Ashima Avasthi

• Set up the digital content studio dedicated to producing original series and films tailored for the digital audience
• Pivotal force in driving the Studio towards its overarching goal of surpassing traditional commercial content, transitioning to award-winning premium productions, and expanding its reach beyond India-centric narratives to stories with global resonance, making a mark internationally.
• Led development and curation of a diverse portfolio of original series and films across genres, scales and languages, from ground up, crafting scripts both in-house and with external makers
• Built a team with varied talents along with a culture of collaboration and excellence
• Dharavi Bank, a series I spearheaded, for a mass audience platform MX , became one of their most watched series. Brown, a premium series that I was deeply involved in developing and executing , was the only Indian selection at the Berlinale Market Select last year.
• With a focused approach of developing strong IP films for OTT, initiated and oversaw the film Silence , Can you hear it , the success of which led to a sequel commission by the platform Silence 2 , The night owl murders . Additionally, provided significant inputs on other successful films like "Bandaa".
• Championing the studio mission of crafting compelling narratives that are both grounded and boundary-breaking, Joram a film I worked on very closely, left a significant international footprint, garnering numerous accolades both domestically and worldwide
• Best Film Critics & Best Writing ( Filmfare Award 2024); Best Writing & Best Editing (Critics Choice Awards), Best Film at South Asian Film festival L.A; Durban International Film Festival along with being selected in competition in some of the most prestigious International film festivals.
• Built meaningful relationships with established talent through collaboration on compelling stories, thereby solidifying our studio as a trusted partner. Concurrently, identifying and nurturing emerging talent.
• Deep understanding and experience of International Film Festivals and strong connections with prestigious International Festivals

• I joined BBC Studios to establish development and production of branded content. Additionally, led the adaptation of several key formats and drove creation of documentaries.
• It's was a big achievement when an original format (The House that made me) , initially consisting of just four episodes, received such acclaim that its adapted version spans 26 episodes, garners multiple season commissions, and consistently earned awards in India and across Asia. Har Ghar Kuch Kehta Hai exemplified this success. Notably, it was the sole BBC India show that Netflix acquired within its first year.
• Developed and executed original unscripted shows and documentaries , across sports, biopics, reality shows, car shows , that garnered acclaim in both India and Asia for ZEE , Discovery, National Geographic
• From Best Talk Show in Asia for three different shows on Star Network, Zee TV and Colours, to Promax Asia Gold for short films on BBC Earth
• Indian Television Awards for Best Chat Show, Multiple metals at Abbys , Kyoorius Awards for Best Branded Content and others
• The highest point ( literally) was developing and executing a show for National Geographic that involved trekking upto the Everest Base Camp, a show that also went on to win multiple awards

• Lead Creative for brand solutions for the Cartoon Network & POGO for South Asia , Taiwan, Philippines and S.E.A. markets based in Hong Kong
• Crafting ideas tailored to suit the unique needs and preferences of various markets across the Asia Pacific region, drawing upon a nuanced understanding of their diverse audiences.
• Additionally, drove the creative solutions for HBO and WB in India

Led the creative solutions department for MTV , Nickelodeon and VH1 for some of the biggest properties then - Roadies, Music Awards, the first fiction series and more

This was the first dot.com boom and being a part of one of the most innovative portals right from the beginning was a huge learning. My role focussed on creating ideas for channels and fostering Creative partnerships with other portals.