Chase anatomy
By AKASH SHARMA CEO, Bulldog Entertainment I ain’t that Jack of the ‘all-work, no play’ fame. By good fortune, part of my profession deals with international television formats; which means that watching foreign productions online isn’t enough, visiting their sets abroad is necessary too! Usually, on acquiring an international show, one gets the ‘Format Bible’ of the property. But we at Bulldog insist that we actually see the Bible in real time i.e. by watching the production and interacting with the crew to know the format better. We later keep in touch with the team abroad, build a relationship and strive to build a successful franchise in the Indian territory. That might not sound like a lot but trust me, it is! Now quickly on to the ‘play’ part, I’ve been one of the privileged ones to visit the sets of uber-successful TV shows such as The Apprentice, The Contender, America’s Next Top Model… and have witnessed the grandeur of the People’s Choice Awards in the US. I say ‘privileged’ because all these shoots happen within tight security circles and usually no one outside of the cast and crew (celebrities too, in the case of PCAs) are allowed to attend. It’s a different ball game on ground. The setting, working atmosphere and the execution are poles apart from what we see back home and while watching the shoot and admiring its execution, one can’t stop wondering about the ‘localization’ process if this format were to be acquired. Since 2010, Ramit Bharti Mittal, co-founder of Bulldog Entertainment, and I have been invited to the US to watch the PCAs by Executive Producer Mark Burnett (of Survivor fame). The magnitude, legacy and philosophy of this 39-year old franchise is legendary. It didn’t take long for my left brain to say “This format is a perfect fit for India,” and we acquired the rights and launched the Indian PCAs in 2012. How? That’s a different story for another time! Now you might be thinking how am I equating ‘business’ tours with my ‘love to travel’ attitude? Of course, work takes prominence, but that needn’t restrict me after working hours, right? What better way to wind up official discussions than exploring the locales? So on one hand, when during The Apprentice shoot in NYC, I got to visit the Trump Tower (did I mention meeting the man himself and sitting on the chair from which he fires contestants?), on the other, I enjoyed Manhattan. And after Tyra Banks stunned one and all on the sets of America’s Next Top Model as host (and Executive Producer), I headed to admiring Hollywood. The People’s Choice Awards, since 2010, have been held annually at the Nokia Theatre. That’s where I got to explore Downtown L.A. and realise how different it is from West Hollywood or Manhattan or any other place that I have been to, for that matter. The mantra ‘Work Hard, Party Harder’ surely assumes another dimension if one is in the international TV showbiz! Feedback: asharma@bulldogindia.com
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