Leaders

Apart from contributing to employment, innovations, and social and political stability, entrepreneurship also helps an individual achieve their goals and make their dreams come true. An action-oriented and highly motivated person, Aisha Faizan decided to go entrepreneurial while on maternity leave and established her own digital marketing agency in 2012. Later on, she co-founded a Production House with her husband called IdeaRack, which is creating innovative content in the fields of Indian Television, OTT, Animation, and Films.

Aisha Faizan engages in an exclusive interaction with Women Entrepreneur Magazine.

Take Us Through Your Educational And Professional Background. What Motivated You To Foray Into Creating Content For Kids’ Animation.

I always had an entrepreneurial streak. Always wanted to be an entrepreneur. It was more than a passion or a dream – it was my driving force. After completing my management studies with a specialization in Marketing, I started my career as a PR professional with the newly founded Ryan Global School. During my tenure, I helped the brand scale and achieve 200% growth in less than a year.After my stint there, I worked in a small Market Research start-up and serviced brands like Reliance Retail, TVS, Unilever, etc. Soon enough,I was heading 53 cities across India for Reliance Retail.

As the digital landscape was evolving – just leaving its nascent stage and expanding its presence into every realm of society – in 2012, I grabbed an opportunity to establish my own Advertising Agency – Skywalker Advertising & Marketing Solutions, and serviced both national and international brands.

My Partner, Mr. Saeed, after quitting his high-profile job, founded a new-age production house, i.e., IdeaRack Private Limited. We were enthusiastic to have a home where we could explore our creative ideas, give life to our vision, and tell our stories across platforms.

Fortunately, I was raising a toddler at that time andconsequently was exposed to a lot of animated content.When Sony Yay approached us, we were thrilled to seize the opportunity. We created some of the iconic shows for them like “Guru AurBhole”,“Kicko& Super Speedo” to “Tarak Mehta KkaChhotaChashmah”. Today, Sony Yay is the No. 1 Kids’ Channel in India, which is truly very gratifying.

Tell Us About The Roles And Responsibilities You Shoulder Including The Challenges You Face At Your Position And How Do You Overcome Those Challenges?

From the commencement of our company itself, I have been involved at every step – from assisting with the most basic of tasks to shouldering the most demanding responsibilities.We’re more than a team here – a family, and everyone believes in giving their best.

A start-up co-founder wears many hats, be it building sales strategy, formulating content ideas, team-building, project management, and anything you need to do to keep marching forward.

Challenges - In the Media Industry, one has to keep innovating as trends keep changing very quickly. Youmust keep reinventing yourself to bring fresh innovative content ideas &be on your toes to maintain your relevance in this highly competitive market.

"Always be open to change and adapt swiftly to the ever-evolving marketplace."

The biggest challenge I faced was in setting up the right processes to support an efficient work culture wherein we only look for excelling in each product that we create. Today, I always keep my team involved in decision-making, and our combined perspectives, ideas, and expertise contribute majorly to our position as absolute trailblazers and go-getters.

How Has Your Past Industrial Experience Helped In Your Current Roles And What Is The Uniqueness Of Idearack As Compared To Its Peer?

My start-up experience has definitely helped me a lot.The positions I have held propelled me to engage with various stakeholders, collaborate and exchange knowledge, and experiment along the way – skills that have been tremendously helpful in my journey as an entrepreneur today.

Today, we are amongst the very few production houses in India to have garnered success across multiple verticals: Animation, OTT, andTV.

What Has Been Your Most Remarkable Achievement So Far And What Is Your Guiding Leadership Philosophy?

With our TV debut show, “Tara from Satara” for Sony TV, we did not just introduce a new genre to the game – Dramality, but also received the “Indian TV Academy (ITA) Award”for the Best Drama Show.

During the pandemic, I also founded and established Filmmaker Jr., which is India’s first online platform dedicated to teaching filmmaking to kids and nurturing their skills and potential. We were also mentored at IIM Bengaluru’s NSRCEL Women Start-up Program. And now, we are coming up with a dedicated Residential Media School with the objective of bridging the gap between Academics and the Media Industry.

Our first web series “Runaway Lugaai” garnered more than 95 million viewsand was nominated for the Best Comedy Series category at ITA Awards 2021. It has indeed been a rewarding experience, and we are delighted and honored to see our content being well-received by critics and audiences worldwide.

How Do You Keep Yourself And Idearack Aligned With Industry Evolutions? What Advice You Would Like To Give Young Women And Girls Who Are Aspiring To Become Entrepreneurs In The Future?

To stay aligned with the periodic evolutions, I engage in regular market research. I consume a variety of content, participate in media events, and keep myself abreast with trends in the media industry across the globe – which is honestly a prerequisite for me.

Understanding consumer behavior is paramount. We do travel and have our own focus groups to pre-test our content and the response it can potentially garner before we even pitch it. Reading content also helps us stay up to speed with the changing consumer tastes & preferences.

The only advice I would like to give aspiring entre­preneurs is that Self-belief and Determination are the most crucial to your success. Be courageous, trust your spirit and instincts, always play to your strengths, and keep working on your shortcomings.

Aisha Faizan, Co-Founder, Idearack Pvt. Ltd

A management graduate with a specialization in marketing, Aisha Faizan co-founded a production house called IdeaRack. Prior to co-founding her own company, she worked with a small market research start-up and serviced brands like Reliance Retail, TVS, Unilever, etc.