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Shemaroo’s Jai Maroo on bridging generation gap, transformation journey and growth plans
MUMBAI: If reinvention is the key skill for surviving any business, 56-year-old company Shemaroo Entertainment Ltd (Shemaroo) has exemplified this art. The company, which embarked on a five-year transformation journey with an aim of 5x growth, reoriented existing talent and brought in people from diverse sectors to scale up the functioning.
At the recently concluded Indiantelevision.com’s first edition of Media HR Summit, Shemaroo Entertainment Ltd (http://www.indiantelevision.com/iworld/over-the-top-services/shemaroo-entertainment-starts-ott-journey-banking-on-its-popular-titles-190214) director Jai Maroo spoke on the various aspects of the transformation journey in a freewheeling fireside chat with Indiantelevision.com founder, CEO and editor-in-chief Anil Wanvari.
One of the biggest challenges the industry is facing today is accommodating five different generations in the same company but Maroo seems confident. While building the first transformation more than a decade ago, the company has bridged the gap of bringing in the talent that is needed without disrespecting the talent that is there. He also added that leadership and HR have to play a key role in bringing that balance.
Maroo mentioned that the company has been reinventing itself to stay relevant in the changing times. That has been the biggest transformation. He pointed out that Shemaroo is media-agnostic serving just about every screen of consumption that exists.
The company founders made transformation a priority in the early decades of the company. “The ability to not look at where you have been but where your consumption is going and follow that, that ability and humility is something our founders practised for the last three decades but for the last two decades the founders have given a lot of leeways to the team and make the entire organisation do it,” he commented.
The second transformation of the company was scaling the business including getting listed, changing the nature of deals, own capital allocations. “The third transformation which is to say is that we saw an opportunity more than five years ago for this boom that was coming. Everyone saw the boom was about to come, the disruption that was happening. But it was impossible to time the market that’s why we chose to scale incrementally,” Maroo added.
He contended that the transformation is not just about outlining strategy and getting content and customer right. It’s also about getting talent, marrying it with the talent the company has, in terms of changing the way business and processes. It is also important to spend enough time supporting all of the various entrepreneurs within the company. Maroo added that attrition has not risen substantially despite Shemaroo having undergone this huge transformation journey.
From the key learning from two decades, he outlined some key winning traits. Maroo emphasised on putting the other person first and added that relationships with people including employees, customers and vendors hold an important place. Another important point he added was the ability to map and extract value from the ecosystem by seeing where someone is in the value chain. The focus should be on value that accrues in the future. He also pointed out the importance of unwillingness to compromise any commitment.
“Our current growth is very healthy. We are doing slightly better than the industry. We are growing at 18-19 per cent CAGR while the industry is at 12-13 per cent CAGR. Digital is growing at a much better rate of 40-45 per cent CAGR. And if we continue to grow at that rate, in five years we will be double our size but we want to grow 5x in five years; that was the mission,” Maroo added.
“We have set certain milestones for the journey; both in terms of business plans and building teams and developing their journeys as well. Like everything else in life, some of it is on the mark, some ahead of time and some behind. That last one is my focus at present,” he commented. Moreover, the company recently started piloting a very interesting product, a device which is a Bluetooth speaker with devotional content pre-loaded.
In recent decades, peptide research has expanded beyond classical endocrine and paracrine paradigms toward a more nuanced understanding of short peptides as informational entities with the potential of supporting research model-wide coordination. Within this evolving framework, mitochondrial-derived peptides have emerged as particularly intriguing signaling candidates, challenging traditional distinctions between genetic compartments and regulatory hierarchies. Among these peptides, MOTS-c occupies a singular conceptual position due to its unusual genetic origin, conserved sequence, and theorized role in metabolic and stress-adaptive communication.
Encoded within the mitochondrial genome rather than the nuclear genome, MOTS-c represents a departure from conventional peptide biosynthesis narratives. Investigations purport that this peptide may function as a molecular liaison between mitochondrial status and broader cellular decision-making networks. Rather than serving as a linear messenger with a single target, MOTS-c has been hypothesized to participate in multi-layered regulatory dialogues involving energy sensing, transcriptional modulation, and adaptive resilience.
Molecular Origin and Structural Context
MOTS-c is a short peptide composed of 16 amino acids, encoded within the 12S ribosomal RNA region of mitochondrial DNA. This mitochondrial origin distinguishes it from the majority of known regulatory peptides, which are typically derived from nuclear-encoded precursor proteins. Research indicates that the peptide’s sequence is highly conserved across populations, suggesting evolutionary pressure to maintain its functional integrity.
The compact structure of MOTS-c has led researchers to hypothesize that its biological relevance may arise not from structural complexity, but from signaling precision. Small peptides are increasingly studied for their potential to interface efficiently with intracellular sensors, transcriptional regulators, and metabolic enzymes. In this context, MOTS-c seems to act as a rapid-response informational unit, translating mitochondrial energetic status into broader regulatory adjustments within the research model.
Mitochondrial Communication Beyond Energy Production
Historically, mitochondria have been framed primarily as bioenergetic organelles responsible for ATP synthesis. Contemporary research, however, increasingly positions mitochondria as signaling hubs capable of influencing nuclear gene expression, redox balance, and metabolic prioritization. MOTS-c appears to align closely with this reconceptualization.
It has been theorized that MOTS-c may serve as part of a mitochondrial-to-nuclear communication axis, conveying information related to nutrient availability, energetic strain, or metabolic imbalance. Rather than operating through classical receptor-mediated pathways, the peptide seems to interact directly with intracellular signaling cascades or transcriptional machinery. Such interactions could allow mitochondrial signals to shape nuclear responses without reliance on traditional hormone-like dynamics.
Metabolic Coordination and Energy Sensing
One of the most extensively discussed domains of MOTS-c research involves metabolic regulation. Research suggests that the peptide may be linked to pathways governing glucose utilization, lipid handling, and overall energy efficiency. Specifically, investigations purport that MOTS-c might interact with cellular energy sensors involved in detecting fluctuations in nutrient availability.
Within this framework, MOTS-c has been hypothesized to support adaptive metabolic reprogramming under conditions of energetic challenge. Rather than forcing a single metabolic outcome, the peptide appears to assist in recalibrating pathway prioritization, promoting flexibility rather than rigidity. This property positions MOTS-c as a potential mediator of metabolic intelligence rather than a driver of isolated biochemical reactions.
Transcriptional Modulation and Nuclear Interaction
A particularly compelling aspect of MOTS-c research involves its theorized interaction with nuclear transcriptional processes. Research indicates that under certain conditions, the peptide is believed to translocate toward the nucleus, where it may support gene expression patterns associated with metabolism and stress adaptation.
Rather than acting as a transcription factor itself, MOTS-c appears to modulate transcription indirectly by interacting with regulatory complexes or chromatin-associated proteins. This mode of action would allow the peptide to fine-tune gene expression in response to mitochondrial signals, creating a feedback loop between energy status and genomic activity.
Stress Adaptation and Cellular Resilience
Beyond metabolism, MOTS-c has attracted attention for its potential involvement in adaptive stress responses. Research models exploring oxidative strain, energetic imbalance, and environmental pressure have prompted hypotheses that the peptide may participate in resilience-oriented signaling pathways.
It has been theorized that MOTS-c might assist in coordinating protective transcriptional programs during periods of metabolic or energetic stress. Rather than neutralizing stressors directly, the peptide appears to contribute to adaptive recalibration, enabling cells to maintain functional coherence under suboptimal conditions.
Implications for Cellular Aging and Longevity Research
Mitochondrial signaling has long been implicated in cellular aging-related research domains, particularly those involving metabolic decline and reduced adaptive potential. Within this context, MOTS-c has been proposed as a molecule of interest due to its apparent association with metabolic regulation and stress coordination.
Research indicates that mitochondrial-derived peptides may play roles in maintaining systemic coherence over time. MOTS-c, by virtue of its origin and signaling properties, could represent a component of long-term adaptive maintenance systems within the research model. Rather than targeting aging as a singular process, the peptide appears to support the balance between energy efficiency, repair prioritization, and adaptive flexibility.
Conclusion: MOTS-c as a Symbol of Mitochondrial Intelligence
MOTS-c represents more than a short amino acid sequence encoded within mitochondrial DNA. It embodies a paradigm shift in how regulatory peptides are conceptualized — not merely as messengers, but as integrators of metabolic information, stress signals, and adaptive priorities. Researchers interested in this product may find it online for research purposes.
References
[i] Lee, C., Kim, K. H., Cohen, P., & Yoon, Y. (2016). MOTS-c: A novel mitochondrial-derived peptide regulating muscle glucose metabolism and insulin sensitivity. Cell Metabolism, 24(3), 399–410. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2016.07.012
[ii] Kim, K. H., Son, J. M., Benayoun, B. A., Lee, C., & Cohen, P. (2018). The mitochondrial-encoded peptide MOTS-c translocates to the nucleus to regulate nuclear gene expression in response to metabolic stress. Cell Metabolism, 28(3), 516–524.e7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2018.06.008
[iii] Lee, C., Zeng, J., Drew, B. G., Sallam, T., Martin-Montalvo, A., Wan, J., … Cohen, P. (2015). The mitochondrial-derived peptide MOTS-c promotes metabolic homeostasis and reduces obesity and insulin resistance. Nature Communications, 6, 8951. https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms9951
[iv] Yen, K., Lee, C., Mehta, H. H., Cohen, P., & Barzilai, N. (2013). The emerging role of mitochondrial-derived peptides in metabolism and aging. Journal of Clinical Investigation, 123(10), 4521–4527. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI68820
[v] Merry, T. L., Chan, A., Woodhead, J. S. T., Reynolds, J. C., Kumagai, H., Kim, S. J., … Ristow, M. (2020). Mitochondrial-derived peptides in energy metabolism. American Journal of Physiology – Endocrinology and Metabolism, 319(4), E659–E666. https://doi.org/10.1152/ajpendo.00209.2020
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