MBA graduates in the film industry? Why not

The film and entertainment industry has much to offer a management graduate. Ashwin from Bengaluru is one of the firsts in the country to start thinking along these lines.

After working with a conventional job in an IT company Ashwin took off on a tangent and ventured into sharpening his skills in management. “I wanted to improve my proto managerial skills. Passionate about the entertainment sector I got into a film distribution firm,” he says.

“We were the official distributors of NBC universal studios for Karnataka. We have released big films,” Ashwin says.

“Presently, that academic and professional touch is missing in many film production hubs in India,” says N R Sudhir, managing partner at an entertainment firm.

“Many producers lose money by wrong choices like production practices, the timing of the release, channels of distribution, which leads to wastage in terms of money, time and efforts. With the right professional touch, these losses could be averted to a great extent,” Sudhir told DH Careers.

"In fact, the entire process — right from looking for a good storyline, scripting, casting, finding locations, settings and the choice of studios and managing the shooting and the release dates — needs a professional touch," he adds.

Faculty at the Indian Institutes Of Management also say that niche areas like the film industry is new ground that they would like to get involved in.

Ashwin has also dabbled in acting to get to know the industry better.

“When I was involved in the release of a movie, another film production company offered me a role in a series. To understand the business end-to-end, I tried this part too. I got a chance to act in a serial. Subsequently, I acted in two more serials. I thoroughly enjoyed being an artist and connecting with people,” Ashwin says.

With the boom of the OTT sector, there are increased opportunities for management professionals.

Rise of OTT

"The OTT segment is a new entry and it has the potential to change the film industry. Producers and production companies have this," says Chitra Pai, a manager at a film company in Mumbai. "It could be more successful if few management traits are infused, particularly in OTT, with an eye for profitability" Chitra says.

The demand for professional management is on the rise because there is reduced scope for bungling things in the industry. The slightest miscalculation in terms of finances, logistics and production and the money can quickly disappear, taking the producer with it.

So it is better to have qualified managers in place.

'Manage expectations'

The film industry is a big-budget industry, but management graduates entering it have to manager their expectations. Established film producing companies like Eros in India, Warner Brothers, Columbia, Sony, 20th century Fox are expected to match the industry standards at Rs 18-24 lakhs per annum. But a more discerning graduate may even get a greater share of the pie, considering the kind of money that successful films make.

One of the key aspects to success it to be passionate about the industry.

"They should be able to gel with every kind of functionary on the field to get a better picture of the industry. And every film that is made is different in its appeal to the audience. A management graduate must keep this in mind" says Vignesh Varambally, faculty at a management school.

Currently, the film industry is mainly centered around Hyderabad, Mumbai, Chennai, Thiruvananthapuram and Bengaluru. With Uttar Pradesh announcing the development of a film city, there are chances that of new horizons opening up.