Mumbai celebrates CultureCon India 2024

Mumbai, 9th September 2024:

“If we are to preserve culture we must continue to create it” wrote Johan Huizinga, a famous Dutch historian and one of the founders of Modern cultural history. At CultureCon 2024 in collaboration with Goethe Institut, the people of Mumbai had the unique opportunity to experience firsthand what it truly means to embody the idea of preserving culture by continuously creating it. This remarkable conference -10:30 am on 29th August- brought together over 70 mentees, 30 speakers of various backgrounds in the cultural sector, and 23 mentors for 9 engaging sessions, accompanied by 2 sign language interpreters and over 250 guests, all magically spell-bound by just one word CULTURE!

After its inception in 2020, CultureCon India took quite a grand comeback earlier this year with a day full of panel discussions, presentations, masterclasses and a lot more addressing festivals, events and the creative economy. Hosted at the dynamic new cultural hub, the Museum of Solutions (MuSo) in Lower Parel, Mumbai, Culture Con India brought together a vibrant mix of students, professionals, industry leaders, and passionate enthusiasts from across the realms of events, art, film, and design, fostering unity and sparking inspiration. To conclude the conference with the same virtuosity, CultureCon 2024 together with MuSo co-hosted the special Night at the Museum – CultureCon x MuSo Edition, an exclusive networking mixer evening, combined with a chance to access the Museum floors long past its working hours and heal your inner child! MuSo is a unique experiential Museum where all grown-ups must be accompanied by a child to enter and explore the exhibits. 

An important highlight of the conference was the multiple Mentorship Labs and Masterclasses offered for the Delegate Attendees. At the mentorship labs, attendees had the opportunity to reserve personalised one-on-one sessions with experts, allowing for deep, interactive discussions about their individual plans and aspirations. This format facilitated meaningful exchanges and provided valuable guidance tailored to each participant's unique needs. Masterclasses were conducted in small groups by eminent industry professionals, making it possible for the participants to upgrade their cultural management skills.

The concurrent panel discussions attracted a diverse range of attendees to listen to an absolutely formidable bunch of experts and professionals. The discussions ranged from building festival related Intellectual Properties, creating and managing festivals, trends in the Creator Economy, finding your career path and building your craft in the creative industry to understanding the business side of this sector and sustaining the posterity of Culture. To the public’s liking a surprise panel of speakers talked on a topic proposed and voted by the attendees themselves. Let’s delve into the heart of Culture Con India and explore the thought-provoking panel discussions that brought together leading voices from across the creative spectrum.

Panel I: Behind the Scenes: Shaping Festivals and IPs

The conference opened with a panel of industry professionals who have not only created their own festival IPs but have also played key roles in supporting and facilitating other major festivals. The panel was composed of experts like Sitara Chowfla (founder of Goa Open Arts Festival), Natasha Sharma (Founder of Govandi Arts Festival), virtuoso festival director Divya Bhatia (Director of Jodhpur RIFF), Shoven Shah (Founder of TribeVibe)  and Meghana Bhogle (Head IPs and Touring Division of Paytm Insider). Speakers gave insights into the success and functioning behind their iconic Festivals. The session explored the essentials of building, maintaining, and innovating within India's lively festival landscape, all showcased through the engaging Japanese PechaKucha format—20 slides, each displayed for 20 seconds!

The session also explored the role of these festivals in assuring the livelihood of the art that lives inside the artists through potential residency programs and grants. While Goa Open Arts, Govandi Arts and Jodhpur RIFF are events that happen at regional scale for the local artist community, it was made clear that sometimes small is indeed big, and small can be impactful. Sitara highlighted the role of trust between the facilitators and artist community as a driving force behind the success of the festivals. Shoven, after attending numerous concerts in his life and later founding his own entertainment platform, TribeVibe, showcased the transformed landscape of music festivals. He highlighted how the ever-enthusiastic millennials and Gen Z seek a redefined college festival experience. Natasha explained the pivotal social role these festivals play by providing creative spaces for the marginalised communities to showcase their talents and enable the social autonomy of the people. Divya’s profound understanding of the cultural festivals was reflected in his philosophical perspectives, which was effectively counterbalanced by Meghana and her stats presenting some very useful marketing, communication and ticketing strategies proving that people choose experience over artist. One of the main takeaways from the panel was the importance of the creation of such experiences for both consumers and creators putting focus on the balance between its social role, legacy and sustainability of the festivals. As the discussion was coming to end, Indian Music Industry journalist Amit Gurbaxani moderated additional questions from the audience, touching upon the goal-setting and insights into measuring the success of the festivals. 

Panel II: I want to be a content-creator! Directions in Creator Economy

When talking about the consumers of Art and Culture, it is imperative to weigh in on the creator side of it as well. While most of us are majorly consumers in this cultural landscape, there are many among us who thrive to go beyond and find their place as creators in this paradigm. This creator-consumer dynamics and the new trends in this creative economy were the main focus of the second panel of the CultureCon. Ria Chopra, a freelance writer and cultural consultant along with Varun Kashyap presented some interesting insights from their soon-to-be-published research done with Stumble on India’s Digital Creator Space. Discussing the neoteric notion of ‘Authenticity’ and the dilemma of making ‘relatable Content’, the panellists along with the audience tried to understand the meaning of creating authentic and quotidian content. While everyone had interestingly different takes on their understanding of Authenticity, they all agreed on the lack of infrastructural knowledge among the people who want to be a part of this creator realm. 

Dhruv Chitgopekar (Founder of the Collective Artists Network) suggested that emerging creators could use a cross-platform approach to reach a larger audience. Mandovi Menon (Creative Director and Writer) furthered this point by also talking about the way people consume culture and how it correlated with creation. Social Media is a unique place offering a myriad of ways of expression and constant buzz. When it comes to building culture, it's not just about engagement anymore; it's about what leaves a lasting impression, which is now becoming a measurable factor, said Mandovi. Arjun Ravi (Creative Consultant for Red Bull India) witfully added that ‘today brands want to become humans and humans want to become brands’ hinting at the ever growing and all-absorbing digital content market. All the speakers expressed ad idem that social media is a place for everyone, it helps promote democratisation of culture, and they encouraged everyone to focus on making content that genuinely interests them and not let the platform impel them to do something. 

Panel III: My Career in the Creative Industry

But how do I build my career in this industry? A question asked by many and answered by a few with no one definite answer. Such is the nature of the creative line of work. But the speakers at this panel took on the hefty job of trying to answer the most popular question. Divya Bhatia presented a philosophically intriguing memoirs of his early life and his current palette of roles and responsibilities. His rule of thumb is to follow your passion and what drives you, to not give up or give in on the way. Mae Mariyam Thomas (Podcaster and Founder of MaedinIndia) complimented this by sharing her story of starting as an Radio Jockey and becoming a full time podcaster focusing on indie music artists. She also highlighted the importance of being open and spirited in finding out your strengths. Raghav Meattle (Musician and Founder of firstwav) narrated his journey – from having a small college music band with his friends to building a space for promoting independent music artists. Afterall with great power comes great responsibility! And with great creativity comes great collaboration! Dr. Marguerite Rumpf from Goethe Institut provided some organisational insights into the process and possibility of working with them in the Cultural field. While the requirements might seem too demanding, conferences like this ensure that the supply remains perennial. The session could not have been better moderated than Dipti Rao who is an arts manager in India with experience in festival production, stage management, curation, and programming. She recently joined the team at the Prestige Centre for Performing Arts, where she continues to explore unconventional experiences in the creative industry.

Panel IV: Surprise! It's your Unconference

This time the topics discussed by the speakers were a surprise, since the conversation point was proposed and voted on by the audience. The topic selected was the strategies for taking indigenous Art outside of India. Tej Singh Brar (Head of Festivals at Nodwin Gaming), who has a lot of experience in Indian and International Music Industry, suggested that by observing which promoters they work with and which festivals they play at, musicians can find opportunities to advance their careers. The key is looking to the strategies of favourite artists as a starting point and actively researching them, to further connect with relevant industry contacts. Brar also discussed the relevance of defining the indianness of an Artist, vis-à-vis the squabble around the global hit rap-track Big Dawgs by rapper Hanumankind and understanding the relevant target audience for your art. Simultaneously, Bruce Guthrie (Head of Theatre and Film at NCPA Mumbai) suggested that if you aim to take your work abroad, start by exploring local festivals to understand their atmosphere and purpose. Once you are clear on your goals, consider larger festivals. Guthrie emphasised the importance of attending these events, getting a feel for their vibe, and questioning why you should partner with them and why now is the right time. It's about finding clarity and direction before making bigger moves. 

By breaking with the tradition of Speaker-Attendee, this panel created an open environment where conference delegates could actively choose the topics they wanted the speakers to address. This approach empowered participants to shape the conversation, making it more meaningful and engaging. The result was a dynamic and rewarding discussion on how to take creativity to a global stage, fostering fresh connections and collaboration across disciplines. This initiative turned passive listeners into active contributors, enriching the conference experience for everyone involved. The co-founder and Director at 4/4 Experiences Pvt Ltd and a passionate supporter of India’s independent music scene, Nikhil Udupa gracefully moderated the session bringing the best out of the panellists. 

Panel V: The Closing Panel 

THE BUSINESS OF CREATIVITY: SHAPING THE FUTURE OF OUR INDUSTRY

The panel presented the most powerful and pivotal discussion that proved to be a perfect coda for the conference. It featured creatively influential personalities like Girish ‘Bobby’ Talwar, Emmy nominated Producer and Founder of Rebellion Management along with the prominent Producer and Filmmaker Guneet Monga Kapoor who won the Academy Award for The Elephant Whisperers, Creative Producer and Founder of Kommune Roshan Abbas as well as Vijay Subramaniam, Founder and Group CEO of Collective Artists Network, the company that manages India’s top Creators and Celebs. To put the cherry on top, the panel was moderated by Rashmi Dhanwani, founder of The Art X Company and Festivals From India, organiser of the one and only Culture Con 2024. The troupe discussed the nuances of the business side as an important part of Cultural Economy and Landscape. They highlighted the seemingly difficult transformation of creators into entrepreneurs or culture enablers as they would call themselves. Guneet Monga, the Academy Award-winning producer and CEO of Sikhya Entertainment, shared her bold cinematic ambition during the discussion. "My ultimate aim is to create a 'Brown Panther'—a 100-crore film," she declared, envisioning a blockbuster that celebrates South Asian talent and narratives on a global stage. She also expressed her desire to "go back on stage to finish [her] speech," hinting at her drive for more significant achievements in her career. During his session, Vijay Subramaniam shared his ambitious vision for the creative industry. He described himself as "an eternal optimist and a perennial capitalist," expressing his desire to build an "Amazon for creators." His vision aims to create a vast, inclusive platform that empowers creators, providing them with the tools and opportunities to thrive in a competitive marketplace. A few panellists condoned this capitalistic approach to art and culture underlining the economy, others upheld the ultimate goal of ‘learning’ to be a creator. 

Roshan Abbas emphasised the importance of networking and continuous growth for artists. "You can’t say, 'I am an artist' and be shy. You have to go out and meet 20 new people every day!" he remarked, highlighting the need for artists to actively build connections and seek learning opportunities. He also stressed the value of developing a peer network and creating a team driven by passion and purpose, beyond just paychecks.One could  reflect on whether this notion of learning could also be applied to the consumer side of this ‘business’ thereby promoting and nurturing cultural literacy i.e to learn to experience, appreciate and understand Culture. 

When the speakers were asked for a single wish a genie could grant them, everyone’s answers converged on the possibility of having a strong, unified ensemble of producers to advocate solidarity among such Culture Enablers, encouraging a social mutual investment in each other’s projects, exchanging copyrights and decentralising ideas. The speakers shared their experience and visions underlining the necessity and possibility of institutionalising the access to creating and experiencing culture and understanding the power structures in the ever growing Creative Industry. This discussion culminated into a applaudable conclusion leaving the audience with a lot of food for thought!

And that’s not a wrap

The most special and truly remarkable part of CultureCon 2024 was the networking mixer in the evening fuelled by DJ Sets by QARAN. It was a wonderful opportunity for the attendees and guests to mingle with the speakers and organisers informally while snacking or sipping on something delicious. The speakers were very candid and receptive to the audience’s questions and remarks. This interaction was admired greatly by the attendees and many could propose future collaboration possibilities with the experts. Among the audience were also a number of young students, some being artists and creators themselves while others studying or working as Culture and Art Managers. They were happy to have been guided by the professionals in their academic and creative journey. Many discussed their personal plans in working together for promoting, institutionalising and sustaining ‘Cultural Literacy’ in India.  

The Conference successfully paved the way for further future conventions in this field and was literally a breakthrough! Breaking through the fourth wall!