Talentube.com has been launched as a talent discovery, launch and opportunity platform for the Indian film and entertainment industry. The founding team of Talentube claims that within itself, it has also managed to raise $12 million (Rs 63.5 crore) in cash and committed funding for the next two years.

The founding team of Talentube comprises of marketer and communication expert Vinod G. Nair; technocrat and computer engineer Ravindra Nagpurkar, an MBA from Duke University; and Silicon Valley based Rakesh Sreekumar, a graduate of XLRI with over a decade of startup experience and Beerud Sheth of SMSGupSHup as its Founding Mentor.

(L-R) Ravindra Nagpurkar, Vinod Nair, Amit Dalmia, Neeraj Goenka & Beerud Sheth

According to the company, the funds will be utilized to build India’s largest community of talent as well as to provide them with thousands of opportunities to launch and enhance their showbiz careers. Talentube will produce its own films, television serials, events, shows and other properties and continuously offer all the opportunities within them to the Talentube community members on an exclusive basis.

Opportunities will be available to the Talentube community in the form of online auditions that will be evaluated by trained professionals; short listed by expert panels; and final selections made by the Directors of each film. The process would also include elements like community voting, wild cards and other similar devices.

To begin with, in the first year, Talentube will be focusing on Bollywood and has roped in three of India’s leading filmmakers – Sudhir Mishra, Mahesh Manjrekar and Sangeeth Sivan – to direct its initial three film productions. By the second year, apart from Hindi films, Talentube will also be announcing film projects in regional languages such as, Punjabi, Marathi, Malayalam and Bengali amongst others; and will also make its foray into the world of television serials and television commercials.

Vinod G. Nair, Founder and MD, Talentube and Managing Director of Clea Public Relations, says, “We are a trio bitten by the ‘we-wanna-do-more’ bug brought together by fate and Beerud Sheth, our Founding Mentor. Talentube is a result of the common passions that we share and our burning desire to democratize Bollywood and the entire Indian entertainment Industry!” 

Talentube has put together an ‘Innovation & Creative Advisory Board’, chaired by Sudhir Mishra and comprising of filmmakers Mahesh Manjrekar, Sangeeth Sivan, Bobby Khan (who is also the Producer and Creative Head for Talentube); Veteran Cine-Journalist and Editor of Cine Blitz, Nishi Prem; Beerud Sheth, Co-founder and CEO of Gupshup.

Sudhir Mishra, Chairman of Talentube’s Innovation and Creative Board, said, “It’s not just the talent that needs us! We too need them! With Talentube, new talent gets the opportunity for the big break where they get to work with well known and acclaimed filmmakers. And even talent that is seeking to enhance and grow its career can be a part of the community and seek the right opportunities for themselves. I believe that Talentube is a disruptive and game-changing initiative that will take Indian Showbiz to its next generation.”