EXCLUSIVE | Mohit Kaushal, YouForrte: Facilitating opportunities, engagements for artists

In an exclusive interaction with MediaBrief, Mohit Kaushal, Founder and CEO of YouForrte, speaks about the OTT revolution in India and how it has unlocked new opportunities for creators and artists. He also speaks about the various avenues YouForrte offers its users to increase their visibility in the entertainment network.

Give us an overview of YouForrte and its journey so far? 

With the changing dynamics of the Media & Entertainment Industry, sourcing talent has now become more critical than ever. YouForrte which is a Freemium platform has now bridged the gap that exists between Job/assignment seekers and the Entertainment Industry. 

Users now have a chance to expand their connections and network with various groups/bands of their choice. Our platform is a live treasury of booming artists, photographers, dramatists, and youngbloods eager to exercise their creative skills in the entertainment industry.

To speak about the journey I was a budding entrepreneur who wanted to be in the event industry. I remember having organized the first NDMC Cricket Team tour to the UK in 2000. After that, I went on organizing cricket tournaments for reputed

News/Media channels like NDTV, Network 18, Aajtak, TOI, Business Standard, Doordarshan, NEWS X in 2008. The hype of social media platforms was something that caught my attention back then. The idea of having this freemium platform inspired me to come up with a video-sharing online site that would facilitate entry points for users in the Media & Entertainment Industry. 

In 2014, even before Musically had launched we were sure to start with our venture. However, the project was put on hold due to certain funding challenges. Since this is a dream project I took the initiative to design the portal in 2020 August via an outsourced partner.

What are the services YouForrte offers and how are they different from its competitors? 

We are unique in a way since the proposition we bring to the table is new. No one has explored the media & entertainment sector and came up with a concept to promote people in the performance arts field as our platform did. YouForrte is a platform that provides avenues for users to increase their visibility in the entertainment network. 

The portal provides an exclusive list of people in the field of media & entertainment with different proficiency skills. Such platforms not only help the artists in showcasing their talent but also help in bridging the demand-supply gap in the market.

How is YouForrte helping young talents secure a promising career in the performing arts industry? 

Focusing more on mobility the video interactive platform allows individuals to not face unstructured recruitment procedures rather than be eager to participate which makes it more fun and easy to connect with remote talents.  

How does YouForrte help users in generating revenue, tell us about that, and how does that model work?

Videos/content created by users will get shared with a large audience which creates more engagement & collaboration. Top trending content will get featured on the portal and will have a much higher viewership. 

How is OTT expansion enhancing the content delivery and helping in providing opportunities for aspirants? 

The OTT industry has experienced a major boom specifically in the last two years. From 21.4 million subscribers in January 2020 to 29 million subscribers in July 2021, the OTT industry saw a rise of almost 30% in the number of paid subscribers in India. 

While the whole world was at a standstill and was experiencing what can possibly be called one of the worst economic slowdowns in history, it was interesting to see the OTT industry rising and increasing its audience base. 

When everyone was cooped up in their homes, cut off from the entire world, OTT platforms and their content came to curb the lockdown blues. Cinemas and multiplexes were shut down because of lockdown restrictions but that didn’t mean anyone was ready to give up their love for media and most importantly, broadcast media. 

Since the OTT space is booming the entertainment industry is providing a plethora of opportunities for talents to scale their career graph.

How are Millennials reshaping the OTT Culture in India? 

The rapid transformation of the OTT space coupled with the surging demand for quality content will boost the growth of the segment in India. Various industry reports also suggest that India might soon be the second-largest OTT market after the US. 

These studies are indicative of the fact that the millennial population is flourishing, which is why the OTT in India seems to have a promising future as well. As the space is growing, it is also offering a myriad of career prospects for newcomers seeking to enter the media and entertainment industry. 

Nowadays, web series enjoy fame due to the star-studded cast but are also being recognized for helping deserving talent make their debut in the industry. This trend has further pushed the need and growth of talent sourcing and showcasing platforms in India. 

What are the trends that will shape the Indian OTT space in the future?

India is likely to be home to a billion digital users by 2028. The addition of new digital users and a progression of consumers upwards, sophisticated, engaged into the next digital user group will continue to occur concurrently over the next few years, but at a more rapid pace.

While this shift in content and viewership preferences has happened in consumers across age groups; it is specifically the younger audiences and the millennials that have been drawn to this trend of watching digital content.

TV viewing comes with fixed timelines and the audience now seems to be experiencing fatigue from the sameness and redundancy in TV content. This trend was highlighted in a report by YouGov.

This research stated that the market share of millennials watching OTT and online entertainment in 2018 was 48% and surpassed the TV watching share which was 43%. Ever since then, the OTT space has undergone rapid transformations and hence the share of the millennial generation watching OTT has also increased.

Can you share with us your plans, strategies for YouForrte’s brand building and expansion?

In the coming five years the platform aims to be the next utopia for organizing Music/Dance/Photography/Acting Studios in different cities and encourage youngsters to eye the entertainment industry as a promising industry to build their career. 

Also in the later stages, the platform is considering developing a Royalty model for newcomers who have skills but lack strategic means to promote themselves.

Further to the expansion plans YouForrte will also be closely working with Local Clubs, Event Organizers, Casting Directors, Music Studios, Dance & Music Reality Shows, Dance/Music/Acting/Photography Schools & Colleges, and Media & Production Houses giving the agencies a free platform to post their requirements on.