AgTalk | Running a co. is always a challenge: Frames Production's Hemant Ruprell

Frames Production Company Pvt. Ltd., since its inception in 2011, has held a major stake in Indian television with respect to the non-fictional category comprising of national talent hunt shows, unscripted reality TV shows, chat shows, advertiser funded programs and live events. This company is the brain-child of two professionals of the industry viz. Hemant Ruprell & Ranjeet Thakur who came together to form a production house of their own.  To this production house goes the credit of producing the highest rated non-fiction shows in the past 2 years.

With over 10 years of experience in the Media & Entertainment industry, Hemant Ruprell has been proficient in heading and managing non-fiction projects, shows and events from diverse genres. He has worked as a Project Head (non-fiction) for ZEE TV for over 6 years and prior to that as an event connoisseur with Wizcraft. His expertise in managing the creative and production needs along with tending to every requirement needed for the successful closure of an assignment is noteworthy. Experience has made him extremely quality conscious and that stands out in the work that has been produced till date.

Adgully caught up with Hemant Ruprell, one of the Founder members along with Ranjeet Thakur, Frames Production Company Pvt. Ltd to know more about his journey at the company and understand his view point about the growing industry. Some excerpts of the interaction:

Adgully (AG): You have been associated with the entertainment industry since quite some time now, what prompted you to venture into this production house?

Hemant Ruprell (HR): While doing a job, there comes a point in everyone’s career where one feels the need for creative freedom and a space and one’s own vision and belief can make a difference.  The best way one can achieve what he aspires to do is by getting into entrepreneurial responsibilities. Here you focus precisely on your vision and specific goals.

AG: With respect to the non-fictional category comprising of national talent hunt shows, unscripted reality TV shows, chat shows, advertiser funded programs and live events, as per your understanding what shape has the entertainment industry taken since the last few years?

HR: There has been a paradigm shift in the way entertainment is being consumed by audiences. Today remote has become the best friend of a viewer who has more options than he can consume. From a phase where 3-5 channels ruled the remote in every household, today viewer is the King. Even the pattern of likes and dislikes keeps evolving all the time. Understanding of audiences has gone up drastically. From a period where epics/mythos were the most accepted content, it changed to daily soaps and family dramas, then reality shows became the flavor and now the most accepted are real life shows that depict love/crime/reality/Live events.

AG: Frames is the brain child of two professionals of the industry i.e yourself and Ranjeet Thakur. Please elaborate as to how your vision and team efforts have led Frames to be in the position it is in today.

HR: At some stage in their career every professional in this industry dreams about being a content creator by creating a brand of his own. Similarly we too had a thought to create space for ourselves and be one of the best content creation company in the industry.  This happened for us in the form of FRAMES.  We realized the fact in advance that if we are to create space for ourselves, we will have to specialize in the way talent shows are being made and reinvent what is predictable. Our vision was always to get the best creative minds around and not necessarily the big ones. We strongly believe that every individual has a creative bone, but it needs to be groomed and given an opportunity. We have been able to achieve this to a large extent by making it a creative hub and not just a production house. This is evident with the results of shows that Frames has delivered till date.

AG: Share some of your best works that have made you proud till date.

HR: DID Lil Master – The finale of the show delivered a TRP of 8, which is unheard of in the recent years in non-fiction.
Digital Content – We created 2 full-fledged non-fiction formats of 15 weeks for digital platforms. They are Hungama.com & Artistaloud.com – the former a chat show and latter a singing show. It was a new space for reality show content.
Nach Baliye Season 5 – created a lot of buzz in 2013 by achieving the average season TVR of 3 which is highest avg TVR for a completed non-fiction show as of date amongst all shows across all channels.

AG: Please take us through the unique features of your production house?

HR: It is a small knit team which is a creative hub and not just a production house; it is a team of young and dynamic people. We believe in picking people with raw talent and grooming them into creative professionals. This makes the team very emotional about the company and the shows that they own.

AG: Any challenges you faced in terms of expertise or skills while venturing into this industry? 

HR: Starting and running a company is always a challenge, especially for those who have been employed in regular jobs earlier in their career. At all levels one comes across different types of people who don’t trust you initially and doubt your ability and potential. We have been fortunate that our work has spoken for us.

AG: Since the launch of Frames Production house how would you view its growth? 

HR: The company has made significant progress since its inception. We have some successful shows in our kitty like DID, Nach Baliye etc.

AG: Please share your views on the digital and social media and how it has contributed to the growth of your company?

HR: Nowadays Digital and Social media have become very powerful tools in the entertainment industry. The number of users on social media is increasing every second. It serves as a way to get connected with each and every customer. It provides a vivid space for you to understand your audience and serve them with elegance.

Frames Production Company Pvt. Ltd is a fast-growing independent production house with a portfolio incorporating shows like Dance India Dance Season 3, DID L’il Masters Season 2 & Dance ke Superkids and Nach Baliye Season 5 in the main GEC space. Their forayed into the regional space with “Mrs. Annapurna” a cooking show & “MAD” a kids dance show on ETV Marathi. Content which required a colossal dedication and application of precise sources at the exact places has been proven to be activated successfully harmonizing with the high standards.