This startup wants to help you go viral on YouTube. Here’s its playbook

Some of India’s movie stars are larger than life. Photo credit: Nicolas Mirguet.

Indian culture and entertainment go hand in hand, from movie theaters where audiences throw rupees at exciting fight scenes, to the millions who flock yearly to Mumbai hoping to make it on to the silver screen. Everything in India is moving online, and no one can overlook the glitzy entertainment industry.

“At this point, everyone’s got a tiny little television in their hands,” explains Venkat Prasad, the co-founder of Culture Machine. “That’s a whole new set of viewers waiting to be entertained.”

That little television set is why Culture Machine, a startup founded off the idea that it’s entirely possible to give people exactly what they want, thinks it has a chance to make it big.

It signs on YouTube “creators” – that new agey word referring to people who post creative stuff online – and gives them all the support they need, from studios, to marketing, to PR connections.

“Think of it like Disney with Star Wars,” he says. “They’ve made it into a TV series, they distribute merchandise, they figure out how to twist and turn content. That’s what we do for creators.”

Like Star Wars’ emergence during a time when people were curious about space travel, Culture Machine’s clients are on the cutting edge of what’s what.

Since most YouTube watchers are young, Culture Machine’s content caters to that demographic.

“Being Indian” creates content about the quirky, liberal culture that’s come up with India’s rapid modernization. One of their most popular videos, “Every Indian girlfriend in the world,” has nearly three million views.

Most entertainment is geared towards North India, which is why another one of its creators, Put Chutney, focuses on making stuff that speaks to young South Indians.

Venkat used to work at YouTube, and his co-founder Sameer Pitalwalla held a senior position at UTV, an Indian media company owned by Disney.

The business model involves a lot of work, which means it’s one of the few that actually needs funding to function successfully. The investor interest so far has made it look like a worthy bargain. Last February, it received US$18 million in funding from Tiger Global and Times Internet, bringing the amount of money it’s raised to US$21.5 million.

No business like show business

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