MAM
IIGC kicks off Bengaluru chapter with bold moves
MUMBAI: The Indian Influencer Governing Council (IIGC) turned up the volume on India’s booming creator economy with its third official chapter, held at Taj Bangalore, and used the stage to make a headline-grabbing declaration: December 2 will now be observed as World Influencer Day.
The high-energy gathering brought together over 100 voices from the creatorverse—marketing heads, digital honchos, platform leaders, and star content creators. It wasn’t just selfies and speeches, though. The event introduced IIGC Protect, a major initiative focused on legal literacy and mental wellness for influencers, in collaboration with Trilegal, United We Care, and Adayu (Fortis).
Among the key speakers were Nikhil Sachdeva (partner, Trilegal), Rana Atheya (VP – business, United We Care), Sachin Baliga (advisor – neuromodulation, Fortis), and creator Aneri Thakkar, who addressed the growing need for psychological and legal safeguards in what remains an unregulated digital jungle.
Adding teeth to its governance efforts, IIGC also launched a Taskforce and outlined a Code of Standards for brands and creators. Key voices like Varun Oberoi (VP, marketing & comms, Nissin), Jaikishin Chhaproo (head – media & PR, ITC Ltd), Gaurang Thosani (head – digital & e-sales, Royal Sundaram), and Aparajita Mukherjee (head – brands in culture, Diageo) shared best practices on responsible influencing.
BBC Media Action Tej Prakash Yadav said, “Influencers have the power to spark change, ignite conversations that matter, and build something bigger than a brand: a movement. Influencing for Good adds depth to social capital, strengthens credibility, and shows the world the human behind the handle.”
Gunjan Taneja (@Gunjanshouts), added, “Being an influencer is not about the number of followers or views, but the impact we are able to create. We need to consider that with our every word, action and recommendation one or several of our followers will buy the product or service with their hard earned money. Which is why it is our responsibility as creators to be cautious of what we say, with maturity and sensibility before we put out content.”
IIGC chairman & founding member, Sahil Chopra led the felicitation ceremony that honored board members, as well as winners of the Indian Influencer Ratings Weekly Picks, which recognizes both “Trendsetters” and emerging “Underdoggs.”
With three power-packed chapters under its belt, IIGC continues its mission to professionalise, protect, and celebrate India’s creator economy—one policy push, one punchline, and one post at a time.
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MAM
Sameer Nair shares heartfelt note as he exits Applause Entertainment
After nine years building the streamer’s content engine, one of India’s best-known TV men is moving on
MUMBAI: Sameer Nair is out. The chief executive of Applause Entertainment, the content studio backed by Kumar Mangalam Birla’s media empire, has announced his departure after nearly nine years at the helm, closing the chapter on one of Indian entertainment’s more quietly consequential careers.
Nair, who built Applause from the ground up in its current avatar, oversaw a slate that spanned Indian originals and international adaptations, threading together a hub-and-spoke business model that partnered with streaming platforms, broadcasters and production houses alike. The results were uneven, as they always are in content, but the ambition was not.
In a post on LinkedIn, Nair was generous to his outgoing patron. He thanked Birla for being an “inspirational boss and a great patron of the arts,” and signed off with a cheerful “Au Revoir” and a promise to remain Applause’s biggest cheerleader. Whether that sentiment survives the next chapter remains to be seen.
No successor has been named. Applause Entertainment did not immediately comment.
Nair built the machine. Now someone else has to run it — and in a streaming market that is simultaneously consolidating and convulsing, that is no small ask.
