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Maya Digital Studios to launch In-Studio Training on 11 August
MUMBAI: Maya Digital Studios, the studio that pioneered the art and technology of animation and visual effects in India in the 1990s, has started yet another ‘industry first‘ initiative where young animation, VFX & 3D stereoscopy professionals will undergo advanced training based on a Studio Ready Training Modules with employment at Maya‘s studio facilities in Mumbai and Goa. The, initiative by Maya called ‘Maya In Studio Training‘ (MIST), will be formally launched on 11 August in Mumbai.
Elaborating about MIST, Maya co-founder and director Deepa Sahi said, “Our focus at Maya has always been on artists and I‘m proud to say that even after so many years Maya is the dream place to be for any animation and visual effects artist- as the saying goes- “Your work is as good as the person behind the machine”.
We are therefore committed to nurturing the men and women ‘behind‘ the machine! Hence we are now starting with the facility for a dedicated in studio training facility within the studio to create studio ready artists, who have the right blend of creativity & production skills.”
Earlier, Maya had launched an academic training institute and created over 50000 animation and visual effects professionals in the Indian industry. At that time, the industry was new in India training was critical, which is when Maya decided to launch the training facility to create an animation and visual effects ecosystem in the country.
Elaborately, talking about MIST, Maya chairman & managing director Ketan Mehta stated, “As the training industry evolved for Animation & Visual Effects the focus shifted from creating artists to mass production. Thus, there was no focus on teaching them the studio skills and production processes to create consummate Techno-Artists in this field.
With Maya In Studio Training, MIST we are all set to fill in this gap that exists between Animation & Visual Effects training and the studio environment, between ‘knowing‘ and ‘doing‘. Freshers will work with studio veterans and learn while working on live projects at MIST.”
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Inshorts Group chief Deepit Purkayastha joins IAB video council for Southeast Asia and India
The co-founder and chief executive of the short-form content platform has been inducted into the IAB SEA+India Video Council, giving India a stronger voice in shaping digital video frameworks
NOIDA: India has long been the world’s most chaotic, multilingual and mobile-first digital market. Now, one of its most prominent short-video executives is getting a seat at the table where the rules are written.
Deepit Purkayastha, co-founder and chief executive of Inshorts Group, has been selected as a member of the IAB SEA+India Video Council for 2026. Run by the Interactive Advertising Bureau, the council brings together senior leaders from Southeast Asia and India to shape standards, best practices and measurement frameworks for the fast-evolving video and digital advertising ecosystem.
The timing is pointed. According to the IAMAI-Kantar Internet in India Report 2025, over 588 million Indians are now consuming short-video content, with growth increasingly driven by rural and non-metro audiences. India’s active internet user base has crossed 950 million, with 57 per cent of users now coming from rural markets. Yet the frameworks that govern how video consumption is measured and monetised were largely designed for single-language, Western markets and have struggled to keep pace with the scale, diversity and complexity of India’s digital landscape.
Purkayastha is no stranger to these debates. He already serves on the AI Council at Marketing and Media Alliance India and as co-chair of the Digital Entertainment Committee at the Internet and Mobile Association of India. His induction into the IAB SEA+India Video Council extends that influence into the global video standards arena.
Inshorts Group sits squarely at the intersection of these forces. Its flagship product, Inshorts, India’s highest-rated short news app, reaches 12 million active users with 60-word news summaries. Its sister platform, Public App, reaches 80 million monthly active users across more than 700 districts and 12 languages, serving communities that most global platforms barely register.
Purkayastha said the opportunity was about building something more representative. “India today sits at the centre of the global video ecosystem, but the frameworks that define how value is created and measured have not always kept pace with the realities of our market,” he said. “Being part of the IAB SEA+India Video Council is an opportunity to contribute to a more representative and future-ready approach, one that accounts for diversity in language, context, and user intent.”
As a council member, Purkayastha will contribute to shaping regional standards across video advertising, measurement and platform governance, with a focus on frameworks that are native to India’s multilingual, mobile-first ecosystem rather than imported from global benchmarks designed elsewhere.
For years, India has been content to play by rules written for other markets. Purkayastha’s induction is a signal that it is done waiting to be consulted and ready to start writing them.
