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Culture Machine and Bench Flix join hands for Bench Culture
Mumbai: A digital video entertainment company Culture Machine and Karthik Subbaraj founded Bench Flix, announced the launch of Bench Culture, which will curate short films and documentaries across the world. Bench Culture will open up the world to short film-makers while making it easier for the viewers to access content from domestic and international markets.
“With respect to content quality and viewership, short film segment is surely main stream material and ‘making short films big’ is our core vision. Bench Culture, the collaboration between Bench Flix and Culture Machine is powerful and complementing in building a brand for quality short films across the world” says Karthik Subbaraj.
Commenting on the launch of the platform Culture Machine CEO and co-founder Sameer Pitalwalla said, “ Bench Culture is a great platform that will provide the best of short films that are still unrecognised and create great entertainment for the Internet generation.”
Stone Bench Creations’ Bench Flix is an integrated aggregation and distribution platform for short films and is uniquely positioned in the space with over 1400 short films being curated under their banner. Besides, Bench Flix has played an integral role in bringing a mainstream credibility to this segment. Their most recent wins being the ‘Bench Talkies’ the successful theatrical release of short film as a feature and soon to be followed by ‘Aviyal’ in December this year. Culture Machine, the only digital entertainment company that brings together great content with great technology giving it an undisputed edge, reaches out to 4 Million subscribers through its expansive network.
The collaboration sees the coming together of the two powerhouses bringing their strengths to Bench Culture and build a platform that provides unprecedented opportunities for both the films and their makers.
eNews
Piyush Thakur steps down as Inshorts’ chief revenue officer
Former vice president and cro says exit marks a new chapter after close to a decade of building revenue and partnerships at Inshorts Group.
NOIDA: Piyush Thakur has stepped away from Inshorts Group after nearly 10 years with the company, marking the end of a long tenure that culminated in his role as chief revenue officer.
In a farewell note, Thakur said he was “turning a new page” after almost a decade at Inshorts, calling it one of the hardest professional decisions he has made. He added that his exit was not driven by uncertainty about the future, but by reflection on a long association with the company.
Thakur joined Inshorts in October 2016 as vice president and spent around seven years in the role before being elevated to chief revenue officer in April 2024, a position he held until April 2026.
He said his tenure was defined by “thousands of mornings, late nights, product debates and breakthrough moments”, as the company evolved into a large-scale digital news platform used by millions.
In his note, Thakur emphasised that Inshorts’ growth was a collective effort across teams, adding that engineers, designers, sales teams and customer support staff all contributed to building the platform. He said the company’s success was not the result of individuals but of “everyone who stayed, passed through, and left their mark”.
Before Inshorts, Thakur worked across several digital media and business development roles. At ESPN, he served as senior regional manager from October 2015 to October 2016, focusing on growth initiatives, strategic opportunities and video distribution.
At Times Internet, he worked for nearly three years, including as head of business development from April 2015 to September 2015 and chief manager from January 2013 to March 2015. His responsibilities included monetisation of mobile platforms, managing media and developer partnerships, and driving revenue across digital properties such as The Times of India and The Economic Times.
Earlier, he worked at Brandmovers as head of business development from June 2012 to June 2013, handling digital, mobile and social media marketing solutions, client development and strategic consulting. During this period, he also worked on advertising revenue, brand strategy and CRM-based solutions.
At Inshorts, Thakur’s role focused on revenue strategy, mobile and media partnerships, and growth initiatives across platforms. His profile highlights experience in mobile product management, digital business models, partner ecosystems and revenue expansion in high-growth environments.
