The "he needs no introduction" line is one that in today's world of hype over substance is oftentimes abused. But there are always exceptions. Sam Balsara, Chairman and Managing Director of Madison Communications most definitely falls into that category. Sam as he's known in the industry is not just one of the most influential voices in the advertising fraternity, but in fact his name is synonymous with the growth of the Indian advertising industry itself.

Known for his quiet aggression, many within his organisation also swear by Balsara's strong leadership qualities as well as hands-on approach.

Careful is one word that immediately comes to mind about the man - in thought, in words and in action. Weighing his words carefully, Balsara says, "The story of my life is really all about the growth of Madison. From a mere three clients and very few resources, we've grown to a 1000 crore (Rs 10 billion) company." That this home grown media agency has caught the envy of many a rival affiliated with global advertisers & marketing groups speaks for itself.

"When I started, I never really thought I had any business acumen. I also did not dream too big. But, today it's been a rather satisfying journey," says the understated Mr Madison Media.

So, here goes, Sam Balsara, on building his company, his philosophy and his family.

Tell us a little bit about your early life?

I was born and brought up in a small town called Balsar. I have some beautiful memories of the place and incidently that's where I get my surname from. My father owned a hereditary business. He was a forest contractor and dealt in timber, but that business folded up and we moved on to Bangalore; where he took the bold step of venturing into the hotel business.

So, entrepreneurship and risk taking runs in your genes?

Well, frankly I never thought I had any business acumen. I was all set to become a CA but since management education was supposed to be a big thing then, I got into the Jamnalal Bajaj Institute. I started off my career with Sarabhai's under Pran Chaudhary, and later spent a good four years at Cadbury's. After eight years in marketing I branched out into advertising. After heading the successful Mumbai office of Mudra, an affiliate of DDB Needham in India, in 1988 I decided to start on my own.

It took me more than 18 years to branch out on my own by taking over an ailing agency called Madison. Today, I am amazed when youngsters with just two or three years start off on their own. It still gives me the feeling of how slow I must have been then.

How has the advertising world changed now? And how has the journey been?

Those days, the advertising world was not such a competitive place. Today, it's a dog eat dog situation. I must confess, during the initial period, my sights were not that high, so the transition from working to starting off on my own was pretty smooth.

It's been a long journey of almost 18 years. It's been fun, exciting and a very satisfying journey.

What was the turning point in the life of Madison?

In the early 90s, when Manmohan Singh liberalised the economy we started looking outward. I realised that life is going to change in India, and so we slightly changed course and decided to partner in equity with an international firm called D'Arcy Masius Benton & Bowles (DMB & B). But for some reason we parted ways after five years.

But did the tie-up help Madison in any way?

Yes, we did grow as a company. They also helped us acquire a few strategic clients at that point in time. But more than that, it exposed us to the world of how multinationals work and function. It also exposed us to the fallacy of their thinking.

I think Indian by nature, learn to achieve a lot more with a lot less. Even with very little resources, one can start something and grow it, without getting into the other trappings like a huge AC office and a huge workforce. This could actually be driving the business in the wrong direction. Even before you've started, one is sort of putting pressure on oneself.

What philosophy drives your company's growth and strategy? Get the right people?

Madison's growth is really the growth of our clients. I tell my people to concentrate on the task in hand. Madison's growth is a byproduct of the client's growth. So, we focus more on our clients than on our own growth strategy. If I look back to the first five years of the company, we had only three clients, so that doesn't mean we didn't grow. We evolved because our clients grew.

Coming back to your personal life, what sort of upbringing did you have and what things have stayed with you that helped along your journey?

I was the youngest in the family and was pampered, but at the same time my parents also instilled discipline in us. One had to always do the right thing at the right time. Also, because of my upbringing, I always respect the value of money and to use it prudently.

I'm pretty religious and visit the fire temple in our colony every morning. Also, I try to live by the basic philosophy of the Parsee religion which is good thoughts, good words and good deeds.

How do you get your people to be aggressive?

At Madison we don't believe in achieving success by hook or crook. We are very strict about our value system and it's definitely not about wanting success at the price of honesty and integrity. I believe that one should never ever venture on a wrong path. If you lie once then you'll keep on lying. Or in business when you've got used to evading taxes, then you get used to doing it.

I've noticed all of us are normally good as individuals but we tend to get naughty in a group. There has to be transparency as well as fair play with out clients. We also try to conserve our resources since we know that we're not a thousand million dollar multinational company.

So, every Madisonite believes in our value system which is all over the walls of our office. We don't just say we want to be the best but we also say how we want to be the best. Also, at Madison we believe in nurturing the best talent and constantly challenging the intellectual ability of people.

How do you get the best out of your people?
I make sure that all my managers think like entrepreneurs. So, when they come to me with a statement like 'we don't understand money' I tell them it's all about understanding the concept of money. It's really as simple as managing your household expenses. Managing your office money or your client's money is no different from that. I think we Indians make very good managers.

What are your personal strengths and weaknesses which have stood you in good stead?

I am hot tempered but only with people who are close to me. I think my wife has to pay a price for this while I am very sugar and sweet to many others in the business. I also try to emphathise with the other person's problem, but sometimes in work situations, this stands in my way.

How do you handle stress?

As an advertising man who goes through so many highs and lows in a day one doesn't really feel stressed. In fact, our system gets used to that level of frenzy. So, if I am relaxed, I feel uncomfortable. It's also the way your body gets conditioned.

Where do you derive your strength from?

I derive my strength from my two daughters. My younger daughter, Lara, works with me and is in charge of business diversification. Someone just told me that there's not much luxury that one can have than having your daughter to work with you. Unfortunately, my elder daughter Tanya is visually handicapped. So, if I ever have any sort of problem, business or otherwise, I just have to look at her and I get my strength. If Tanya, doesn't really let her disability colour her perspective towards life, then I ask myself what am I complaining about?

She's computer literate, loves to party. We've set up an institute for the visually handicapped. It's a constant reminder that life has its problems and how you deal with it. Life is all about appreciating what you have but somehow we get caught up in what we don't have.

When I ask him for his favourite biz mantra, he goes, 'sab kuch ho sakta hain, karne wala chahiye.' "Afterall, life is all about pressing the `refresh' button all the time, " says an upbeat Mahesh Ramanathan, COO, Percept Picture Company (PPC), a part of Percept Holdings, a Rs 16 billion capitalized billings media & entertainment conglomerate.

Sitting in the driver's seat, Ramanathan, brings with him close to 15 years of sales, marketing and general management experience. And though, this is really his first assignment in the entertainment business, Ramanathan is all set to change the rules of the game, as he gears up to take a pie from the country's most profitable brand that is Bollywood. He says, "this business is really about people and ideas. And ideas can come from anywhere. Also, people need a lot of hand holding to implement those ideas. Once, we implement the idea, then like a sugarcane juice vendor, our aim is to extract maximum profits from the venture."

Here, in an interview to Exec Life, Ramanathan talks about how he loves to take on challenges, grow companies to a critical mass and drive people towards their creative limits. So, here goes lights, camera and action.....

This is really your first assignment in the media and entertainment field? What lessons have you carried on from your earlier jobs here?

I like to join companies at the initial stages and grow them to a critical mass. To cite from my earlier assignments - Baygon grew from two sub-brands to a mother brand with seven line extensions in two years. SHV Energy (Calor Gas in U.K.) grew from scratch to a 100 cr topline in two calendar years-in a commodity market a brand was established. AirTel-Kolkata saw three brand transitions & trebled revenues to 120 cr in two and a half years and gained a leadership position over Hutch.

So, it's all about understanding the market, strategy and planning. The initial period here has been a learning experience. PPC has all the ingredients required for growth. Systems and processes backed by a relatively de-risked business strategy in Motion Pictures aggressive content creation for General Entertainment channels on TV will see the company reach a critical mass this year.

So, what's the fun part of the Media & entertainment business?

The business is really about people and passion. So, along with the right strategy, it's all

about getting the right team together. I might have a 1000 member team but they might not be able to deliver. But, sometimes a small team with the right chemistry can drive the business. Also, hierarchy or a corporate structure doesn't matter as it's all about creativity.
Apart from hugely investing in talent, we are also open to ideas. And ideas could germinate even from outside.

So, what you're saying is that you can drive only if you get the right people?

Yes, it's all about managing people. Ideas are intellectual property and savvy exploitation of rights differentiates one from competition. It's similar to the telecom business, where you are selling an intangible product and marketing is the key business driver. However, content creation in Motion Pictures that straddles all delivery platforms, requires a much more in-depth understanding of audience's tastes & preferences.

So, how do you ensure your team delivers to their full capacity?

You might come up with the best idea but implementation is the key. So, I believe people need a lot of hand holding in this business. Here, we are a family of 75 committed & talented individuals. While systems & processes are important, I believe creative minds cannot be boxed up or compartmentalised. We entrust our employees with agreed deliverables at the beginning of the year. A hands off decentralised management approach ensures employees take ownership of results & deliver.

Tell us a little about your script shop?

PPC invites scripts from talented writers across various age groups & across the country through our website www.perceptpictures.com .We receive 10-12 scripts a day and a team of dedicated creative resources process each one of the scripts received. Eventually, we want to make available select scripts to filmmakers across the world.

How are you doing it differently?
We want ideas to germinate from the masses. Also, we're trying to pre -test the scripts, and not just depend on a good star cast. Hanuman, was more than just a film, it signaled a coming of age in local content creation by Indian animators. We've just announced the making of Hanuman 2 and a Documentary on Mother Teresa.

How do you plan to scale up the operations for the business to achieve critical mass? Do you have any strategic alliances up your sleeves?

PPC has the best talent working on creation, production, marketing & distribution of Motion Pictures. So it's natural for us to scale up. We are committed to produce 30 motion pictures (Hindi & International) in the next two years. Strategic alliances would be formed to secure a platform that would deliver growth. Recently, we have sold a five per cent stake to Bennett & Coleman to bring in marketing synergies.

But, is there a method to the madness, cause entertainment can be a highly risky business? How are you changing the rules of the game?

Our aim is always to de-risk the business. We spend at least 35 per cent of the time taken from start to finish of a motion picture in pre-production (against 10 per cent by industry) we do our homework to ensure our scripts are in tune with the audience's sensibilities. Researching the script ensures that we better the law of averages of Hindi Films succeeding at the box office. Our marketing campaigns are mounted with specific pre-scales objectives in mind, but we ensure our channel partners too profit due to a strong script, selection of the Director & appropriate casting. We believe, if the industry does it's homework before narrating a story, it is sure to strike a chord with audiences and a higher success ratio is bound to follow.

You've mostly been in Delhi for the most part of your life. This is really your first assignment in Mumbai. How do you like the city and the people here?

Mumbai is not just the commercial capital, but even an intellectual capital of the country. It also has the best brains in the world. Above, all the city has a soul. I quite love being here.

What is your greatest indulgence?

I love playing mind games. I am totally hooked on to Sudoku, a Japanese, fun puzzle game. (for the uninitiated Sudoku requires the player to fill in the 9x9 square grids with the numbers one to nine. The numbers should be arranged in such a way that each row, column and mini-grid contains one of each number.) A single error in a Sudoku can throw the whole game out. I think, even life is really like that.

Apart from this, I love driving. Inspite of the heavy traffic and distances in the city, I make it a point to drive down from Powai to Lower Parel to my office.

Mukesh Khanna is a perfect blend of `creativity and business acumen.' As he narrates us the story of his life, along with his various hits and misses; what strikes out is Khanna definitely knows how to position himself and his company for that matter.

With a wonderful smile on his face, as he continues to munch on some cool cucumbers to beat the summer heat, he says, "people still call me Bheeshma Pitamaha and of course my home production Shaktimaan continues to have a very high recall value."

While flipping through some of his favourite books he continues, "I simply love to juggle my life as a actor and producer, but I also make sure that I don't take on too many projects at a time. Currently, I am planning a daily soap on DD and also an animated film based on Shaktimaan."

I grew up playing marbles & hututu

Born and brought up in Bombay, I studied at Marwadi Vidyalaya, a Hindi medium school near Opera house in South Mumbai. I had a wonderful and carefree childhood. After returning from school, I used to just throw my school bag and rush out to play marbles and hututu. Life was different then, children had to face no stress. Nowadays, it's all about tuitions, studies and computer classes.

I feel very sad for children in today's environment who are unfortunately caught up in the rat race. Even mothers are caught up in the syndrome - Teri saree meri saree se safed kyon hai.' I strongly feel that children should be allowed to do what they are good at. It's important that children are prepared for the exam of life than school exams.

I never wanted to be an actor
After school I went on to do my BSc from St Xaviers college. I had also applied for admission in an engineering college from Kanpur. But, I lost the seat due by a mere 0.5 per cent. Since, I was free for a year, my brother suggested that I try my luck on stage. In those days, Kader Khan and even Amrish Puri used to act on stage. So, I managed to bag a role and got a chance to perform on stage.

On turning a producer
Producing Shaktimaan was very hectic and left me very little time for my acting assigments. Now, I am also planning a daily soap on DD which is almost ready for telecast. Besides this, I am also in the process of planning an animated film based on Shaktimaan. But then, I love acting and in fact I even had an offer to act in Bhojpuri film.

It was in my destiny to say Ayushmanbhav
I had read Mahabharat at a very young age, so I was familiar with all the characters in it. One fine day, I got a call from Gufi asking me to act in Mahabharat. Since, it was one of my favourite subjects, I said would love to take it up. I was shorlisted to act as Duryodhan but somehow, I felt that I was not meant to be a villian.
Later it was Dronacharya, but then it was in my destiny to say Ayushmanbhav. After 15 days of shooting, I was asked by the Chopras to play the role of Bheeshma Pitamah. I knew, it was a strong role but that time I was unaware that it would be a pillar of the whole serial.

Now I live two lives
After playing the role of Bheeshma Pitamah, I also got associated with the BJP. Now, I live two lives. Whenever I go for campaigning for the BJP, they introduce me to the crowd saying Badon ke Pitamah aur choton ke Shaktimaan aa gaye.

My health mantra
Nowadays, I am on a strict diet, trying to reduce my weight. Nomatter what time I get up, I make it a point to finish my exercises. I also prefer to have homemade vegetarian food. i've a small kitchen in my office where we often prepare lunch and dinner.

I hate pubs and parties
I don't like to drink or smoke. I hate pubs and parties. In fact, I prefer to spend my evenings at home and Sundays sleeping.

My Lifestyle
I lead a very simple life. I am not very fond of gadgets. I believe in simple living and high thinking. But the only thing that I would like to buy someday is my dream car i.e Mercedes.

"My father is a writer. And his collection of books is what I was exposed to from my early years. Besides what he used to write, I also read virtually all the books he had in his library! The books in his library were really different from what my peers used to read in school! So, while my friends grew up on Hardy Boys and Famous five, I was trying to understand The Outsider by Albert Camus. Reading this particular book at a young age definitely made a great difference to my life and thinking. I would definitely recommend it to everyone I know.

I like a lot of fiction, particularly from different literary traditions - from Nikolai Gogol, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Albert Camus and Gunter Grass. I do try and catch up with some of the classics as much as possible, but somehow because of my work schedule it takes a lot of time to finish a book! I particularly like some Latin American authors like Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

Time is a big problem. A bigger problem is ones' state of mind.One has too many choices and pulls to be able to sit back and read. Also, finding time to read can be particularly challenging when you have a young kid. Yet, I still try and take some time out to catch up on my reading.

My favourite books
I recently finished re-reading, One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. I find this Latin American authors' writing truly 'gripping'. And the fact that the cultural root it emanates from is so very different from the predictable stuff that comes out of European or American authors. Marquez is perhaps the world's best storyteller!

If I had to name my all-time favourite they would be One Hundred Years of Solitude and Ulysses by James Joyce..

I dislike
I don't like reading marketing, advertising, and self help or motivational books. Just to cite an example, I find authors like Edward De Bono quite boring and stretched though some of his ideas may be exciting. Somehow, I haven't been able to pull myself to read that genre of books; call them self help books or plain management and marketing jargon.

Exec Speak: Interview with Joy Chakraborthy, Executive Vice President, network sales, Zee Telefilms

My day starts with
I am an early riser and am up by 5 am every morning. I am off to 'The Club' (a club in Mumbai's Andheri suburb which has facilities like a gym, squash, etc) for my workout at the gym. I make it a point to reach office by 9 am, so that I begin work early.

My fitness regime
I am an ex NDA and an ex airforce trainee pilot and therefore have always been into sports a lot. During my early years, I used to be a boxer and a football player. Nowadays it's either an hour of swimming or a combination of cardio and weights at the gym.

My diet mantra
I am a complete foodie, but I keep a check on what I eat and when I eat. When I am dining out, I love to try out Chinese, Japanese and Bengali food. Hilsa Paturi (a fish curry) and Golda Chingri (King prawns cooked with mustard paste, green chilies and yoghurt. Medium hot) are some of my most favourite Bengali dishes. I love to dine out at Oh! Calcutta in Tardeo, Mainland China in Andheri and Yokos in Andheri.

On traveling
I love to go hiking. I also take off to the hills over weekends. A long holiday happens once a year, during Christmas or New Year. I have traveled almost all over the world. Dubai remains my all-time favourite, as I can kill two birds with one stone. My brother and parents live there and it serves as a holiday place for me too.

Shopping
I am a shopaholic. Also, I am a credit card shopper and that's even more dangerous as one gets the bill only at the end of the month. Whenever I travel, I have this strong urge to buy something. Since, I am an impulsive buyer, my wife worries, when I travel abroad. I don't believe in window shopping !

Perfumes and watches are my weakness. I am also very brand conscious. Polo Sport and Issey Miyake are two of my favourite brands. As far as clothes go, for formal work wear, I prefer Ralph Lauren & Lacoste Shirts & prefer tailor made pants.

On movies
I love watching movies. Catching Movies on weekends is often a family affair. Recently, I enjoyed watching Rang De Basanti, Maine Gandhi Ko Nahi Mara and Zinda. All three films were extremely entertaining and are worth a watch. I pray every morning after my bath, I am a Kali/ Durga Bhakt.

On music
I freak out on Eagles, Eric Clapton and Elton John. As far as Hindi music goes, I love Kishore Kumar.

On Gizmos and Gadgets
I can't call myself a gizmo freak. I don't even know all the applications of my Nokia Communicator mobile phone. I possess a DVD player, a laptop and an iPod.

My Favourite Car
I drive a Toyota Corolla but definitely aspire for a BMW.

Stress busters
I love to spend quality time with my family, as I do not enjoy partying. I love to head out to 'The Club' on weekends, where i can watch my kids playing. Being a family man, I prefer to spend my free time with my family. Also on Saturdays and Sundays I go out shopping for fish, fruits and vegetables which is an amazing stress buster for me.

There's a great hustle bustle of activity at the Times Now office. It looks like, it's been a day of hectic meetings and amazing news breaks for Editor-in-Chief, Arnab Goswami. As I enter his cabin, his cell phone keeps beeping incessantly and the sms' keep pouring in; yet Arnab looks all charged and raring to go.

For the first time ever, Goswami gets candid on his exciting journey as an editor-in-chief.

My initial years ?
Since my father was in the army, I changed various schools around the country. Also, I grew up in a family of lawyers and politicians. After doing my BA from the Hindu college in Delhi, I went through a period of uncertainity in my life. I was not too sure what I wanted to do in life. But somewhere along with the way, I figured out that I had a very strong connection with England. I had a strong desire to study law at Oxford. Though, I didn't get a chance to do law but I went on to do Social Anthropology at Oxford.

My Oxford days
I didn't really enjoy studying Social Anthropology or didn't quite like the `Oxonion' circuit so-to-speak. Later, I had an opportunity to do a PH D, but somehow I came back to India and joined the Telegraph in Calcutta. For about an year, I worked on the Edit pages of the newspaper. Later, I had an offer to join Outlook magazine, but somehow as luck would have it I went on to join NDTV.

My days with NDTV
At NDTV, I started off with doing some small stories, but being a quick learner I soon graduated to important stories. I was fortunate enough to cover three general elections, the Jain Hawala case and many other important stories. Working with Prannoy Roy was an excellent opportunity. I also owe a lot to my News Editor Appan Menon (who is unfortunately nomore).

After spending a good nine and a half years at NDTV, I had made up my mind to move on in life. I was scared of getting too comfortable at my job and was itching to take on a risk. I wanted to take on something that would challenge me. There were offers to head existing news channels but the offer to launch a new channel from scratch was a great opportunity.

Launching Times Now
My initial meetings with Mr Arun Arora and later with Mr Vineet Jain convinced me that this was the biggest risk and challenge that I was waiting for. On a personal level, launching the channel has been a great learning curve in terms hiring people, handling production, programming and deciding the overall look and feel of the channel.

Restless and raring to go
I always want to try out new things in life. After the launch of the channel, we are now in the process of experimenting with newer formats and forms. Now, our aim is to take the channel to the top.

I try to remain level headed
This profession can sometimes give you an exaggerated sense of self importance. My aim is to try and remain level headed all the time. I've seen people change a lot after getting into this profession. I try to keep a low profile and be one amongst the team.

My mind is always at work
Sometimes there are abnormal levels of stress in our profession. Also, the news business can really get a bit obsessive as one can't afford to miss out on a single news break. Somehow, my mind is always at work and it's part of my nature. I find it difficult to cut off. Also, it's hugely competitive. Initially, I didn't want to be in the rat race but now somehow being in the race, now I want to be the fastest rat.

Relaxing Mantra
I keep shuffling between Delhi and Mumbai. Whenever, possible we take off on a holiday, or go for long drives. I don't really like to party much or network. I try to spend a lot of quality time with my five year old son, who loves to watch me on television and imitate me all the time.