Here's the one who beat the Angry Birds

She is a fun person and it shows in her varied interests. A gaming enthusiast and co-founder of a digital media company, P R Jayashree still manages to make time for sports, discovers Deepthi MR.

Her spirit is that of a little child, her enthusiasm and zeal inspiring. She is an odd-woman-out in a man’s world, and yet, fits in perfectly well. P R Jayashsree has outdone every man who has claimed authority in the gaming            industry.

A digital media professional with over two decades of experience and a brief stint as a 3D animator, she co-founded Nextwave Multimedia Private Limited with her brother Rajendran. “What started as a focused corporate videos filming, animation, production, and post-production company is now one of the best in its league and has entered the world of gaming as well,” says Jayashree.

Since 1997, her company has grown to a 70-member talented team that thrives on fun. However, for Jayashree, there is no fun without a challenge involved. “We have now shifted our focus to mobile gaming and apps, and most of our clients are in the US and UK. There are times when we would get a simple one-liner from our client about what they want and we would come out with something special for them,” says this forty-something entrepreneur.

A workaholic and gaming enthusiast, Jayashree has had her share of ups and downs, but she says they never bogged her down.

“I used to work for two or three days sometimes at a stretch with just an hour of sleep! Recently, an employee mentioned to me that I worked from 8.30am to 1am. We were self-funded and we ploughed in what we earned. We worked hard. Very hard,” she says proudly. Not surprising, given that she dons multiple roles in the company such as animator, services team leader, client servicing and international business development.

Imagine an app which could make       storytelling, homework, comic making, blogging all fun! That is exactly what Jayashree wanted and achieved with Comicshead in 2007- an app that is so versatile that it has been recommended by a host of people and companies. It was in 2010, with Nokia’s “calling all innovators” competition, that Jayashree began tasting success with this app. “We stood first in the competition, and Angry Birds, which was and is popular among mobile gaming, stood second. It was then that we realised the potential of Comicshead,” she              reminisces, happily.

It was not until Comic Con Fest happened in Bangalore that the local markets recognised Nextwave. “The responses were amazing in Bangalore as our stall was different from the others. We had a great reception and this also helped us introduce the app to Indian market". Following this, the app has become popular among many other games by Nextwave in the western markets.

“Android4schools, speechtechie.com, funducationalapp.com, have all recommended this app for making teaching a fun experience for kids. ecucatiorstechnology.com ranked Nextwave’s Comicshead among top three apps for creating comic strips,” says Jayashree.

Jayashree does not feel like the odd one in a herd of gamers. To her, it is exhilarating to know that people across the world respect her. “When I go for meetings or participate in competitions, people do look at me as if I’m in the wrong place. But when you go there with a business plan and you do just that, you receive the accolades and respect,” she maintains.

Apart from aceing the gaming market, Jayashree is an active sportsperson, who is passionate about swimming and rowing.

In fact, she participated in World Masters Rowing Championship in Canada in 2010.
She even won a gold medal in double scull event at the Amateur Rowing Association of the East (ARAE) and The Far East Amateur Rowing Association (FEARA) Championship held in Colombo, Sri Lanka 2011. And now, she is pursuing basketball with a keen interest.

Talk about being game to things!