iWorld
ZEE5 partners with Designyatra 2023
Mumbai: ZEE5, India and Bharat’s largest homegrown video streaming platform, and the OTT arm of ZEEL, partnered with Kyoorius for Designyatra 2023 that took place between 26 to 28 October, in Goa. In line with ZEE5’s digital-first and consumer-centric philosophy, the 3-day yatra set a global stage for the design and creative enthusiasts across industries to interact, demonstrate, and celebrate their work of art. Showcasing new age entertainment exposures on OTT, ZEE5 created engaging and enriching exposures at the event which marked a presence of over 1000 attendees and multiple eminent speakers. Acclaimed names like Jonathan Barnbrook, who won a Grammy for David Bowie’s album cover design, and Nelly Ben Hayoun -Stépanian, the founder of NASA’s International Space Orchestra were also a part of the coterie.
ZEE5 India chief business officer Manish Kalra said, “Designyatra is one of the most prominent platforms that witnesses global representation from various industries to showcase and celebrate design excellence. At ZEE5, the endeavor has always been to enhance platform experience through multiple touchpoints where design plays an integral role in the final product offerings. We are thankful to our partners for bringing together the most talented minds in the creative industry, leading the way towards a new era of design brilliance.”
Kyoorius founder CEO Rajesh Kejriwal said, “Designyatra has always been a hub for creative stimulation. In 2023, this meant bringing together talented folks from all principles of design to create a cross-pollination of insights as a first in the industry. The Kyoorius Design Awards 2023 similarly pushed the envelope by recognizing the best of Indian Design and paving the path for the future. ZEE5’s commitment to fueling design thinking in India, and boosting the young generation manifested brilliantly at the conference through AR/VR experiences, capturing the Typography excellence in film, and workshopping for Responsible Design.”
Experience zone:
ZEE5 witnessed an encouraging response from the participants at the AR/VR zone as they put their imagination to test to design movie characters virtually. The on-ground contest saw an enthusiastic turnaround from the audiences to create avatars basis the plot of content titles. Further an illuminating experience was created at ‘Lite Bright’ where participants used coloured glowsticks to create patterns of their choice. The ‘Kyoorius Young Blood Awards’ segment was unveiled as part of ZEE5’s ongoing commitment to nurturing emerging creative talents, dedicated to fostering the next generation of innovators and artists.
Sessions by ZEE5 Senior Management
Vatsal Chaoji, head of product design from the ZEE Tech and Innovation Centre did an interactive session on ‘Responsible Design for OTT’ reflecting on the significance of ethical design attuned to consumer lifestyle and consumption patterns. The session opened discussions on the varied facets of responsible design, the current landscape of digital product experiences which necessitates intervention and regulations. The role of AI and creativity in marking the next phase of entertainment experiences on streaming platforms.
ZEE5 creative director Vipul Salve conducted an insightful session titled ‘The Futura of Cinema is Gotham!’ which was a huge hit amongst the young crowd, where they engaged in an enticing conversation on how typography helped change the course of Cinema over the decades. Tracing the evolution of cinema and typography- hand-in-hand, the attendees explored right from the history of hand drawn title logos of single screen eras to the impactful legible typography that is consumed constantly by everyone today on OTT.
The event saw attendance from students, industry veterans and designers from across geographies, who came together to celebrate design and discuss fresh narratives to match the flux of life, with ZEE5 at the forefront. Designyatra is a truly anti-disciplinary conference, hosting designers from the fields of graphic, interior, product, industrial, furniture, and many more.
iWorld
Serena Menon Netflix’s head of PR exits, likely to join Prime Video & Amazon MGM
After seven years at Netflix, India PR chief moves to Amazon’s studio fold
MUMBAI: Serena Menon is turning the page on a seven year run at Netflix, stepping down as director, public relations, India to join Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios.
Her exit comes shortly after Das moved on as head, brand PR, prime video Apac, signalling a wider shuffle within Amazon’s streaming communications set up.
At Netflix, Menon most recently led the India publicity team, shaping the streamer’s reputation in one of its most competitive markets. As director, public relations, India, she oversaw strategy, brand positioning and high impact earned campaigns for both homegrown originals and international titles.
Before that, she served as director, photo and av studio, asia pacific, managing creative teams across India, Japan, Korea, Australia and New Zealand, Taiwan and Southeast Asia. The brief was ambitious: craft the story behind the story and strengthen title campaigns with compelling visual narratives.
Her Netflix journey began in 2018 as manager, visual communications, India. She later became India lead, photo and av studio, building the team from scratch and putting in place the processes that helped scale operations in a fast growing market.
Prior to streaming, Menon built her editorial credentials at Elle Magazine as managing editor and associate editor, leading film and lifestyle coverage while collaborating on brand led initiatives. She earlier spent over six years at Hindustan Times, rising through roles including staff writer, senior staff writer, principal correspondent and assistant editor.
With a career that bridges newsroom rigour and global brand storytelling, Menon now steps into Amazon’s studio fold at a time when streaming competition is only getting sharper. Her next chapter promises to be as closely watched as the premieres she once publicised.
