Brands
Media personality Pranav Harihar Sharma joins Pippip Media as showrunner & partner
Mumbai: New age content house Pippip Media has announced the onboarding of Cannes Lions winning filmmaker and ad-man Pranav Harihar Sharma as partner and showrunner of the company.
With close to two decades of noticeable work in the advertising industry, Sharma will now lead Pippip’s foray into long format storytelling and branded campaigns. With over two hundred ad films under his belt as director, and having won multiple awards for his short films at several international festivals such as the Cannes Film Festival, New York Film Fest to name a few, Sharma feels this is the right time to get into new-age storytelling.
Speaking on his association with Pippip Media, he says, “The world is fast moving from advertising to media & entertainment and in no time we will see branded content replacing the good old TVC. The change is already here and at Pippip, we want to be at the forefront of this change.”
“I’ve been working closely with Pippip on various projects last year. While working together we realised that we share the same vision and passion for creating cutting edge content. As Showrunner, I may not be writing or directing every content piece hereon but will be responsible for the final creative product,” Sharma added.
Director and chief business officer Joy Bhattacharya said, “We are delighted to announce the inclusion of Pranav as Showrunner and Partner. We believe he will play an instrumental role in building Pippip Media and accelerating the growth further.”
Pippip Media director and chief creative officer Aritra Mukherjee said, “The time is here to toggle between films, TVCs, digital content, branded campaigns, web series and not be limited to any one particular medium. We want to be present where good content can be created and no one better than Pranav to lead this vertical for us.”
Pippip Media’s recent IPL focused campaign for Fantasy Akhada with Harsha Bhogle and Ali Fazal has been well received and their short film ‘The Table’ for Greenply has been officially selected for the Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival. They have also produced the 18th season of the iconic show MTV Roadies, filmed in South Africa with actor Sonu Sood.
Brands
Abhinav Rastogi named global marketing director for YouTube Shopping
Google veteran to scale creator commerce and expand shopping across global markets
SINGAPORE: Abhinav Rastogi has stepped into a new role as global marketing director for YouTube Shopping, marking the latest chapter in a more than decade-long career at Google.
Rastogi, who took on the position in February and is based in Singapore, will lead global marketing for YouTube Shopping, a platform designed to connect creators, viewers and merchants in a single ecosystem. His remit includes expanding the service into new markets and strengthening its positioning as a growth channel for both creators and brands.
In a reflective note on the transition, Rastogi pointed to a simple but powerful idea driving the role. For years, creators have quietly built trust with audiences through consistent and authentic content, and that trust often shapes purchasing decisions. What is changing now, he said, is the infrastructure around that behaviour. YouTube Shopping aims to make it easier for viewers to discover and buy products recommended by creators they already follow.
The scale is already significant. More than half a million creators have joined the programme, with recent expansion into Japan through a partnership with Rakuten signalling further global ambitions.
Rastogi believes the future of shopping on YouTube will be driven by a blend of creators, content and communities. In his view, it is the human voice behind the screen, not just the product, that ultimately builds trust and drives discovery.
Prior to this role, he served as director of marketing, YouTube Asia Pacific, where he led regional marketing across creator engagement, brand building and reputation. During that time, he played a key role in launching and scaling YouTube Shopping across eight markets in the region.
Earlier stints at Google include group product marketing manager, consumer apps, overseeing growth for products such as Search, Maps and Assistant across India and Southeast Asia, and product marketing manager roles spanning consumer apps and YouTube, where he contributed to launches including YouTube Music, YouTube Originals and YouTube Shorts.
Rastogi began his career in consulting with Boston Consulting Group and A.T. Kearney, before moving into the technology sector. He is an alumnus of Indian Institute of Management Calcutta and Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur.
Alongside his corporate role, he is also an active angel investor, backing early-stage startups in consumer technology and electric mobility across India and Southeast Asia.
As he settles into the new role, Rastogi is betting on a future where every video can double up as a storefront, and where commerce feels less like a transaction and more like a recommendation from a trusted voice.
