In 2010, content was brewing up on digital, and for Gen X, it was becoming the way of content consumption. Two young minds, Sushank Verma and Aditya Singh, were keenly planning to harp on the emerging trend and break in. In 2014 with just 3 years of industry experience, they decided to take the plunge against all odds, and Once Upon A Time Media was born. A Mumbai-based production house, O.U.T Media, as everybody calls it, grew as a studio. In a span of ten years, Sushank Verma and Aditya Singh, the Co-Founders, have helmed more than four hundred video projects ranging from advertisement production, branded digital films, corporate documentaries, brand-oriented short narratives and, eventually, TV shows. Be it FMCG, Pharma, Automobile, Tech, BFSI, Fashion, Beauty, Sports or any segment, the company has garnered experience in all sectors in its almost decade-long stint.
As the studio grew, so did the projects, and eventually, Once Upon A Time Media was roped in by reputed channels to produce several award-winning Reality Branded content shows. Doing so with the likes of MTV, Sony Liv, TVF, Zee Zest, Voot and many more, Once Upon A Time Media has garnered a repute for delivering quality content in economical ways. They have produced multiple seasons of shows like Jockey Woman Portraits, Linked In Get a Job, Lakme Winged, Fantain Sony Liv – Reverse Sweep, Zee Zest – Pattay Ki baat and have tied up with brands like Snapdeal, Nayara Energy (Previously Essar oil), Castrol, Kohler, AirBnb, Pantaloons, Wild Stone and many others to develop multiple contents. Sushank Verma, as Director and Aditya Singh, as a writer and DOP, agrees on the fact that their early understanding of seamlessly integrating a brand’s story with a narrative that works with the digital audience helped them hit a chord with the Brand and creative teams all across. When asked what separates them from the rest, they say, “due to our meagre Industry experience, there was no rule book to go to for solutions, and hence, we came up with our own ideas. Thankfully, our innovative ways were well appreciated by our clients, and the ball kept rolling.”.
The company has helped create YouTube channels from scratch for organizations such as Bank of India, ZA, SUN Pharma and several others. Once Upon A Time Media helped many corporates with the service of strategizing, ideating, creating and curating content on the corporate’s own YouTube channel. The same clients kept coming back with multiple demands, and O.U.T Media’s team also kept bringing in fresh knowledge and the latest approaches to its clients. Looking at the company’s content creation sensibilities, Snapchat, a leading platform, even cracked a deal with Once Upon A Time Media to produce India’s first vertical format show along with two hundred short content. Projects like those helped further. Hindustan Times recently contracted O.U.T Media to produce 100 videos per month for its multiple YouTube channels for two years. Brands of Tomorrow, airing on Disney+ Hotstar, is O.U.T Media’s other latest branded content production. The show is a documentary series done with six Indian brands and is trending in the list of top reality shows to watch on Hotstar.
With a strong 20-member team, Once Upon A Time Media has a culture which nurtures talents. At O.U.T Media, everyone is considered an asset and has the freedom to keep their thoughts fresh and unconventional. The company, with its vast experience in branded content production, is now venturing into scripted content and has already produced long-format content commissioned by Jio Studios which is in post-production. Along with that, a short film is under production and will go on the floor in the month of December 2023.
