MAM
Akshay Gurnani steps down as Schbang CEO, gears up for next big leap
MUMBAI: For most, Mondays mean emails, meetings, and caffeine-fuelled survival. But for Akshay Gurnani, this Monday was different-it marked the end of a decade-long journey as co-founder & CEO of Schbang and the beginning of a brand-new adventure.
“Ten years. A whole decade. A long time, yet in the larger picture of life, just a small fraction,” reflects Gurnani. “And yet, these 10 years have been nothing short of transformative.”
Gurnani co-founded Schbang at just 25 years old, fuelled by the ambition to build something from the ground up. Along with his fellow co-founders, he set out to redefine the marketing landscape and provide cutting-edge solutions to clients. Under his leadership, Schbang scaled to a 1,100+ member team across Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi, London, and Amsterdam, servicing over 200 brands globally. His relentless commitment propelled the agency to become one of the most sought-after creative powerhouses in the industry.
From the boardroom to the brainstorming room, Gurnani’s leadership has been marked by resilience, innovation, and the sheer audacity to push creative boundaries. Schbang executed award-winning campaigns for Pidilite, Perfetti, Godrej Consumer Products, Tata Consumer, L’Oréal Group, Finolex Pipes, Ashok Leyland, Crompton, Castrol, Baskin Robbins, Philips, and more. Beyond building a successful agency, he fostered a community—mentors, teammates, industry peers, and clients who became friends.
“More than anything, Schbang has been about the people, the culture. The teammates who turned into family. The mentors I looked up to. The clients who became partners (many now good friends) and believed in us. Each one of you has left a mark, and for that, I am eternally grateful.”
While one chapter closes, another unfolds. Gurnani isn’t slowing down—he’s simply switching lanes. His next phase will focus on business transformation, mentoring startups, investing in game-changing ideas, and empowering young students. He aims to help brands and agencies on a hyper-growth trajectory in India and the UAE, leveraging his expertise in digital marketing, AI, media, and technology.
“As business landscapes evolve and consumer behaviours shift, client needs are changing rapidly. My focus is on eliminating redundancies and prioritising services that deliver business value,” he shares. “Digital transformation isn’t just about technology—it requires a deep understanding of a client’s business and a partnership-driven approach to drive meaningful change.”
Having worked with Fortune 500 brands, Gurnani has developed a keen eye for identifying inflection points where inefficiencies arise. His goal is to go beyond vanity metrics, dive deeper into digital transformation, and help brands achieve sharper outcomes powered by the right human resources, media, and technology.
During his time at Schbang, Gurnani was also recognised with numerous 30 Under 30 awards and named among India’s Top 50 Content Marketing Professionals.
“It’s not a goodbye, it’s just a shift in gears because if there’s one thing I’ve learned over the last 10 years, it’s that new ideas, new journeys, and new beginnings are always around the corner.”
Schbang may have started as a bold idea, but its legacy continues. And so does Gurnani’s next great adventure.
MAM
Paramount set to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery in $81 billion deal
Shareholders back merger, combined entity could reshape streaming and studios.
MUMBAI: Lights, camera… consolidation, Hollywood’s latest blockbuster might be happening off-screen. Shareholders of Warner Bros. Discovery have voted in favour of selling the company to Paramount in a deal valued at $81 billion rising to nearly $111 billion including debt setting the stage for one of the biggest shake-ups in modern media. The proposed merger, still subject to regulatory approvals, would bring together a vast portfolio spanning HBO Max, CNN, and franchises such as Harry Potter under the same umbrella as Paramount’s own heavyweights, including Top Gun and CBS.
At the heart of the deal is streaming scale. Executives have indicated plans to combine HBO Max and Paramount+ into a single platform, potentially creating a stronger challenger to giants like Netflix and Amazon’s Prime Video. Current market data suggests HBO Max holds around 12 per cent of US on-demand subscriptions, compared to Paramount+’s 3 per cent, together still trailing Netflix’s 19 per cent and Disney’s combined 27 per cent via Disney+ and Hulu.
Paramount CEO David Ellison has signalled that while platforms may merge, HBO’s creative identity will remain intact, stating the brand should “stay HBO” even within a broader ecosystem.
Beyond streaming, the deal would redraw the map for film production. Combining two of Hollywood’s oldest studios Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros., the new entity aims to scale output to over 30 films annually, while maintaining a 45-day theatrical window. Warner Bros. currently commands around 21 per cent of the US box office, compared to Paramount’s 6 per cent, underscoring the strategic weight of the acquisition.
But scale comes with scrutiny. Critics warn that fewer players could mean reduced consumer choice, rising subscription costs, and potential job cuts as the combined company looks to streamline overlapping operations while managing billions in debt.
The news business, too, faces a reset. CNN would join forces at least structurally with Paramount-owned CBS, raising questions about editorial independence and positioning. The merger has already drawn political attention in the United States, particularly given perceived ties between the Ellison family and Donald Trump, though the company maintains that newsroom autonomy will be preserved.
If approved, the deal would mark another milestone in Hollywood’s consolidation wave shrinking the industry’s traditional “big six” studios to a “big four”, with Paramount joining Disney, Universal, and Sony at the top table.
In an industry built on storytelling, this merger may well become its most consequential plot twist yet.
