Event Coverage
Promaxbda India 2018 announces Puja Vohra and Glenn Urquhart as their masterclass speakers
MUMBAI: PromaxBDA India has announced its first 2 Masterclass speakers for the 15th edition of its annual conference and awards property in India, which will take place on 23rd May 2018. Speaking at the Masterclass are truTV’s Puja Vohra and creative mastermind Glenn Urquhart.
As Executive Vice-President for Marketing and Digital of truTV, Puja Vohra is responsible for creating and implementing some of the channel’s most innovative campaigns that were successful in expanding the truTV brand. Puja has also effectively launched several shows such as The Glee project, Project Runway, Top Chef and The Real Housewives franchise, during her stint with Oxygen Media and Bravo Media.
During her Masterclass, Puja will break down the award winning #TruTVIsAThing campaign- how she and her team took on an army of twitter trolls and won! According to Puja, her session- Know Thyself (and be as funny as hell), will help you understand how to “tap into the power of great, real-time self-aware social media content”.
The multi-disciplined Glenn Urquhart comes with experience in copywriting, direction, music production, journalism and commercials. As ex-creative director at Foxtel, he created some of the most awarded work in Australian television promotion with launches for Grand Designs Australia and Embarrassing Bodies Down Under. He also positioned The Lifestyle Channel’s Australia multi-platform brand as the country’s first totally modular, infinite colour trend-led branding design system.
Glenn’s session Curiosity Skilled the Cat promises to reveal a secret formula to an effective creative. Speaking about his session, Glenn says, “You can expect a huge shot in the arm, its basically about creative inspiration. There will be a robust discussion about what makes a good creative. Because a good creative doesn’t happen in a vacuum. You’ll be able to put some simple things into practice that will lead to better creative thinking, that are actually pretty simple and they’re fun!”
The Masterclass sessions follow the much sought after Bootcamp workshop: THE TIME [V]ACHINE, which is scheduled to take place on 22nd May 2018, at Indian School of Design and Innovation, Mumbai. The TIME [V]ACHINE offers to be a unique drill where three hardcore creative geniuses: Rob Middleton, Arnab Chaudhuri and Pete Bishop come together and dive into the technicalities of creating promos that are versatile and relevant for all platforms.
Event Coverage
Anime India announces Amazon MX Player as co-presenting partner for Anime India Kolkata 2026
MUMBAI: Riding high on the success of its blockbuster Mumbai debut, Anime India is accelerating its nationwide expansion with the announcement of Amazon MX Player as the co-presenting partner for Anime India Kolkata. The partnership marks a significant step forward in the festival’s mission to deliver large-scale, accessible, and fan-first anime experiences across the country.
Scheduled for 14 and 15 February 2026 at the iconic Biswa Bangla Mela Prangan, Anime India Kolkata will launch the first regional chapter of what is set to be a year-long, multi-city tour. As the curtain-raiser for the 2026 circuit, the Kolkata edition aims to fuse the energy of global Japanese pop culture with India’s fast-growing community of anime, manga, and pop-culture fans.
A household name in digital entertainment, Amazon MX Player brings unmatched reach and cultural relevance to the Anime India platform. With its expanding focus on anime and youth-driven content, Amazon MX Player’s involvement as co-presenting partner reinforces Anime India’s vision of making anime culture more inclusive breaking barriers of language, geography, and accessibility to connect with fans nationwide.
Anime India Kolkata 2026 will showcase cosplay competitions, interactive zones led by the Indian Gunpla Community, India-39 Vocaloid Community, The Japan Curry, and Adda-o-Otaku by The Otaku Guild. Fans can join tournaments across fighting games, Pokémon VGC, and more. Acclaimed Japanese director Susumu Mitsunaka (Haikyu!!) will attend as guest of honour, appearing in panels and live sessions. Positioned as an immersive celebration of fan culture and industry collaboration, the Kolkata edition marks the beginning of Anime India’s nationwide expansion.
Sharing their perspective on the partnership, Amazon MX Player director Aruna Daryanani expressed, “Anime in India has evolved from a niche interest into a mainstream cultural movement, driven by an increasingly engaged and passionate fanbase. At Amazon MX Player, our focus is on expanding access by bringing anime to audiences across the country for free and in multiple local languages. Our association with Anime India reflects our commitment to supporting the growth of anime in India and deepening connections with fans, while continuing to build Amazon MX Player as a trusted destination for free, high-quality entertainment.”
“Anime India Kolkata is a celebration of how anime has grown beyond entertainment into a powerful cultural and creative force. By bringing fans, creators, and industry leaders onto one shared platform, the festival is helping define the future of pop culture in India,” said Anime India co-founder and director Neha Mehta.
The debut edition of Anime India 2025 in Mumbai attracted over 29,000 fans, quickly cementing its status as a landmark celebration of anime and Japanese pop culture. Riding on this overwhelming response, the Kolkata chapter is projected to draw more than 40,000 visitors across two days, positioning it as one of the biggest anime conventions ever held in eastern India.
Anime India is focused on bringing together fans from across the country to create a truly pan-India celebration of anime, manga, cosplay, gaming, and Japanese culture. With plans to expand into four key metropolitan hubs in 2026—east (Kolkata), north (Delhi), west (Mumbai), and south (Hyderabad)—the festival seeks to deliver globally benchmarked experiences while supporting and uplifting creators, artists, and fan communities throughout India.
