Leaders

Much more than impeccable strategies and skilful execution, there is something extra that makes an organization hold a place in the client’s and consumer's hearts. This X factor – precisely, the CREATIVITY factor is perfectly embraced by 1GEN, under the aegis of Ayesha Khan. The company extends its creative solutions to transform businesses and accelerate their impact using digital technologies.

With immense love for storytelling and commitment to service, Ayesha is recognized as a distinguished leader. Leading by example, she is building 1GEN on the grounds of positive change and sustainability. Don’t miss reading the valuable nuggets from these meticulous leaders to deduce more about her journey; vision, ideologies, and much more.

Take us through your journey and industry experiences.

I’ve been a huge movie buff since childhood, I grew up watching all kinds of movies and daily soaps like Buniyaad, Hum Log, Maharabharat, and more on Doordarshan., and frankly, couldn’t get enough of it! It was natural for me to gravitate towards storytelling, and eventually pursue a Master's in Mass Communication. Subsequently, I joined as a Post-Production Assistant with an Advertisement production house called ‘Shot In the Dark and then moved to the Television production house Miditech in 2000. That was my first television profile as an Assistant Director with a Crime thriller called ‘Kahani Jurm Ki’ for Star Plus. My tryst with television began thereon and over the last two decades, I had the privilege of working with some great Creative minds like Siddharth Kak, Sriram Raghavan, Shivam Nair, and Anubhav Sinha, just to name a few. From being a post-production assistant to Supervising producer to Creative Director and Writer with channels like Sony and Star Plus, I think I’ve experienced all nuances and cherish them.

What are some important aspects of your expertise as a business leader?

I am driven by the process of Creation; creating new ideas, creating ways to bring ideas to life, and creating inspirational stories. The most exciting part of this process is keeping up with changing times and looking for new innovative ways of telling impact stories. 1GEN has been playing a vital role in satiating my appetite for creativity because here we all work with the same goal of achieving creative independence. In fact, it is a one-of-a-kind business venture in the digital domain focusing on Positive Deviance and sustainability.

Please share more about 1GEN’s eminence.

As mentioned, 1GEN is different from other digital enterprises because we work on social impact projects. The company was founded as an extension of social impact work to amplify countless stories that spread hope and inspire many. I come from a Television background where only ratings matter, but 1GEN seemed new – as a provider of impact solutions and innovations. The company beautifully ties up Technology and storytelling together, thanks to the vision of Paul Singh- CEO and Founder of 1GEN.

"The most exciting part of this process is keeping up with changing times & looking for new innovative ways of telling impact stories"

The Studio division of the company plays a crucial role in employing social media, web apps, and mobile tools to bring stories forward through the compelling form of short documentaries or fiction projects. So would suffice to say that 1GEN Studios is a different kind of ‘Business’ venture, it's only through passion and heart that we started from scratch, building scripts, and small collaborative teams. We believe in hiring talented young bright minds who see creativity as an unhindered tool, without limitations of rating dictated content or mass commercial viewing patterns. Creative growth for a 1GEN is measured in how many social impact films and campaigns made a difference, on the ground, in reality in the lives of say the girl child or women-related issues/education/sanitation, hygiene, and more. Our creative growth depends on how much talent we can utilize for social impact and change life stories which will create future Gen X leaders and Change Makers.

Throw some light on the most critical business challenges you face in your current role.

Critical challenges include the allocation of limited resources to cover a vast spectrum of great stories waiting to be told. Our biggest challenge is competing priorities and constant trade-offs to tell effective stories in a short span of limited resources. The most scarce resource of course is Time. You miss that moment and maybe the story is gone! Recently we were in Bangalore shooting a Documentary called ‘Becoming Akka’ (Akka meaning elder sister in Tamil), 1GEN’s first studio venture under “Blue Butterfly Films’. We realized that the social landscape around the use of government school toilets had changed, post-Covid; for the better this time though. For some of the most affected areas now had better toilets, improved mindsets, and fewer dropouts (due to lack of toilets) compared to three years ago. Needless to add, unlike gimmicky storytelling, we don’t just tell lack stories, we also highlight positive changes and improvements.

The only way to counter this is to have full-time research teams and small crews which can make a move in a short ‘Ninja’ style way of capturing on-ground issues, and events. As a Director for ‘Becoming Akka’ my vision is to take the film into the rural lands of India, where many more little girls can aspire to be Akka.

How do you see the periodic shifts in your respective industry?

Today, creativity is no longer the domain of a few trained or experienced professionals. In the YouTube & Instagram era, anyone with a good story can come forward and engage their own audience. We at 1GEN encourage and train such young minds who want to be a part of campaigns and impact, with stories that change the world, that too in one generation! Ten years back, one couldn’t dream of such a scenario but today it’s a reality. An Instagram influencer can motivate hundreds towards a cause and create a platform where voices can be heard. 1GEN Studios was created by this vision of inclusive participation, where we give youngsters and change makers a platform to come forth and share their stories.

Ayesha Khan, Chief Creative Officer, 1GEN

A master of inspiration, innovation, and impact, Ayesha has been part of some prominent companies like UTV, Saregama India & Sony Entertainment Television before 1GEN.