Gobsmack!, the Bangalore and Los Angeles-based content studio founded by director Shyam Madiraju, has announced it will be representing Anonymous Content in India. The agreement, which includes most of the production company’s roster of filmmakers, is the first representation deal for Anonymous outside of the US or UK.
Gobsmack! will be representing in India as part of this agreement include directors Andrew Douglas, Malcolm Venville, Mark Romanek, David Kellogg, Brett Morgen, PES, David Fincher and Guy Ritchie.
On the idea behind the alignment, Dave Morrison, executive producer and head of commercials, Anonymous Content said, “It’s become a global marketplace for production as well as for creativity. Our partnering with Gobsmack! in India is an effort for us to widen our pool of sources of great work for our filmmakers and offering them as many options as possible. If you look at India, it’s a culture with a tremendous film background and a literacy of production. They have sophisticated audiences and great crews. And their economy is the economy of the 21st century. For us, this move makes a lot of sense.”
“India is taking its place on the global advertising stage, and as a result more directors are looking to tap into the freshness and vitality of its advertising industry,” Madiraju said. “I set up Gobsmack! to export Indian creative to my global network of creative resources outside of India, and this is part of that strategy. We’ll be making additional announcements in the weeks and months to come, as Gobsmack! continues to line up world-class advertising talent that wants to work for Indian agencies and Indian marketers,” he added.
As a director working in the US, Madiraju was repped by Anonymous for three years. A former creative director in the US, including stints at TBWA\Chiat\Day, Ogilvy & Mather, The Martin Agency and others, he transitioned to directing in 2006 with a series of spots for the L.A. Film Festival. Madiraju then went on to direct a series of virals for the Ritz-Carlton Hotel that were produced by Anonymous. He left Anonymous in 2009 to found Gobsmack! in India and the US. As a director, Madiraju has directed several TVCs in the India, including “The Break” for Kit Kat and JWT Delhi, “Kangaroo Remix” for Nestea and Publicis India. He also directed “Don’t Wait,” for Sonata Watches and Lowe Lintas Mumbai, and the Chevy Cruze launch in India for Wieden + Kennedy Delhi. Madiraju also won the Kodak New Director of the Year Award at the 2006 Cannes Lions Festival.