MUMBAI: He has donned numerous hats. From selling space in Yellow Pages to being a member of a political party, Sameer Nair has had a volatile career.
The former Star India CEO is now all set to join Ekta Kapoor’s Balaji Telefilms as Group CEO.
On 15 July, Nair attended the board of directors meet and will take full -charge from today.
Nair said, "I have enjoyed a wonderful association with the Kapoor family since 2000 following the launch of the hugely successful 'K-series' on Star Plus and later with their shows on Imagine. Undoubtedly the team has done a remarkable job of creating one of the most vibrant entities in content generation. The M&E industry is currently at a very dynamic stage and will continue to present several exciting opportunities across all segments, heralding significant change in times to come. I am delighted to have the opportunity of being a part of an extremely exciting business at one of India’s most pioneering, creative and talented media houses. Given BTL's several strengths as a business, it is very well poised to capitalise on emerging growth prospects. I look forward to working together with Ekta, Shobhaji and the team, in driving strategic initiatives, furthering the Group's vision of being regarded as an innovative entertainment powerhouse and enhancing value for all stakeholders."
Balaji Telefilms MD Shobha Kapoor added, "We are delighted to have Mr. Nair joining the Balaji family. Sameer brings with him immense and diverse experience in the media and entertainment industry and an acknowledged record of content innovation, business leadership besides being an excellent resource unifier. Over the last several years we have built an unparalleled franchise in creation of television content and have also developed a very strong brand equity within the film production segment. We are excited that Mr. Nair possesses the same passion for entertainment as us and we look forward to him further reinforcing Balaji's inherent strengths in both segments and driving the Company's growth & expansion strategies to help us scale greater heights."
Nair who was very vocal about his association with Aam Admi Party (AAP) started his TV career in 1994 where he began as a director-producer for Star Movies, Star's English movie channel. In 2000, his career as well as Star reached higher peaks with Kaun Banega Crorepati which helped take Star Plus from number three position to number one.
Soon, he was given the charge of the network as CEO. But it was short lived as he quit the company after 13 years of association in 2003.
After that, he joined NDTV's new joint venture with Karan Johar's Dharma Productions as CEO. As part of the JV, he was involved in launching NDTV Imagine, the Hindi GEC in November 2007. However, the channel didn’t do well and was shut in 2012.
Since then, Nair has been busy as independent media entrepreneur and been making frequent trips to Delhi to support and contribute in AAP's communication strategy.
