#fame, aiming to be Asia's premier talent led digital entertainment network

#fame has set the ball rolling on being Asia’s premier talent led digital entertainment network. Catering to mobile millenials through an integrated ‘talent-first’ strategy, #fame’s network will straddle over 5,000 channels and 50,000 content creators across 6 countries over the next 3 years. #fame strategically focuses on emerging and established talent to promote them and build engaged digital communities around them. The brand’s identity further underscores its appeal as a democratic force and an ever-expanding network of talent.

Apart from building digital video channels with emerging and celebrity talent, #fame’s content will center around digital IPs created through high impact tentpole properties, innovative digital shows and formats in genres such as food, fashion, music, comedy and technology. #fame has adopted a multi-platform approach in distribution with strong presence across all digital and social platforms including YouTube, Facebook, WeChat etc. #fame will monetize by helping brands reach and engage audiences through customized solutions spanning talent-based content, properties and digital video services.

#fame’s ‘talent-first’ agenda will be strengthened by its multi-tier talent management program, which is designed to help talent grow their digital presence and evolve as performers. #fame will work with signed-up talent to deliver a wide suite of services, benefits and revenue opportunities. The network is also focusing on building technology-based solutions to aid talent in content publishing and monetization.

As part of its talent discovery initiatives, #fame also announced a slew of digital tentpole properties aimed at identifying emerging talent in the fashion, music, comedy and food spaces. This includes ‘School of Style’, India’s first online hunt for top stylists with celebrated entertainment and fashion icon, Karan Johar as host, judge and mentor. Apart from ‘School of Style’, other digital properties announced by #fame include ‘Websinger’ which seeks out promising young singing talent, ‘Gang No.1’, a search for top comedy collectives and the second season of ‘Webchef’, the country’s largest online hunt for amateur chefs. Apart from these impact properties, #fame also announced its upcoming slate of digital shows and channels with emerging and celebrity talent. Celebrities that have signed up with #fame include TV star Maria Goretti, child comic star Saloni, top model, actress and fashionista Anusha Dandekar, celebrity chef Ajay Chopra, singing sensation Shibani Kashyap and style guru VJ Andy. #fame also has channels with fitness icon and fashion model Milind Soman and renowned sports commentator Harsha Bhogle.

#fame’s talent strategy will also include crowdsourcing platforms focused on emerging talent. #fame has partnered exclusively with Blogmint, a fast growing network of bloggers and social influencers, to act as an engine for talent inflow. Blogmint currently has 5,000 content creators in its network and this figure is expected to reach 10,000 by the end of the year. To further aid talent discovery, #fame is building a network of alliances with talent hubs such as comedy clubs, film & music schools, art and culinary academies.

Speaking on this development, Puneet Johar, MD, TO THE NEW Ventures said, “Video is the new language of consumer internet. It is combining powerfully with the smartphone explosion and the rise of social sharing across screens to inspire a new wave of talent. At TO THE NEW, we have built a strong ecosystem of digital businesses well positioned to create value in such a landscape. We are very excited about #fame and are confident that it will have a defining influence in the space”

Adding further, Saket Saurabh, CEO, #fame said “Talent-first is at the core of #fame’s philosophy. We believe that digital video and mobile are democratizing entertainment fundamentally and emerging talent will be the stars in this paradigm shift. We want to be the leading catalyst of this change in the region”

#fame has identified 6 key markets in South-East Asia to build local digital video businesses. These include Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Philippines apart from India. TO THE NEW Ventures, the parent company of #fame, has a strong strategic presence in these markets through digital businesses focused on the SMACK space (Social, Mobile, Digital Marketing, Analytics, Content, Knowledge & Technology).