Petrina D’Rozario appointed as the COO of Purple Pebble Pictures

Mumbai: Purple Pebble Pictures announced the appointment of Petrina D’rozario as the Chief Operating Officer (COO). Purple Pebble Pictures is a production house set up by Priyanka Chopra and Dr. Madhu Chopra with an aim to produce good quality content across films within regional and mainstream, television and digital. 

Petrina, in her new role oversees the content that comes into Purple Pebble and identifies the right partners to work with who have the passion in the business of storytelling. Petrina would also help develop business across the verticals and over see the structure and working of day to day operations. Along with this, she will also be managing existing teams at Purple Pebble and manage and develop IP across the verticals.

Speaking about her new role, Petrina D’Rozario says, “WIFT India was a great platform for me to meet some amazing talent from the industry. I have personally met people who have had scripts and asked for help to meet the right producers. Hopefully I being in a position of whetting projects at Purple Pebble encourage some of these talented storytellers to reach out to me.

Priyanka Chopra has an entire team of women. In her own way, she looks out for the women in our industry and takes pride in girl-power. The same goes for Dr. Madhu Chopra, who is the CEO and I take pride in saying my bosses are women who are truly infusing.”

Commenting on the appointment, Dr. Madhu Chopra says, “Purple Pebble Pictures is a start up production house with the heart of a lion. Fearless to explore and work on films across genres and languages. We have just started and have already completed 2 feature films - BAM BAM BOL RAHA HAIN KASHI AND VENTILATOR. Our third film SARVANN is due to release in December. Petrina joins us at the crux of imbibing a corporate culture to our modus operandi and with her experience we hope Purple Pebble Pictures becomes a production house that has the working style of a corporate and heart of a home especially to talent that needs a platform to showcase their abilities.” 

Petrina has worked as a Producer on ad-films. Petrina spearheads the shaping of WIFT India (www.wift.co.in) and is responsible for the development of the chapter’s strategy, network and aim to enhance the visibility of women working in film & television. Today she sits on the board as the Founder President of WIFT India and on the International Board of WIFT (L.A) in the Communications and Marketing committee. Her first short film produced, ‘PYAAS’(2013) was selected in various international film festivals. Born and raised in Calcutta, Petrina was an all-rounder in school winning accolades. Her love for filmmaking made her take a year-long sabbatical during which she enrolled into South Seas Film School in New Zealand and graduated with a distinction & double major in documentary directing and producing. Ideating, developing, executing and marketing projects with efficiency are Petrina’s forte. She has been part of various co-productions for feature films, television and short films with Greece, Australia, New Zealand and India in the capacity of an associate producer, producer, executive producer, assistant director and creative director.

Viega Joins Hands with WASH United to Accomplish Mission of ‘Team Swachh Bharat’

~ First company from the sanitary industry in India to support Team Swachh Bharat initiative co-developed by WASH United and UNICEF ~

~ Viega enabling Team Swachh Bharat to distribute ‘Team Swachh Action Kits’ to 3,500 schools reaching 7,00,000 children ~

~ ’Team Swachh Bharat Action Kits’ – are innovative behaviour change tool kits that uses games and activities to promote good sanitation and hygiene habits among children through a playful learning approach ~

Mumbai, 17th November, 2016: ‘Team Swachh Bharat’, is an initiative co-developed by WASH United and UNICEF, in support of Government of India’s ‘Swachh Bharat Mission’. With the support of Viega - a German MNC operating in India and one of the world leaders in installation technology for sanitary and heating, ‘Team Swachh Bharat Action Kits’ will be provided to 3,500 schools across India. These play-based kits will enable nearly 7,00,000 children to improve the practice of sanitation and hygiene through games and activities.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the ‘Swachh Bharat Mission’ (SBM), a country-wide campaign for a clean India in August 2014. Under SBM initiative various programs are underway. One of the campaign’s ambitious goals is to provide access to toilet for every Indian by the 150th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi’s birth on 2nd  October 2019. Various NGOs along with government agencies are working on numerous fronts to implement SBM.

‘Team Swachh Bharat’ is one such initiative which was co-nitiated by WASH United and UNICEF, to create an India where everyone uses a toilet.  As the first company to join ‘Team Swachh Bharat’, Viega supports the distribution of ‘Team Swachh Bharat Action Kits’ to 3,500 schools, thereby reaching up to 7,00,000 children across India. This kit combines play-based learning with rule-based habit formation and engages children through daily and weekly activities throughout the academic year.

“We are sure that the WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) in school component under ‘Team Swachh Bharat’ will bring positive change to the lives of many Indian children, and with its educative approach improve the standards of hygiene in the country in a sustainable manner,” said Anna Viegener, member of the Management Board and shareholder of Viega. Commenting further, She said, “WASH United’s and Viega’s common passion and professional focus on sanitation forms an excellent ground for a partnership. WASH United promotes sanitation and hygiene in India since as early as 2012. To Viega, sanitation and drinking water excellence have been core competencies for more than 117 years. An excellent opportunity to join forces - especially in light of Viega’s investment into the Indian market.” The German family-owned company has now been operating in India for eleven years and currently plans to invest 20 million Euro in phase 1 into a local production facility in Gujarat.

Thorsten Kiefer, founder and CEO of WASH United, acknowledges this commitment by Viega, “We are very pleased that a global player of the sanitary industry has taken an interest in the campaign. A company that is investing in production facilities for sanitation products in India and simultaneously doing something to improve the living conditions of the people, that’s a perfect combination. WASH United has been campaigning for better standards of hygiene in India since as early as 2012. It is critically important that we influence the attitudes and behaviours of those who form the future of India. If children grow up considering toilet use a personal priority and the only acceptable option to relieve oneself, open defecation is bound to come to an end.  Hence we launched The ‘Team Swachh Bharat’ campaign in January 2016. From September 2016 ‘Team Swachh Bharat’ has started providing schools with ‘Team Swachh Bharat Action Kits’. Team Swachh is excited to welcome Viega -  a global player in sanitary industry as a partner as their contribution will enable us to take an important step into this direction and achieve our goals. We would communicate this through WASH United and Team Swachh social media channels, hoping to create a potential precedent also for other corporates.”

Gustoso is making your weekdays ‘happy’ier! ~ Happy Hours from Monday to Friday ~

Mumbai, November, 2016:  If you need to catch a break or simply unwind after a hard day’s work look no further. Gustoso is the answer you are looking for. Say goodbye to your hectic workday and revel in Gustoso’s new Happy Hours menu.

Walk in with your friends or colleagues in tow at Gustoso, Kemps Corner and Khar West and make the most of your day with the best Italian treat in town. 

The restaurant has something for everyone. Say cheers by raising your pints of beer or sip some Whiskey, Vodka, Rum or Wine and banish those workday blues. Special cocktails like Whiskey Sour, Caipiroska or Tom Collins are house favourites too. 

Gustoso’s Happy Hours promises to make your weekdays more like weekends!

            

When: Monday to Friday

Time: 12pm to 3pm and 6pm to 8pm

Where:

Gustoso, Kemps Corner: Plot 109, Kwality House, August Kranti Marg, Kemps Corner, Mumbai T: 022 23822584/ 23812584/ 7045000020

Gustoso, Khar West Jharna Apartments, Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Road, Khar West, Khar, Mumbai T: 022 26485697/ 7045000010

Wizcraft Mime – Learn Event Management Online From The Industry Experts

16 November 2016:- Wizcraft MIME (Wizcraft Management Institute of Media and Entertainment) is an education initiative that has been launched with a perspective to train potential talent with requisite skills. Our objective is to foster industry talent and provide an opportunity for robust education that creates a base of highly trained and committed professionals for the event and media industry in India. 

Wizcraft MIME went live with inaugural course offering last year partnering with Talentede, India’s leading Ed-Tech firm, and has received a tremendous response from the industry as well as the students.

With the active response and spectacular success experienced with the inaugural batch, Wizcraft MIME has further decided to enhance its program offering. The first set of programme offerings are highly specialized courses in event management and range from televised events to crafting luxury event experiences. The course is open to graduates, post-graduate and young professionals. Wizcaft MIME has teamed up with Talent Edge to create an innovating learning experience and a pioneering course opportunity. We offer 2 specialized cutting edge executive certificate programmes namely Television Event Management and Production and Corporate Events & Brand Orientation. Students benefit from the golden chance to work with agencies on events like IIFA, GiMA, Guild Awards and other landmark events.

Director of Wizcraft International Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. & Wizcraft MIME, Mr. Sabbas Joseph says, “The experiential & event industry in India has taken root in the country 25 years ago and is now growing at a phenomenal rate. The industry has provided opportunities in the fields of entertainment, corporate event management, artiste management, graphic artistes and has given shape to tertiary industries such as fabrication, décor, event technology providers and engineers. There exists a lacune in the industry for a course that is rich in content and is accessible across the country. Wizcraft MIME is an earnest initiative that seeks to attract potential talent that is hidden in the corners of the country.”

Wizcraft MIME is a blend of the rich experience of Wizcraft International Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. and the knowledge of learning and development brought in by the directors on board to train individuals who possess a zest to learn more about the event industry.

Speaking on the association, Aditya Malik, CEO and MD, Talentedge, said, “After our successful partnership with Wizcraft MIME, to curate first ever online programme for students looking to educate and enhance their career options in the field of event management earlier this year, we are now thrilled to announce our second batch for the event management courses. We received an overwhelming response from individuals who were rigorously looking for quality online programmes in the field of event management, hinting at the potential this industry holds. With the onset of our second batch, we hope to continue enabling more individuals to not only learn from anywhere they like, but also reap the benefits of training under connoisseurs of the subjects, opening up various avenues for them in the event management industry.” 

To add to this Sushma Gaikwad, Director Wizcraft MIME quotes, “We are intentional on providing relevant learning and comprehensive experiences for the students. Wizcraft MIME is truly an event management course where subject matters are brought to life by interactive and engaging faculty that take students through the graph of learning with relevant information and experiential case studies.”

RUSSIAN FILM DAYS IN MUMBAI OPENS ON A GRAND NOTE

• The opening ceremony of the second edition of Russian Film Days in Mumbai was held on 15th November at the Royal Opera House, Mumbai.
• Russian Film Days in Mumbai will be held from 15th-18th November, 2016 and will showcase the best of Russian cinema in the heart of Bollywood- Mumbai.

Mumbai: The opening ceremony of the second edition of Russian Film Days was held at the Royal Opera House here in Mumbai on the 15th with great fervor. With the second edition, the festival aims at providing a platform for the Indian audience to experience the best that Russian cinema has to offer.

Present at the occasion were actors Catherine Shpitsa, Olga Filimonova, Elena Zakharova, Aleksandr Pal, Sergey Chirkov, producer Igor Tolstunov and actor-director-producer Alexey Petrukhin amongst others.

Following the Red Carpet event, the film “Very Best Day” starring Dmitry Nagiyev, Olga Seryabkina and Yulia Aleksandrova was showcased on the opening day which was received enthusiastically by the audience.

Speaking on this occasion Maria Lemesheva, General Producer, Russian Film Days in Mumbai said, “Through Russian Film Days in Mumbai, we aim to strengthen the bond between Russia and India in the field of cinema as well as in the spheres of diplomacy, trade, etc. We believe this endeavor will introduce Russian cinema to the Indian audience and we value the active participation of all the film studios, production companies, film industry associations, governments and embassies involved.”

The 2-Day Showdown: Modi & Trump Cause 37.3 % Spike in Indian News Viewership

November 8th and 9th were momentous days that set India abuzz: P.M Modi’s demonitisation announcement on National Television, followed by Trump’s win in the U.S. Elections. The back-to-back events gave national Hindi and English news channels in India a heady 37.3% spike in viewership compared to the previous week.

Interestingly, English news channels experienced a massive 83.4% rise in viewership – much higher than the 37.7% rise experienced by Hindi news channels.

The element of surprise has certainly shaken up news viewership in India. Here are some of the viewership trends experienced in the first few days of November:

P.M Modi’s announcement was broadcast Live on Hindi and English news channels between 8:00 PM and 9:00 PM

. The announcement caused a rising news viewership for the rest of the night.

Across different states in India, larger number of urban audiences tuned in to watch the Prime Minister’s announcement on National Television. Both Hindi and English news channels experienced similar urban-rural viewership trends.

Interestingly, Delhi the capital of India witnessed the highest number of news viewers during the one hour telecast of Modi’s announcement – 2.3 million viewers. Mumbai followed with2 million and Bangalore with 1.3 million viewers.

The U.S. Election Results covered Live on 9th November contributed to a continued high viewership for national news channels in India. The day witnessed 29 million viewers between 1:00 PM and 2:00 PMduring which the final election results were out declaring Donald Trump as the new President of the United States.

The city of Mumbai witnessed the highest news viewership on November 9th between 1:00 PM and 2:00 PM when Trump won the elections – 1.5 million unique TV viewers.

With millions of TV viewers all over India tuned in to watch the news on pivotal days like these, Zapr’sTV-to-Mobile technology allows TV broadcasters and brands to identify smartphone users who are watching Television and push out relevant content to these individuals.

DHL Global Connectedness Index: Globalization surpassed pre-crisis peak, advanced modestly in 2015

• Flows of information, capital and people boost overall connectedness; international trade remains weak
• Netherlands is the world’s most connected country; Europe tops regional ranking
• New city rankings reveal Singapore as number one “Globalization Hotspot” and “Globalization Giant”

Bonn / Mumbai, November 15, 2016 – DHL, the global logistics leader, today released the fourth edition of its Global Connectedness Index (GCI), a detailed analysis of the state of globalization around the world. The 2016 report shows that global connectedness, measured by cross-border flows of trade, capital, information and people, surpassed its 2007 pre-crisis peak during 2014. In 2015, globalization’s post-crisis expansion slowed, but the data indicate that it did not go into reverse. Currently available evidence – still preliminary in some areas – suggests that the world was about 8% more connected in 2015 than in 2005.

The information pillar – measured by international internet traffic, telephone call minutes and trade in printed publications – showed the strongest growth over the reporting period (2013-2015). The gains in capital and people flows have been more modest, while the decline in the proportion of goods traded across borders – which began in 2012 – accelerated in 2015.

“Globalization has served as the world’s engine of progress over the past half century,” commented Deutsche Post DHL Group CEO Frank Appel. “The GCI documents that globalization has finally recovered from the financial crisis, but faces an uncertain future. It is imperative that policymakers and business leaders support an environment in which globalization can continue to flourish and improve the lives of citizens around the world.”

The research on the GCI was led by internationally acclaimed globalization expert Pankaj Ghemawat, who highlighted how emerging economies still lag behind on global connectedness. “Advanced economies are about four times as deeply integrated into international capital, five times on people, and nine times on information flows,” Ghemawat commented. The GCI also notes that if emerging economies become more similar to advanced economies in terms of their connectedness levels, this would provide a powerful boost to overall connectedness.

The 2016 edition also documents a rising proportion of internet traffic crossing national borders, even as international trade and information flows lag their potential. “This underscores the tremendous headroom available for international e-commerce to boost business activity and expand the options available to consumers around the world,” commented Jürgen Gerdes, CEO Post – eCommerce – Parcel, Deutsche Post DHL Group.

The 2016 Country and Regional Index Results

In addition to a comprehensive overview on the state of globalization, the 2016 report also provides detailed insights into the connectedness of individual countries and regions. The index ranks countries on their depth (intensity of international flows) and breadth (geographical distribution of flows), which combine for an overall connectedness score between 0 and 100. The Netherlands retained its top rank as the world’s most connected country and Europe is once again the world’s most connected region. All but two of the top 10 most globalized countries in the world are located in Europe, with Singapore and the United Arab Emirates as the standouts. North America is the second most globally connected region and leads on the capital and information pillars, with the United States as the most connected country in the Americas. Overall the US is ranked 27th out of the 140 countries measured by the GCI. North America had the largest gain in overall global connectedness during the past two years, followed by South & Central America & the Caribbean. Countries in South & Central Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa suffered a drop in their average levels of global connectedness.

Suriname, Jamaica and Fiji were the biggest gainers in terms of rank changes from 2013 to 2015, moving up 23 (112th to 89th), 22 (107th to 85th) and 20 (94th to 74th) places respectively. Suriname’s rise was driven by a substantial broadening of its international interactions, whereas Jamaica and Fiji increased on both the depth and breadth dimensions of their global connectedness. Nigeria, Togo and Nicaragua experienced the largest decreases in terms of overall rank, dropping 28 (67th to 95th), 21 (72nd to 93rd) and 19 (71st to 90th) places respectively.

New City Indices on Globalization Giants and Hotspots

The twin trends of globalization and urbanization have prompted rising interest in global cities. The 2016 edition of the DHL Global Connectedness Index introduces two new city indices. The “Globalization Giants” index compares the size of cities’ international interactions. The “Globalization Hotspots” index parallels the depth dimension of the country-level GCI and ranks the cities with the most intense international flows of trade, capital, people, and information compared to their internal activity. Singapore leads both of the new city-level globalization indices. “Even after controlling for Singapore’s structural advantages, the Lion City still outperforms on the depth of its international flows,” commented Ghemawat. “Credit must be given to policies aimed at growing Singapore’s connections beyond its immediate neighborhood,” he added.

London and New York, perennial leaders on rankings of global cities, place 3rd and 4th on the Globalization Giants index, but only 47th and 76th on the Globalization Hotspots index. Many smaller cities are far more intensively focused on international activity that these two megacities, according to the report. Unexpected high performers in the Hotspots index include Manama (2nd), Tallinn (6th) and Mumbai (13th).

Glanbia’s#FITINDIA campaign comes to Mumbai with the chief guest Honorable Fagan Singh Kulaste, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare

·         Campaign aims to drive positive behavioral change towards nutrition and healthy lifestyle across the country through colleges, government services & sports academies 

·         Launched by Shri J.P Nadda, Hon’ble Union Minister, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India in August 2016

·         Campaign will spread across 12 cities in India, it travelled to Bangalore after the launch in Delhi

 

Mumbai, 15 November, 2016: #FitIndia, a nationwide nutrition and healthy lifestyle campaign, kick started its Mumbai thread today in the presence of Hon’ble Minster, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, Shri. Fagan Singh Kulasate.

This nationwide pilot programmeaims to raise awareness and education of good nutrition and active lifestyles, thus bringing a change in the quality of life and targeting the growing incidence of non-communicable lifestyle disorders. 

The campaign will entail collaboration between a cluster of professionals such as dieticians, nutritionists, educators and key opinion leaders and will travel across 12 cities while working together with change makers at various levels and organizations. Through a joint approach with the Ministry Of Health, the outreach shall be based on insights into health and nutrition and an education led roadmap leading to dissemination of information and recommendations for a healthy living.

The immediate beneficiaries includes, colleges, government services, sports academics as well as the general public to create awareness around the importance of nutrition, healthy diet and ways to reduce the risk of lifestyle disorders. 

Hugh McGuire – CEO Glanbia Performance Nutrition, said “I am immensely proud of the CSR campaign that GPN India is spearheading. India faces some unique challenges of nutrition and fitness and educating, enabling and inspiring the people is a very positive start in this direction. I am also very grateful for the support that we have found with the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare as well as the various partners in the successful delivery of this campaign.”

F.S Kulsate, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare said, “I am very happy to lend my support to this very relevant and ambitious Fit India Campaign. Ensuring that people of India are Fit and eat nutritious diets is necessary for the growth and prosperity of the country. I urge everyone to become a part of this movement and try to be fit themselves and influence as many people as they can to lead fit lives.

“We are very excited to partner with the FitIndia initiative and promote healthy lifestyle choices to our customer base. Today everyone is very health conscious and we are witnessing an increase in demand for such products on our Health & Fitness stores. Our partnership with FitIndia is in line with our aim to put customer needs first and enable them find, discover and buy anything on our platform," said Mr. Saurabh Srivastava, Director Category Management (Consumables), Amazon India.

The eminent panelists were:  §  Hugh Mcguire – CEO, Glanbia Performance Nutrition §  Dr. Ashish Jain, Eminent Orthopedic surgeon §  Chirag Sethi, Founder, MD Classic Academy §  Ryan Fernando – Award Winning Nutritionist