Mr. Mohit Soni, CEO – Media & Entertainment Skills Council

How has MESC dealt with the pandemic?

Though the time was hard for everyone because of unforeseen changes Media & Entertainment Skills Council left no stone unturned during the period of lockdown. Despite facing multiple challenges MESC was able to connect with thousands of students virtually and did the skill empowerment. With strategic planning and team management, we learned a lot of new things. With everyone working from home and everything moving towards a digital platform, MESC ensured that TOT’s, TOA’s, events like Virtual Manthan – Impeccable Academia meet, Virtual Job Fairs, RPL and all the other programs did not take a pause. MESC adapted to the revolution and was able to determine a new way of carrying forward these processes virtually with the help of social networking platforms like Zoom, YouTube, Team Meet, etc. It won’t be wrong to say that when the entire world was going through the COVID hiatus MESC worked even harder to create work opportunities in M&E sector.

Nowadays everyone is talking about the government’s focus on creating a task force for AVGC. What the impact will AVGC task force bring in the nation?

Creating the AVGC task force is a remarkable decision by our government and we welcome it with open arms. AVGC industry Taskforce will build domestic capacity and meet the global demand. AVGC task force will support to tap potential $800 billion animation, and gaming industry.

The task force for promoting the Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comic (AVGC) sector will provide clarity and certainty for the fantasy sports and Esports sectors by providing more upskilling and career opportunities for the youth to be a part of India’s sunshine sectors.

The creation of a task force with the participation of union government, state governments, and key industry players (MESC, FICCI & CII) will provide a focused thrust for the growth of the sector by driving the institutional efforts to guide the policies of growth for the sector by driving the institutional efforts to guide the policies of growth for this sector, establish standards for AVGC education in India, actively collaborate with industry and international AVGC institutes, and enhance the global positioning of the Indian AVGC industry.

It will facilitate initiatives to impart skills in collaboration with academic institutions, vocational training centers, boost employment opportunities, and facilitate promotion and market development activities to extend global reach of Indian AVGC Industry.

What development programs have you came up within different regions of India? How is MESC aligning with the Prime Minister’s Atmanirbhar Bharat mission?

MESC has always been active when it comes to affiliation and accreditation processes with new Training Partners (TP), Training Centres (TC), and Assessment Agencies. Along with that, MESC has associated with Universities, Colleges, Schools in different regions of India for curriculum development, skill-development programs, Creative Warriors and more.

Creative Warriors programs are an initiative focusing on the pursuit of advancement and enhancement of Media and Entertainment Courses in coordination with Industry Lead INR Creative Warrior programs aims to provide a platform leading to high wage-based employability and exciting careers for entrepreneurship in media & entertainment sector.

These are industry-led training programs supported by live projects and apprenticeship opportunities. The Creative Warrior programs have been designed keeping in mind the entry and exit possibility of a student from the 6th to 12th standard.

MESC promotes ASEEM [Aatmanirbhar Skilled Employee Employer Mapping] Portal on its website that is a directory of skilled workforce. ASEEM portal is the right place for the employees and employers to find skill-based jobs as well as manpower. MESC envisages to build productivity and excellence among youth through its various programs as we discussed earlier.

I believe, all the ongoing projects of MESC are adding to the great “Aatma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan.” MESC has also been revolutionizing Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) wherein an individual’s existing skill sets, knowledge & experience gained either by formal, non-formal or informal learning are recognized by the regulatory bodies. MESC is also working towards new implementation strategies of Recognition of Prior Learning.

Vidyadaan, an initiative of our Hon’ble Chairman Shri Subhash Ghai, aims to create a bridge between students and Gurus. During the lockdown, we did a series of more than 350 exclusive webinars and workshops by experts and professionals such as Dr. Resul Pookutty, an Oscar winner Indian Sound Designer, Mr. Subhash Ghai, Chairman MESC, renowned Director, producer of Film industry, Ms. Kiran Joneja Sippy, Indian actress & Director of Ramesh Sippy Academy of Cinema & Entertainment and many more eminent professionals of the industry. We have reached over 2 lack participants across our network of stakeholders, Students, Media Industry etc. which helped Shishyas in immense guidance towards their career possibilities.

MESC has also been conducting Job-Fairs in various regions of India to ensure the employability options available during the lockdown period.

Also, we have a non-commercial monthly magazine called “Media TalkBack” which focuses on to develop an interactive chronicle that captures the inputs, suggestions and comments from Top Notch Studios, Professionals and Leaders who have helped the particular sector achieve where it is standing today for the future aspirants to see through the real-time picture of a sector.

Media TalkBack covers insightful views of prominent and notable faces of Media & Entertainment Industry like Mr. Amit Bhel, Mr. Chris Do, Ms. Eileen Aldis, Mr. Terence Lewis, Mr. Dinesh Kaushik, Ms, Kiran Joneja Sippy, Mr. Anurag Sharma, Ms. Lin Laishram, Mr. Aditya Mehta, Mr. Megumu Ishiguro and many more, shared the industry insights.

Could you elaborate on your Chairman Shri Subhash Ghai’s initiative?

So Vidyadaan is an initiative of our Hon’ble Chairman, eminent Filmmaker, a renowned educationist and our mentor Shri Subhash Ghai Ji who is the epitome of dedication, hard work and perfection.

Inspired by the virtuous spirit of our Hon’ble Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi Ji who always believes in “RIGHT KIND OF EDUCATION ALONG WITH A RIGHT TO EDUCATE”.  Vidyadaan is a platform through which experts (Gurus) can impart their knowledge to students (Shishyas) and learners. The platform emphasizes providing learners with an opportunity to learn from experts in their respective fields.

Vidyadaan is a social movement to recreate the Guru Shishya Culture in Indian society. It brings culture and education together. Where we all have a responsibility to uplift and nurture society with whatever we have to contribute. The idea is not just sharing the academic education but also the life-changing experiences, consultation, stress-relieving sessions, sessions on mental or physical health, sessions on grooming and personality development for anyone in need at no cost. It’s time to give back to the community and groom the younger generation to be better human beings.

Presently, we have conducted 240+ Vidyadaan webinars along with the partner institutions and have a family of 1500+ Gurus and 500+ gurukuls who became part of this great cause.

During the lockdown, Vidyadaan kept coming up with is back-to-back webinars and virtual workshops to educate and encourage students.

With the rise of OTT platforms, especially during the Pandemic, do you think that it is going to affect the workforce of Television Media?

India is a large country with about 1.34 billion population. It is one of the youngest nations globally, with over 65% of the population below 35 and 29 on average. Moreover, there is an obsession and fetish for entertainment in all age groups.

The country’s media and entertainment sector have a valuation of approximately 1.82 trillion INR, with about 11.8% CAGR in 2019.

The COVID-19 pandemic lockdown further enlarged the growth of the already booming webspace. The closure of cinema halls led the OTT platforms to emerge as the new big screen.

The global rate of space is around 4.2% CAGR. The Pandemic might have given a rough time to many people by as there have been a lot of firings and furloughs in the companies but I must say that it was a blessing in disguise for the Social Media Creators and Influencers to develop and innovate. The emergence of OTT has made movie watching accessible, affordable and convenient. The production houses will soon realize that OTT is not the adversary, but a dedicated ally that will help to find new scopes for expansion into newer markets. This will lead to newer jobs or responsibilities over time and more jobs will be created over time. Till now, only urban areas across the country have observed digital penetration. However, in the foreseeable future, tier 2, 3, & 4 cities and towns are likely to observe the next wave of growth in OTT consumption.

What does your future plan look like?

With every new occasion, Media & Entertainment Skills Council aims to bring forth new possibilities. Our vision is to create a sustainable environment with socio-economic development in the Media & Entertainment sector. We are currently focusing on Creative Warriors (LMS – Learning Management System) to revolutionize vocational education and skill development for children and professionals. Along with this, we are working on building a network in association with media and entertainment educational institutions and associating with new employers to establish a structured approach for everyone in the M&E ecosystem.

To benefit the eco-system MESC will also keep on offering various training programs which are Govt. Funded like Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojna (PMKVY), Deen Dayal Upadhyay Gramin Kaushal Yojna (DDUGKY), and urban livelihood mission (NULM) etc.

In addition, India presently commands around 10 percent of the global AVGC market, and has the potential to reach 20 to 25 percent by 2027. Also, India’s gamer base is expected to touch 700 million by 2025. The gaming company studios increased from just 25 in 2015 to over 500 in 2021. This shows a lot more opportunities coming forward for the youth. With the boom coming for AVGC there is no reason why India cannot be a world contender in building the metaverse.

The skilled youth have the power to make the Prime Minister’s Vision a success. Especially with access to technology at every corner of the nation. Your comments on it.

India is a country today with 65% of its youth in the working age group. If ever there is a way to reap this demographic advantage, it has to be through skill development of the youth so that they add not only to their personal growth but to the country’s economic growth as well. India is a country today with 65% of its youth in the working age group. If ever there is a way to reap this demographic advantage, it has to be through skill development of the youth so that they add not only to their personal growth but to the country’s economic growth as well.

As I’ve mentioned earlier that MESC keeps working on new plans to empower youth by promoting skills-based education. Because we know that Skilled India is the future of this nation and world. I believe if an individual has the relevant skills, he/she will never starve to death, or I would rephrase my sentence that he/she would never struggle to get a job. Gone are the times when parents use to worry about the marks of their children because today is the era of skill-based education.

So what if your child does not like studying academics. Everyone is blessed with a skill that no one can do better than them. This new route of skill-based education will lead us to the destination of Atmanirbhar Bharat where everyone is going to be self-reliant.

Media & Entertainment Skills Council is constantly working to make India a Skilled Capital of the world with the help of its ongoing projects, Authorized WorldSkills Traning Centres that are designed to train and groom the students for future WorldSkill Competition. AWSITC prepares the candidates to win the gold by showcasing their skills at national and international stage. These training centres engage the industry to support/participate in training by facilitating Experts/ Infrastructure and Live Projects.

In addition, MESC organizes events like Manthan: The impeccable Academia, Sankalp: Industry Roundtable Summit where pioneers of Media & Entertainment Industry share the stage to discuss the prospects of education system and employment opportunities for the youth and provide them industry insights from the experts.

With the success of Digital India, the country has witnessed a hike in social media users as well as digital content creators. What do you think about that?

The Pandemic might have given a harsh time to many people but I must say that it was nothing other than a golden opportunity for the Social Media Creators and Influencers to develop and innovate. This was the time we have witnessed the birth of a Social Media influencer in every house. With access to technology, thousands of accounts have been created online on countless networking platforms of the internet.

The emergence of OTT has made movie watching accessible, affordable and convenient. The production houses will soon realize that OTT is not the adversary, but a dedicated ally that will help to find new scopes for expansion into newer markets. This will lead to newer jobs or responsibilities over time and more jobs opportunities will be created for our skilled workforce.

Regardless of platform, there will always be a demand for a skilled workforce.

Could you comment on the media and entertainment industry scenario?

The Indian media and entertainment industry is growing at an exponential rate especially since 2016, we have faced an increase in audience, students and employment. With advertising, the revenue expected to increase at a compounded Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 15.3% during this period.

Media is consumed by audience across demographics and various avenues such as television, films, out-of-home (OOH), radio, animation, and visual effect (VFX), music, gaming, digital advertising, and print. The industry has largely been driven by increasing digitization and higher internet usage over the last decade. Internet has almost become a mainstream media for entertainment for most of the people.

In Financial Year 2020, sectors like television, print and digital and OTT platforms stood at INR 778 billion (US$ 10.66 billion), INR 306 billion (US$ 4.19 billion) and INR 218 billion (US$ 2.99 billion), respectively. As per the IBEF statistics, these mediums are projected to reach INR 769 billion (US$ 10.53 billion), INR 296 billion (US$ 4.05 billion) and INR 338 billion (US$ 4.63 billion), respectively, by Financial Year 2022. India is likely to emerge as the world’s sixth-largest OTT (over-the-top) streaming market by 2024.

India’s mobile gaming segment registered a market size of US$ 1.2 billion and is expected to increase at CAGR of 6.1% by 2025.

Films are forecasted to grow at CAGR of 7.7% as the revenue streams broaden. Animation and VFX is expected to grow at a CAGR of 20.4% over 2016-2021.

Basically, the Indian Media & Entertainment Industry is a sunrise sector which is on cusp of strong phase of growth and is backed up by rising consumers.