By Brie Dorsey
New Partnership With Cinema Capital Venture Fund and Tantrik Group Gives Virgin Platform and Resources to Create Television and Film Content For One of the World’s Fastest Growing Audiences
Los Angeles, Nov. 18, 2013 – Virgin Produced announced today that it has entered into a groundbreaking partnership with Cinema Capital Venture Fund and Tantrik Group to launch Virgin Produced India, a creative content company that will specifically cater to the youthful and fast-growing Hindi-speaking population. Based in Mumbai, Virgin Produced India promises to be a game-changing addition to the thriving Indian entertainment industry, with a full service operation that will develop, produce and distribute Bollywood films and remake Hollywood content for Indian audiences.
Virgin Produced, which was launched in 2010, quickly made a name for itself as an iconoclast in the film and television industry with projects like 2011’s “Limitless” starring Bradley Cooper and Robert DeNiro. Most recently, the company’s groundbreaking music- infused safety video for Virgin America went viral, receiving more than 5 million hits on YouTube. Virgin Produced India will bring this unique brand of youthful and irreverent content, along with a socially driven marketing focus to the Indian market, where more than half the population is under the age of 25.
“For the last several years, Virgin Produced has started to change the Hollywood mindset by developing a new way of doing business,” remarked Jason Felts, Founder & CEO of Virgin Produced. “We know how to reach a younger demographic. And we are going to take our unique and successful business model and expand it in Bollywood and throughout India.”
Virgin Produced India will also serve as a place where Indian artists can develop content without creative restrictions. From its beginnings as a successful music label, the Virgin brand has long been known for its artist-oriented approach to the production process. This new venture will leverage the Virgin brand to attract India’s best creative talent and provide them with the tools to bring their most inspired work to Indian audiences.
Virgin Produced India will be partnering with Tantrik Group, a Los Angeles based Media and Entertainment asset management firm and Cinema Capital Venture Fund, the biggest movie funding company in India. This alliance will provide Virgin Produced with the resources it needs to expand its reach and make its Bollywood operation successful.
Cinema Capital India has been responsible for producing and distributing some of Bollywood’s most successful recent box office hits, including films such as Dabangg 2 (3rd highest earning Bollywood film of all-time at the domestic Box Office) and Krrish 3 (which is on target for record revenues at the domestic B.O, currently being declared a ‘Blockbuster’, and has so far earned over ?246 crore worldwide).
Jas Mann, Managing Director and Partner at Tantrik Group and Virgin Produced India stated, “We are delighted to partner with Virgin, one of the most recognized and respected lifestyle brands in the world, through an extension of one of its most exciting brands, Virgin Produced, a company that from its inception has quickly garnered significant industry attention for the quality content it has been behind in the US market. For Virgin Produced India, connecting to the youth of India is the most significant partnership we can build.”
“We are excited to partner with Virgin Produced in India,” added Samir Gupta, Managing Director, Cinema Capital India. “With our experience and extensive network in Indian entertainment and media businesses, and Virgin’s knowledge of creative content, we can make Virgin Produced India a huge success.”
For years, the Virgin brand has been a popular one in the Hindi-speaking world. Virgin Mobile and Virgin Atlantic have operated successfully in the region for years. Now those same consumers will be able to see Virgin products on their televisions and movie screens. Virgin Produced India will be perfectly positioned to tap into this enormous market with its new creative content offerings in Hindi, as well as remakes of popular Hollywood films and television programs.
“At Virgin, we try to infuse everything we do – whether it’s in the music, travel, or telecommunications industry – with a sense of entrepreneurialism, innovation and fun,” said Richard Branson, Founder of Virgin Group. “Virgin Produced brought those qualities to the entertainment industry, and now with the launch of Virgin Produced India, we’re bringing them to one of the world’s youngest and fastest-growing audiences.”
