We are back with another story of a Starsquad member, who has been in the Talent Management business for 13 years now. Arjun Banerji is the Head of Talent and Ventures at Exceed Entertainment, a talent agency. Some of his clients include Chitrangada Singh, Nora Fatehi, Mithila Palkar and Guru Randhawa. Arjun takes great pride in the journey of his clients and believes in connecting with them on a personal level. In an exclusive interview with the team of MissMalini, we asked him about his journey as a talent manager, the challenges he faced and some memorable moments with his clients. He also busted some myths about the talent management industry, read on to find out more…
Today we know you as Arjun, Head of Talent and Ventures at Exceed Entertainment. Tell us a little about where did you start off and how?
My journey started in 2010 and it happened by default. I’m not from Bombay, I had just finished college and was looking for a job. A friend of mine called me and told me that there is this agency and they manage celebrities. This was one of our current competitors, that is where I started. I worked there for 2 years, and I honestly thought it would be an easy job. I was 22, I thought there would actually be no work and I would hang out with celebrities. 6 months into it I realised I was good at it, and I can make my long-term career in this. Also in 2010, Talent Management per se was not very known, there were hardly 2-3 agencies, including Exceed.
Tell us about some of your clients, and how long have you been with them as a Talent Manager?
I really pride myself in saying that I’ve had some really long-lasting relationships with some of my clients. Probably my oldest client is Chitrangada Singh. And one of the things I really pride myself in is we started working with this girl Mithila Palkar, 7 years ago. At that point in time she was just about doing a few gags here and there, to today. So her journey started from scratch to where she is, as a top OTT star, and a darling for the brands. Another journey I personally enjoy is the one with Nora Fatehi. We started working with her about 4 years ago. We all know what all Nora is doing now. It has been a great experience working with her, learning from her and just the sheer joy of the variety of things we can do with such a multi-faceted talent. For the past year, we have been working with Guru Randhawa. In a year or two it was mainly celebrities and cricketers who would do brand endorsements, so the initial months were a little tough to push the envelope and make everyone aware of what this talent brings to the table. And now one year later, the past 6 months have been fantastic.
What have been some of the biggest hurdles you’ve overcome over the years and how?
I think one of the earliest hurdles when I was 22-23, was adjusting to this non-stop lifestyle. But you got to live with it, but if you cannot adjust to the fact that you have to be available at 2 am, or Saturday or Sunday, I don’t think you can go very far in this profession. This was one of the hurdles for someone who as a kid thought that it was all fun and games. Another one would be, I don’t know if I would call it a hurdle, but I realised that if I continued doing things in a particular manner for too long, then it gets monotonous and that’s where my growth stops. You need to adapt to everything. For example, when I started working, there were no digital streams of income. It started coming in 2012, and I never thought that it would last, and didn’t take it seriously. But then I realised that you need to adapt to it, and it is now one of the biggest streams of income for any talent agency.
Were there any special heartwarming moments from your journey that you’d like to talk about?
It is your job to do something for an artist, and the base of it is a commercial relationship, but I take their wins and losses very personally. Some of the biggest ones would be an artist publicly acknowledging my contribution to their life. Chitrangada being one of my oldest clients, wrote a very heartwarming letter to me once we completed 10 years. And as I got it, I framed it and kept it. We did a huge show for the Dubai Expo, and it was Nora’s biggest show so far. And the heartwarming public acknowledgement between the team that was involved, was really heartwarming. When you give it your all and they acknowledge it, that is very heartwarming to see.
Arjun with Chitrangada Singh…
What is it that excites you about this profession, that has kept you going for this long?
Since childhood, I have been fascinated by Bollywood. So as a kid, I knew I wanted to do something in the film business. At the core of it, I am a filmy person. So I enjoy working in the film/entertainment business. That would be the biggest point that keeps me going because it is deeply rooted in me. But in this particular business, because it has been 13 years of talent management. It is because I’ve realised that I’m very high on emotional quotient. And that is why my relationships last really really long because I can connect with the artists at a personal level, and feel their wins and losses. The other part is I feel like I am good at this. I am good at executing plans with celebrities and making brand strategies. When they bear fruit, it gives me a thrill.
How is Exceed Entertainment different from other talent management agencies out there? What is your vision for this company?
There are 3-4 big agencies, and each has its own skills. But it has been over a decade of me with Exceed, a little over a decade actually. And I feel one of the reasons that I have stuck around for so long is because we have the natural ability to connect to our clients. Another would be, we are aware of having short-term and long-term goals. That is what makes us a little different, having short-term and long-term goals for our clients and not restricting them. Having a wider vision, seeing our clients as a talent and seeing what they can do based on their interests also. The biggest difference would be, we’re always ahead of the curve, in the changing landscape of the business.
What advice would you give someone trying to make it big in this industry?
My first advice would be don’t think all we do is party and have fun. It is a myth, it is not true. 80 to 90% of it is really really hard. A lot of long hours, patience and understanding. May it be people from a competing agency, but I have very high regard for people in this industry. Because I know how much it takes out of you emotionally and physically. Second would be, if you want to make it big in this industry, you have to live with the fact that your life will not have a regular schedule. And in terms of attitude, what has worked for me is keeping a solution-oriented attitude. You have to always think of a solution.
Well, now you know the reality between the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry, and how so much of it is hard work, determination and long working hours. Wishing Arjun all the very best for many more years in the industry!