Talent Next is India’s leading on-line platform that connects all forms of talent (e.g. actors/models, dancers, musicians, voiceovers, etc.) to the casting community for films, televisions shows, commercial ad films, digital content and web series, live events, theatre (performing arts) and other formats of entertainment. Team Estrade spoke to Shekhar Purohit, CEO – Talent Next. to get insights into the dynamics of talent sourcing in the entertainment industry. Shekhar has an experience of more than 16 years in the Media and Entertainment industry. He graduated with honors in Biomedical Engineering and Economics from Northwestern University, and has an MBA from the University of Chicago, Booth School of Business. He is also an occasional speaker and adjunct professor at Stanford University’s Rock Center for Corporate Governance. Following are the excerpts of the interview.
About Talent Next
Casting professionals list an audition or job for free of cost while being able to manage applications and browse through talents profiles online. Talent can sign up for free and create a basic profile on the platform. For a small monthly fee, they can upgrade to a tiered membership model that allows for unlimited access to casting opportunities, a higher level of status on the “trending or verified profile, and additional storage for photos, videos, and audio files to the profile. Talent Next’s mission is to build professionalism and transparency in the industry while ensuring that each talent can control their destiny while pursuing their dreams. From a business reality perspective, Talent Next will make sure that all performers can get the right information needed to succeed in the entertainment business from what makes a great headshot to which acting and dancing coach inspires you to which audition may be good for them.
The entertainment talent industry is still very unorganized, your take on the same?
The Indian Entertainment talent industry has come a long way and scouting for talent has evolved through the years. Unfortunately, Talent spotting still relies heavily on a mix of factors- Luck, hard-work, networking etc., thus making this very unsystematic and bias. TalentNext was born as a solution to this prominent problem, aiming to make the entertainment talent industry accessible and methodical.
Kindly tell us a bit about your funding.
TalentNext has received seed funding of $1 million in a round led by Karanpal Singh, Founder and MD- Hunch ventures. The latest funding has proved quite beneficial for the platform, as we have succeeded in creating an end-to-end ecosystem across metropolitans. We are planning to use this funding to support the plan of expansion in Tier II & III cities and enhance our technology.
How has your journey been with TalentNext so far?
As a CEO, my expertise is in strategy development with focus on startups and in films, fashion, lifestyle, media, entertainment and mobile banking. Being a graduate of Northwestern University, University of Chicago Booth School of Business, and a part-time guest lecturer at Stanford University, I have worked extensively in launching companies, securing seed funding, series A funding and beyond.
My entry into entertainment came in 2011, when I was the Board Advisor to numerous firms in Los Angles, including, Sony, Universal, Lionsgate, and Viacom. In 2013, I moved to Mumbai to be the MD of Lionsgate. More recently, I launched two additional ventures, both of which cumulated in successful exits.
Tell us few success stories from TalentNext.
TalentNext outfits opportunities in various genres in the entertainment industry and has had a number of success stories in the first few months itself. Users on TalentNext have landed different jobs in the entertainment industry ranging from actors, make-up artists, DOPs, cameramen and many more.
Few to mention where the users have been placed in:
- Crime Diaries Web series from the makers of Crime Patrol.
- Viral video for YouTube
- Jio Digital commercial
- Taj-Uber digital commercial
So TalentNext is a Job Portal for Entertainment Industry?
Yes and no. Yes, we are listing site for entertainment roles, however, we are also an online casting community for films, television shows, commercial ad films, live events, theatre and other formats of entertainment. It is a portal for recruiters, agents and talents to come face-to-face in the comfort of their own home in their own city.
Number of Talent (in number), regarding on your website and the way forward?
Ever since the launch of TalentNext in July 2016, the portal has garnered approximately 21,800 members and 1000-1200 jobs, with a database of another 25,000 talents that need to be verified and uploaded. TalentNext registers approximately 75 Net casting opportunities a day.
“We aim to make entertainment talent industry accessible”, Shekhar Purohit, CEO – Talent Next
