Ashish Patil quits Viacom18

Ashish Patil, currently senior VP - new ventures and GM - youth movies at Viacom18, will join Yash Raj Films to launch a new division that will produce films targeted at the youth.

Patil has spent over 12 years at MTV, joining as marketing executive, growing to the level GM-creative and content, before being elevated to his current title. During his time at MTV, he led the launch and growth of many successful properties such as Roadies, Splitsvilla, On the Job and Youth Icon.

"It's been a spectacular experience at MTV," Patil said, speaking to Campaign India. "We managed to rebrand MTV from a pure music channel to a youth destination. It's been the most successful turn-around story. Some months back, we even went on to drop the 'Music Television' baseline, something which was followed by MTV in the US. So it's been gratifying and I'm extremely happy with what I've achieved."

Commenting on his role at Yash Raj Films, Patil said, "I'll be spearheading the launch of a new unit which will be responsible for producing films targeted at youth. Youngsters are perhaps the biggest target group in the country. I've tried entertaining them through television. Cinema should be interesting. I'm looking forward to the new challenge."

Prior to MTV, Patil worked at Contract Advertising and SSC&B Lintas.