Celebrity management firm Kwan Entertainment and Marketing Solutions on Tuesday announced that it has launched a sports, media and consumer subsidiary Kwanabler in partnership with Ravi Krishnan, co-founder of wellness company Stepathlon Lifestyle.
The firm will help global sports, media, entertainment and consumer businesses to enter India by helping them to identify, own, and monetise assets and business opportunities.
It will also create bridges for Indian brands, investors, and sports/entertainment based enterprises in the global market.
Noting that global investors are looking at India through a different lens due to its rapid global emergence, Krishnan said that international entities need a partner to help navigate the Indian business landscape.
“They need a partner on the ground who has local expertise, right access, as well as a global perspective. Kwanabler is uniquely placed to capitalise on this opportunity with both foreign and local investors and shareholders. We aim to be a dominant force in India with global reach, and impact,” he added.
Krishnan has over two decades of experience in sports management, media and entertainment business. He has set up India operations of global sports, events and talent management firm IMG Worldwide back in 1995. At IMG, he was instrumental in creating properties such as the Sahara Cup, The Aircel Chennai Open, Lakme India Fashion Week and Royal Challenge Indian Open Golf Tournament amongst many other. He has also been associated with Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Rajasthan Royals as vice chairman in 2008. He co-founded his entrepreneurial venture Stepathlon Lifestyle Pvt. Ltd.in 2012.
“In India, domains such as sports, media and entertainment have registered high growth in recent years, but there is high value that still remains to be tapped. Unlocking it needs involvement of international players who can bring in investments and global business experience,” said Anirban Das Blah, founder, Kwan Entertainment.
Blah added that Ravi (Krishnan) is one of the key people who helped create the sports, media, and entertainment ecosystem in India from scratch. “At a time when the world is looking at India, he forms the ideal bridge as someone from the West who has invested himself in India over the last 23 years,” he said.
Established in 2009, Kwan Entertainment has business undertakings across cinema (Bollywood and regional), music, sports, fashion, and lifestyle. Its talent management vertical represents celebrities such as Ranbir Kapoor, Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone among others. Kwan has a joint venture called Mojostar with brand licensing and marketing firm Dream Theatre which creates new brands in the fashion, personal care and fitness segments in partnership with celebrities. It also runs Kwan Digital, a marketplace which connects online video streaming platforms like Netflix and Hotstar with directors, writers as well as content creators.
The company is also an investor/stakeholder in media entities such as music streaming platform Saavn, Deepika Padukone’s apparel line All About You, and entertainment start-up Gigstart. (With Mint)
