talent operations, with a continued focus on long-term career building, strong partnerships and adapting representation to a fast-changing media landscape.
Collective Artists Network founder and Group CEO Vijay Subramaniam remains actively involved in guiding artist strategy and key relationships. He said, “Talent management has been the foundation on which Collective was built, and that philosophy continues to guide how we grow the company. As we enter this next phase, it’s important that the people leading this business have both deep context and long-term convictions.”
Collective Artists Network partner and head of talent Janahavi Rawal added, “Collective’s talent business has always been built on trust, long-term thinking, and a deep understanding of where artists want to go next. Fiona, Jinal, and Arjun have each played an important role in shaping the careers of the artists we represent, and this phase is about empowering our senior agents further while building the right support systems around them.”
The leadership evolution reflects Collective’s belief in promoting from within and creating clear ownership across verticals. In a talent world where yesterday’s agent is tomorrow’s partner, Collective isn’t just reshuffling chairs, it’s handing the spotlight to the people who’ve been quietly directing the show all along.
