MAM
Sony and Max bag 12 awards at Promax&BDA
MUMBAI: At the Promax&BDA Awards held in New York on 23 June, Sony Entertainment Television (SET) has bagged four awards (one BDA Silver and three BDA Bronze), while Max swept away eight awards.
Commenting on the same, SET India chief operating officer NP Singh said, “It is indeed an honour to be recognised at a prestigious platform such as the Promax&BDA. The flagship channels of SET India – Sony and Max have been consistently applauded for innovative initiatives be it programming or marketing. These awards are a testimony to the exceptional efforts of our personnel within the organisation.”
Sony bagged the BDA Silver winner for Promotional Items, Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin – Special Cover with Special Cancellation. The Special cover was an innovation as part of the marketing campaign of Jassi… wherein the Postal department issued a Special cover commemorating the first anniversary of the show.
The channel bagged two BDA Bronze for Best Program Campaign for Indian Idol. It also bagged the BDA Bronze for Best Channel ID.
SET executive vice president and business head Tarun Katial said, “We are very glad to see India being recognised at a global platform and receiving recognition of the distinctive work that Sony has undertaken to reach out to the marketing, advertising and media community. Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin and Indian Idol in particular reflect the channel’s success in consistently breaking the mould in an industry that has traditionally been ruled by ‘poster type’ advertising.”
On the other hand, Max has bagged the Promax Gold and Silver awards for excellent art direction and design – Special Event Promo for ‘Bliss’ (a campaign promoting cricket featuring Mandira Bedi) and for use of original music composition for ‘Wings of fire’.
This apart, Max has also won three BDA Gold for – Topical promo campaign – ‘Bliss’, ID for Cricket ID, Open for Extraaa Innings and two BDA Silver for art direction & design; Special Events promo-Bliss and sales and marketing presentation for Extraaa Innings.
Max executive vice president and business head Albert Almeida said, “As a brand, Max has always stood for innovation, creativity and attitude – innovation that is visible in our programming efforts, creativity that can be seen across all our communication and finally attitude that is inherent in our core value proposition to the consumer which is ‘Deewana Bana De’. We are delighted at being recognised for our efforts at a global platform like the Promax & BDA.”
Brands
Nodwin Gaming appoints Sonal Varma as global director of live events
Former Comic Con India VP to scale global gaming and pop culture experiences
MUMBAI: Nodwin Gaming has appointed Sonal Varma as global director of live events, bringing on board a seasoned architect of fan communities as the company accelerates its global push in gaming, esports and youth culture.
Varma steps into the role with more than 15 years of experience creating large-scale fan experiences and cultural platforms. She is best known for her long stint at Comic Con India, where she most recently served as vice president and helped transform the convention into one of the country’s most recognisable pop culture gatherings.
At Nodwin Gaming, Varma will lead the strategy, design and execution of the company’s global live event initiatives. Her mandate includes expanding flagship intellectual properties and developing new formats that bring gaming communities together across emerging markets.
Over the years, Varma has been closely associated with building and scaling community-led events such as Comic Con India, Geekly and the Indian Cosplay Championship. Her work has focused on turning niche fandoms into thriving cultural ecosystems by blending entertainment, creator culture and brand partnerships.
Her appointment comes at a time when Nodwin Gaming is expanding its international events footprint through properties such as DreamHack India, NH7 Weekender, Comic Con India and the Battlegrounds Mobile India Series. The company has also been growing its presence across Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Africa through esports tournaments, gaming festivals and fan conventions.
Nodwin Gaming co-founder and managing director Akshat Rathee, said Varma’s experience in building fan-centric platforms would play a key role in the company’s next phase of growth.
“Sonal brings a deep understanding of how live experiences can bring communities together around gaming and pop culture. As we expand our global live events footprint, her experience will help us create experiences that feel authentic and meaningful for audiences across markets,” he said.
Varma said the scale of opportunity at Nodwin Gaming made the move particularly exciting.
“Joining Nodwin Gaming at this moment feels incredibly exciting because the canvas is so large. There are new audiences, new markets and new formats waiting to be explored. I’m looking forward to working with teams across the network to create live experiences that celebrate gaming culture while staying rooted in the communities that power it,” she said.
Over the past few years, Nodwin Gaming has built an ecosystem that stretches across competitive gaming, creator communities, music festivals and youth culture platforms. With Varma now leading global live events, the company is looking to further expand its flagship properties while experimenting with new formats that blend gaming, entertainment and fandom for audiences around the world.
