The Government of Karnataka has launched its Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comics policy. Biren Ghose, who steered the industry in 2011 and engaged with the Government through the crucial phase of petitioning and getting this approved, was queried by Animation Xpress on how such a large initiative will see success in implementation.
Biren Ghose, President of ABAI and Country Head Technicolor exuded confidence in seeing this execution agenda through and credited the executive team at ABAI and the very supportive and responsive Ministry of IT BT and S+T in the Government of Karnataka which gave him the belief that this programme has momentum.
We asked Biren how he expects to see this policy roll out. Here is his response on the sidelines of the FICCI FRAMES conference.As President of ABAI can you tell us more about the initiatives you are taking for the implementation of the Government of Karnataka’s new policy?The ABAI team has been considerably strengthened and is gathering momentum in ideating and engaging the wider AVGC community to take advantage of the new policy and the government’s initiative. ABAI, acting in its capacity of providing industry perspective, is assuming the role of catalyst and ‘business partner’ to the government and industry members and is determined to evolve and steer the ‘execution agenda’.
ABAI’s goal is to create an enabling framework where production companies; studios; technology firms; IP firms; publishers; game developers; film makers and distributors; new media companies; educators and professionals can avail of the government’s policy which has clearly held out an attractive offer across all constituencies, through the KAVGC policy, in terms of funding and co-funding for the development of the industry.
The onus is on industry to take up the ‘challenge’ in ensuring that the long awaited initiatives cleared in the policy are taken up by private partners who should avail of what’s ‘on the table’.
Which sectors and initiatives do you see will be taken up for execution and in what time frame?
We are ensuring that the various different sectors of this policy both in terms of the individual industry segments and verticals such as Visual Effects, Games, Digital Arts and Entertainment; Comics as well as different specialties such as High Performance Computing/ Technology, Education, International Marketing etc are all covered in the execution.
The industry is a complex web of talent, technology and infrastructure and ABAI seeks to ensure that the policy would seek participation and application across all different verticals and genres.
What is the Karnataka Government expecting from this policy?
It is not about what the government expects from the policy. It’s about the fact that we the industry have engaged with the government actively to petition them to take up certain initiatives that need government intervention and contribution because the industry does not have the ‘financial capability’ to fund these on its own. The government on its part expects that as a result of the policy- industry will grow exponentially; employment will be enabled in the creative industries which is incremental to the other sunrise sectors the state has already succeeded harvesting; tier 2 and 3 towns across the state will participate in the development of education and Karnataka will market ‘collaboration with national and international entities’ to create growth in AVGC.
What is the offer for Public Private Partnership [PPP] that the Karnataka Government has ‘put on the table’? How practical are these schemes?
The crux of the policy execution agenda depends on the success in attracting private partnership for government initiatives. The government thinks, and correctly so, that it would like to see all the major investments announced in the policy to find ‘ownership and leadership’ through private sector participation.
The policy initiatives expect, from the private sector, partnering in this programme both through management resources and financial contributions. For example in the proposed KAVGC venture fund the government allocating its approx. USD 10 million for a 26% stake in the venture fund. This means that one or more private sector partners need to join the government in raising and deploying the total funds to be managed. A USD 40 million fund is a meaningful and small enough starting point to ‘kick-start’ various incubation initiatives across the board.
The investments should ideally cover a broad range of investments including in original content, technology innovation, partnering/coproduction deals; etc. Obviously, the fund’s ‘partners’ will strategize its investment thesis and will work a final structure in this regard.
For the Center of Excellence, the government has indicated it’s readiness with funds, and now seek to find private partners in order to execute the project in phases. The terms of reference for this are being mandated to a top flight consulting firm who would conduct a feasibility study. This study will serve as a specific point of engagement and collaboration between the government and potential private investors/ managers.
We are confident, that given the ‘demand’ for talent and production capacity there is a strong case for finding private partners who in turn would suggest the ‘ways and means’ to implement these plans feasibly.
Is it a very challenging task to get the private partners?
No! In fact this is an exciting opportunity for all the ‘players’ who have been ‘lobbying’ for government support and intervention. ABAI and the government have both received expressions of interest from various interested parties. The task of taking these proposals to a wide group of local and international players has started already. We have already met the international trade commissioners and attended a few markets and the word is spreading virally and through the media.
We need to market the policy and the industry in some top international forums and this is being planned in 2012 itself.
What specifically are you contemplating as actions for the execution of this policy?
ABAI and the Government of Karnataka are engaged in a series of “trigger” events – these in effect articulate and serve to act as the engagement and matchmaking platforms to bring the “players” across education; film-making; technology; production and investment to examine the opportunities across the different prisms that will converge to execute this agenda.
As an example a significant event entitled KAVGC Investor Summit is planned on 10th April 2012 in Bangalore. India. [Watch this space for a major announcement in this regard in a few days!] We are targeting investors both, who have already invested in the sector or related spaces in digital entertainment and others who are looking at this sunrise sector to enable scale through innovation and collaboration.
A concluding word on how confident you feel about this agenda?
Luck is what you make it – plans are how you execute them – done well this initiative will make the Indian animation world even more animated! I see a good vibe around this story – and it’s still the opening sequence…