Web Cast

Getting the big break in the entertainment industry,for an actor,writer,technician or voiceover artiste has never been an easy task. Right from moving to Mumbai,to making several copies of your portfolio,setting up appointments at production houses and dealing with casting agents,the struggle never ends. But websites like hoonur.com,crewhunt.com,filmwalas.com,set up by people with a film and media background,are trying to put an end to the chaos and streamline talent.

What these sites basically do is cut down all interaction with the middle men and make sure that the portfolios reach responsible hands. “At Balaji,we require a steady supply of talented individuals. We kept getting hundreds of pictures and work samples in our office everyday. But during the time of casting,we would miss out on individuals who were talented. With hoonur.com,our casting agents personally check each profile before shortlisting it for audition,” says Puneet Kinra,Group CEO,Balaji Telefilms Ltd. The website doesn’t cater only to Balaji but also allows other production houses to scout for various requirements.

The sites are quite new,but their popularity is already soaring. Hoonur.com has seen around 20,000 registrations in the last six months and about 15,000 applicants have registered with crewhunt.com. The success rate of the websites is also quite high. Pearl Puri got his first break in a film directed by Salim Khan; Suyash Menon signed several voiceover contracts. Crewhunt.com has helped nearly a thousand aspirants find jobs in three months and now has plans of teaming up with television shows,where the cast and crew will be selected through the website. Casting directors too have started using these portals to find talent. “I get to select from a number of people in one space,” says freelance casting director Reshmi Chaabra who uses several sites like auditionsindia.com,bollywoodentry.com and glamnglory.com.

Looking for a ticket to Bollywood? Then log on to desitara.com,an online talent portal owned by Connect Films Media,a part of S.Lad Group. “It was created to tap the boundless desi talent pool. We at desitara.com aim to be the place for talent convergence; an ideal platform where talent owners and talent viewers come together to create,share and reward talent,” says Mansoor Ahamed,CEO desitara.com. This year saw the portal run a nation-wide talent hunt to choose the next Bollywod diva. “Internet is one of the fastest growing markets with over 60 million internet surfers. This also covers and converges with the over 40 million Indian and South Asian diaspora spread across the world,” he adds. Joining the bandwagon is AMB Talent Media’s abmeribaari.com. Launched recently by Madhur Bhandarkar,who is also the chief talent mentor of the website along with Suniel Shetty,advisor to AMB Talent Media and Anu Malik and Saroj Khan,mentors for music and dance,the website is collaborating with Bollywood and regional language filmmakers,TV serial producers,music companies and other entertainment industry organizations with a view to getting them new talent from across the country. “We have announced a worldwide talent search in the acting singing and dance and are planning to give 10 three-year contracts to those gifted in fields of singing,dance and acting. Each contract will be worth at least Rs 15 lakh,” informs Preet Bedi,managing director of AMB.

Another US-based website that was launched in Chandigarh this year is http://www.talenttrove.com. According to Jatinder Singh,president,TalentTrove Inc and managing director,TalentTrove India,“India has a vast pool of untapped talent,and we plan to make them available to Bollywood. Just sit in front of your web cam and our technology at talenttrove.com helps you make a video or audio of your talent.” Already working on areas on film production,TV content creation and professional talent management services,the company also plans to launch a 24X7 dedicated online Hindi radio for India. “India has world’s fourth largest internet user base of over 81 million people with a growth rate of 20 per cent per month,so it’s time to log on,” says Jamie Aquila,senior creative director,TalentTrove Inc.

The websites also help to guard privacy,especially for girls who often fear that their photographs may reach the wrong hands. “One of the main reasons why we created the website was to ensure that there is no invasion of privacy,” explains Arunab Kumar,one of the four creators of crewhunt.com. And to prevent any mishaps,Kumar and his teams personally meet casting directors and check their credentials before giving them access to any information. “There are not many opportunities for those smaller and remote areas,but their divergent cultures and demographics offer tremendous talents,” says Singh.