MAM
Dipankar Chakraborty is Kettle Communications COO
NEW DELHI: Kettle Communications, the integrated communication consultancy firm, has appointed Dipankar Chakraborty as it COO.
In his new role, Chakraborty will be responsible for aligning and strengthening the firms operations. His mandate with Kettle Communications includes strategy development, new business initiatives, team development and management pan India, for all verticals : Main Line Advertising, Below the Line campaigns (Events & Activations), Retail Management, Exposition Management, Digital and MICE.
As a business lead, he will be responsible for the formation of full service teams in all metros of India (Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad and Kolkata).
Chakraborty comes with over 14 years of experience, which includes leading several corporate and brand reputation programs.
“We are delighted that Dipankar has joined our new team as we plan to touch new horizons and increase and establish our foothold in the industry,” said Kettle Communications MD and CEO Aatanu Chakraborty.
Prior to joining Kettle Communications, he was with HansaVision, (A part of RK SWAMY BBDO group) as national head – Events, and was instrumental in leading campaigns for Samsung, Yahoo, Nestle, LG and Micromax.
He, in the past; has been associated with national and international events like IIFA Awards, London School of Economics Asia Forum, World Mobile Congress Barcelona, AfricaCom South Africa, World Telco Summit UAE, GSM Middle East, Communique Asia, Yahoo BIC Awards, NDTV Business Leadership Awards, Porsche Launch in India, Audi Launch in India, Bill Clinton, Bill Gates, Pierce Brosnan, Carl Lewis‘ Visits to India. The bouquet of clients Dipankar has serviced during his tenure include, FICCI, CII, Yahoo, Airtel, Nestle, Adventz, ACME, Microsoft, Teacher‘s, Nasscom, Nike, Porsche, Audi, Samsung, LG, Micromax, Comviva, Ananda Bazaar Patrika, The Times of India, Hindustan Times, Cairn India, ONGC, SAIL, NTPC, Indigo Music, India Today Group.
Prior to the move, Chakraborty has worked with Wizcraft for more than 6 years followed by Ogilvy where he spent considerable time strengthening the Below the Line arm called Ogilvy Live.
Digital
OpenAI drops Sora AI video tool, ends planned $1 billion Disney deal
Pivot to coding and AGI leaves media giant rethinking AI tie-up plans
CALIFORNIA: In a move that has sent ripples through both Hollywood and Silicon Valley, OpenAI has pulled the plug on its much-hyped AI video tool Sora, abruptly ending what was shaping up to be a landmark partnership with The Walt Disney Company.
According to media reports, the decision came with little warning. Teams from both sides had been working on a Sora-linked project when the shutdown was communicated, catching even those close to the collaboration off guard.
The fallout is significant. The move effectively scraps a proposed $1 billion, three-year agreement that would have seen Disney invest in OpenAI while opening up access to its vast library of characters for AI-generated short-form video content. The deal, however, had not been finalised and no funds had changed hands.
Sora, unveiled in early 2024, had dazzled the industry with its ability to generate cinematic-quality video from simple text prompts, triggering a wave of competing launches from AI players across the United States and China. Its sudden exit marks a sharp turn in OpenAI’s strategy.
The company is now redirecting its focus towards more commercially scalable areas such as coding tools, enterprise solutions and the long-term pursuit of artificial general intelligence. Internally, resources required to run the video model are understood to have weighed on other priorities, accelerating the decision.
Leadership roles are also evolving to match the shift. Sam Altman continues to steer the broader vision, while Fidji Simo’s remit has been realigned towards deploying AGI capabilities as part of a wider push to consolidate offerings into a unified platform.
For Disney, the setback is more strategic than financial. The company is said to be evaluating alternative ways to collaborate with OpenAI, even as it recalibrates its approach to generative AI in storytelling.
For the wider industry, the episode is a reminder that in the fast-moving world of artificial intelligence, even the most dazzling innovations can have a surprisingly short shelf life.
