MUMBAI: The newly appointed Nimbus MD and CEO Dr Akash Khurana has already starting initiating the process of making Nimbus a "creative powerhouse" as well as "lean, mean and keen" - the new Nimbus mantra.
Buoyed with the success that Nimbus achieved in the last financial year - a turnover of Rs 1.5 billion that was partly due to the World Cup cricket deals - the company has plans to replicate the "successful sports marketing" model to other areas of operations.
Dr Khurana has created the road map for the next two or three years wherein growth will be driven by expanding the presence in the television sphere - especially in cable and satellite (C&S) channels in addition to Doordarshan's affiliate channels; expanding off-shore presence in international TV sales by leveraging the Nimbus catalogue and outsourcing other content from independent producers; and feature films involving collaborations with foreign partners. Sports will still remain a major area of focus.
Speaking to indiantelevision.com, Dr Khurana says: "It is critical that we expand our presence in the C&S space. I have plans to create a separate cell within Nimbus and bring in a lot of talent on board."
The mandate clearly is to convert novel ideals into content offerings that would be lapped by the audiences. However, Dr Khurana adds that he would ensure that every new project is backed by substantial research.
Dr Khurana is also bullish about the movie entertainment business. He has ambitious plans to tie-up with foreign production houses and make films that would have a global audience. Nimbus already has some projects on the floor - Sarhad Paar starring Sanjay Dutt, another Hindi film and a Telugu film starring Venkatesh. "We are aiming to emerge as a strong player in the motion picture business in the global arena. Already, we have a foothold in two of the most lucrative domestic film markets - Hindi films and Telugu films. The success that we have obtained in the field of sports, or rather cricket, will be replicated in the feature film arena."
Nimbus also has plans to set up satellite offices in several metros (apart from it's traditional strongholds in Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai).
"The vision is to consolidate our existing operations and develop revenues from new opportunities. We plan to grow exponentially. But, success isn't merely a graph on the wall that depicts growth and profits. Success has to create wealth that will make a useful contribution to the company even in the future," says Dr Khurana.
It looks as if the man in the driver's seat is seriously planning to carry on the good work of his predecessor. And to prove the point he was wearing a "Nimbuster" T-shirt while working in his office on a Saturday.
