India’s creative game changers, innovators and aspirants will assemble at The Coalition 2016, which we think is a must for every enterprising individual. If you are that very individual interested in soaking up professional and experienced perspective, here’s The Sherp’s list of workshops and panels you cannot miss at The Coalition 3.
The creative industry in India is today at its most inventive best. Young, individual talents are ignited by entrepreneurial aspirations, and are revitalising India’s start-up industry. In such an inspired environment, there is a need for a powerhouse to bring together these unique trailblazers to birth a more cohesive dialogue to further the country’s creative energy. This is where the festival of The Coalition comes in, as it engages India’s most driven individuals in an ecosystem of discernment, growth and comprehension. This year, The Coalition will be held in Delhi from March 4 to 6, where the crusaders of India’s startup movement will be in attendance fostering conversations about creativity and innovation. Founded by Only Much Louder, the team behind several successful ventures such as the Bacardi NH7 Weekender, Stage 42 and the Harley Rock Riders, and Do One Thing, India’s successful CSR advisor, The Coalition will be where the next bright ideas and collaborations take shape.
1. Content Creation –
For anyone immersed or part of the chaotic world of content creation, you’ll surely recognise the yearning for your work to acquire those likes, shares and retweets. Unfortunately or fortunately content’s share count does play a major role when it comes to it’s social media presence, and that is exactly what this panel ‘Like, Share and Subscribe’, moderated by Bianca Ghose will be about. With panel speakers like Rita Kapur (Co-founder & CEO, The Quint), Nishant Radia (Co-founder & CMO, Vidooly) and Sattvik Mishra (CEO & Founder, ScoopWhoop), expect to be delightfully educated on popular Indian internet trends and how the content you curate can deliver just that.
2. Comedy
Comedy extends beyond stand up shows and sold out venues, and thankfully there is now a market for comedians to create online content and branding as a revenue source. In the panel Chuckles for Cheques comedians Abish Matthew, Tanmay Bhatt, Vikram Sathaye and Kanan Gill will give you the low-down on making a good buck off the internet. ‘How To Get Away With Humour’ will deal with a subject that needs more and more dialogue around it these days. Free speech and getting into trouble for harmless jokes is a sad reality, so panel members and comedians Gursimran Khambha, Jaideep Varma, Samm Farai and Karuna Nundy teach you how to bend the rules and law, and the lines you can cross when it comes to ‘offensive’ humour.
For those of you amateur comedians and actors dreaming of making it big, On Air with AIB: Breaking Bollywood will be the perfect panel from which you can gain some perspective. The superstar comedy collective AIB will talk to directors, actors and producers alike like Anurag Kashyap, Richa Chadha, Neil Bhoopalam and Hussain Dalal about what it takes to become a big deal in Bollywood.
3. Music
With the Indian music industry gaining tremendous momentum in terms of talent and live shows, it’s only apt for one of the most prolific music producers to lay down some sound advice to those of us who strive to thrive in the industry, right? Right. Flood, the man behind the sound of artists such as U2, Depeche Mode, The Killers, PJ Harvey, Thirty Seconds to Mars, Warpaint, Nine Inch Nails, Sigur Rós, The Smashing Pumpkins, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds will be sit down with Vishwesh Krishnamoorthy to delve into the deeper workings of the industry. Don’t miss this one if you want seasoned insights!
For Indian artists to breakthrough to international markets, isn’t as easy as Priyanka Chopra makes it seem. But fret not, Talent managers like Sumit Bothra, Stephen Budd, Josh Javor, Sonya Mazumdar, Dev Bhatua and Laura Taylor will talk about their evolving role in charting an artist’s career, factors that compel their creative direction and how Indian artists can break through into international territories. The panel will be moderated by Gaurav Vaz.
4. Food and Beverage
Aspirations to dine or cook in the world’s best restaurants may be aplenty, but what is it really like? Chef Garima Arora in her panel discussion ‘Inside the World’s Best Restaurants’ will talk about her amazing journey as a chef through various countries and kitchens.
‘Dining in the 21st Century’ will be an interesting take on contemporary dining methods, from sit-down dinners to home-chefs and food trucks. Panelled by some pretty big names like Paresh Chhabria from Small Fry Co. accompanied by accomplished food writers like Anoothi Vishal, this panel discussion will prove more that educative.
Let us not forget delicious beverages over delicious grub, shall we? ‘On The Rocks’ will feature some snazzy entrepreneurs who’ve paved the way and started new drink-related apps, new-age breweries and mixology consultancies. Featuring
Suketu Talekar, Yangdup Lama, Aneesh Bhasin, this panel will be moderated by Pankil Shah.
5. Fashion
Minimalist fashion blogs and trendy online stores are the ticket to making it into the fashion industry, and the ‘Digital Fashion’ panel will give you just that and more. As more and more clothing brands are moving their business online, panel speakers like Puneet Chawla and Pernia Qureshi will discuss buyer behaviour, design and user interface, how to create a loyal customer base and the importance being an established parameter of the fashion industry.
‘Responsible Fashion’ will touch upon topics related to the sustainable fashion industry and how you can build your brand to be an ethical one, not forgetting the money-making aspect of your business. Does seem like a tricky situation does it? Fashion designers Anita Dongre, David Abraham and Rashmi Varma and Founder and Director of Loom to Luxury Jitendra Kumar will give you all the insights on this one.
There is more to fashion than clothes, proved by the popularity of styling, photography and modelling when it comes to setting trends. Some experts in field Maithili Ahluwalia, Mark Luburic, Elton Fernandez and R.Burman will talk about making it in this exciting and new industry!
6. Art, Photography and Design
‘Power of Photography’ will take you down the tremendous journey of a Bangladeshi photographer Shahihul Alam, whose photography + activism is something most photographers will aspire to imitate. Shahihul will speak about the power of the lens and how it can bring about sizeable social change.
Making art accessible to wider audiences, is a difficult task especially in a country like ours where breaking barriers of language and social construct can be quite a task. Dr Hanif Kureshi, Dr. David Osrin and Shilo Shiv Suleman will feature on ‘Art for All’ to discuss the future of urban art in India.
Design oriented jobs are a dime a dozen these days, but do they really reflect creativity and genuine design? Here is a discussion ‘Fast Forward’ that will feature entrepreneurs Rajat Tulli and Ajay Shah sharing their thoughts on the difficulties of maintaining a sustainable design business in India. Whereas ‘Finding Your Roots’ by the Director of DesignHabit Amardeep Behl will be a walk through his discovery of the ‘Indian’ narrative in his work and its significance in telling stories that are evocative and relevant.
The Coalition aims to provide an environment where the creative industry can be furthered with possible collaborations and ventures, and being a part of the festival gives you a chance to be an active member of this. Different options of passes are available covering the festival’s schedule, so make sure to buy them here and be a part of the movement. The festival starts this weekend from March 4 to 6, in Delhi. Make sure you’re there!