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Starting Young, Dreaming Big: How These Founders Are Pioneering In Production

In an exclusive conversation with SheThePeople, Aanya Jain and Meghna Sahgal opened up about their journey, the challenges they've faced, and offered valuable advice for young women looking to break into the media and production industry.

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Priya Prakash
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Aanya Jain and Meghna Sahgal

Aanya Jain and Meghna Sahgal

"One of the biggest challenges we faced was our age, to be honest. As young founders, it was difficult for people to take us seriously until they saw the quality of our work, says Aanya Jain and Meghna Sahgal, the 23 and 27-year-old co-founders of Run Frenzy. Though they’re relatively young, they’ve built a reputable production house behind well-known projects like Koffee with Karan, Call Me Bae, and What the Hell Navya. Run Frenzy has also collaborated with major corporate brands overseeing everything from strategy and concept development to full-scale production.

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In an exclusive conversation with SheThePeople, Aanya Jain and Meghna Sahgal opened up about their journey, the challenges they've faced, and offered valuable advice for young women looking to break into the media and production industry.

The Birth of Run Frenzy

The dynamic duo behind Run Frenzy, had a clear vision when they took their first steps into the production industry. The idea for their production house was born during a flight, Aanya recalls, "The idea for Run Frenzy was born during a flight when Meghna and I realized our shared synergy and readiness to take the leap into something bigger. I always knew I wanted to create my own path in the industry, and after working as an assistant director at the age of 18 and then gaining three years of experience in production, the time felt right," she says. 

When it comes to deciding which projects to take on, the co-founders place a strong emphasis on resonance. “For us, the most important factor is resonance. A project must challenge us creatively, align with our vision, or allow us to push boundaries,” Aanya shares. Moreover, as young entrepreneurs, they value the flexibility that allows them to explore a range of industries, from fashion to tech to entertainment. “Being young gives us the flexibility to explore and experiment,” says Aanya. Another key factor in their decision-making process is client synergy. "Client synergy is another big consideration; we value relationships where there’s mutual trust and a shared commitment to excellence," Aanya concludes.

Creative Process, & Using AI Tools to Bring Ideas to Life

When it comes to their creative process, both emphasise the importance of flexibility and exploration. “We love working on open-ended briefs, it allows us to take our time and truly delve into the brand’s essence,” Aanya shares. For them, every project starts with thorough research, studying the brand’s history, its challenges, and the broader market landscape. “Once we have a foundation, we explore a variety of visual references across platforms, letting them inspire and guide the evolution of our ideas,” Aanya adds. From there, brainstorming sessions with their team bring additional layers to the concept, refining it further. 

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In their creative journey, Aanya and Meghna also leverage cutting-edge tools. “We also leverage AI tools like ChatGPT for ideation and platforms like MidJourney or Sora to create detailed mockups. These tools help us translate abstract ideas into visuals that clients can fully understand, especially when what we’re envisioning hasn’t been done before.” Aanya explains. 

After solidifying the concept, they move forward with client briefings, ensuring the narrative is compelling and aligned with the client’s goals. From there, it’s all about logistics and pre-production. “Our main focus is ensuring that the creative vision is given priority within the constraints of logistics and commercials, bringing it all together seamlessly from start to finish,” Aanya concludes.

Milestones and Achievements

Run Frenzy’s journey has been marked by numerous significant milestones, many of which have shaped their trajectory as a production house. Aanya recalls their first major achievement, “Some key milestones for us include completing our first high-profile campaign in our first year, which validated our creative approach and teamwork. Planning our expansion into new verticals that push the boundaries of storytelling has been another exciting development.”

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“Additionally, building strong relationships with clients who trust us enough to return repeatedly has been a major achievement that we're very grateful for. These experiences have shaped our vision to focus on fostering trust, expanding our creative boundaries, and creating meaningful, impactful work as we grow, “ Aanya reflects.

Managing the Intersection of Art and Business

However, the journey hasn’t been without its challenges. Meghna, in particular, points to their age as one of the biggest obstacles they faced. “One of the biggest challenges we faced was our age, to be honest. As young founders, it was difficult for people to take us seriously until they saw the quality of our work,” she admits.

Another challenge was figuring out how to lead effectively. Meghna recalls the early days of Run Frenzy, saying, “Additionally, figuring out what kind of leaders we want to be has been a learning curve. In the beginning, we struggled with delegation and tried to take on every task ourselves. Over time, we learned slowly and built a strong team and learned to trust them to handle different aspects of the business. We’ve come to understand that as founders, we need to be slow to hire but quick to fire until we have the right people who share our vision and work ethic."

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For Aanya, team building has also been a significant challenge. “One major challenge for me... has been team building. That's something we're still working towards,” she shares. As young founders, with a predominantly young team, they’ve faced hurdles in establishing strong leadership and a cohesive team spirit. “Establishing a sense of team spirit as well as strong leadership qualities has been a significant focus for us,” Aanya adds.

Another challenge Aanya highlights is balancing creativity with the commercial side of production. “Another challenge I've faced is balancing the creative vision with the commercial aspects. As I mentioned in my previous answer, we always start with the creative vision. However, during pre-production, we need to manage a lot of logistical, legal, and financial matters. In that process, ensuring we don’t compromise on the creative vision has been a personal challenge. That said, I feel we balance it out pretty well. Our priority will always be the creative. This balance is something we continue to work on, but ultimately, we're happy with the way the creative turns out.”

Looking ahead, Aanya and Meghna have a clear vision for where they want to take their company in the next five years. The duo envisions expanding into new, uncharted territories. Meghna outlines their strategy: “In the next five years, we envision Run Frenzy expanding into multiple new avenues. Specifically, we plan to establish five solid verticals that we’re excited to reveal soon.” Aanya echoes this sentiment, emphasizing their dedication to collaborating with innovative talent. “We’re building our roster and are always working with innovative and fresh talent to produce content that stays ahead of trends,” she says.

However, the future of Run Frenzy goes beyond just expanding their content. Aanya has an even broader goal for the company: “One of our key goals will be to make Run Frenzy a global brand. So, while we do want to retain our Indian sensibilities, we want to put more creators behind the camera on an international scale.” 

As the tech and AI spaces continue to evolve, Aanya sees this as an opportunity to elevate Indian creators on the global stage. “We do believe that now is the time to give our creators that platform to rise more internationally,” she adds confidently. Alongside this global ambition, Run Frenzy is set to create original intellectual properties (IPs), venturing beyond traditional film productions. Aanya explains, “We do want to create a lot more original content that resonates with audiences not just here, but globally,” with a focus on short-form content and AI integration, ensuring that their work speaks to a broad audience.

Finding Time for Personal Lives Amidst Growth

While the company has grown rapidly, Aanya and Meghna have had to find ways to maintain a healthy work-life balance, something that initially proved to be quite challenging. Meghna admits, “In the beginning, managing work-life balance was incredibly challenging. To be honest, we both neglected significant parts of our personal lives.”

Even now, two years into their journey, achieving that balance remains a work in progress. “We still struggle to fully balance it all. However, things are improving with time. Largely, having a co-founder also makes a huge difference; on difficult days, one of us can take the lead while the other steps back."

Aanya offers her own perspective on managing the pressures of the industry. “Balancing work and life in this industry is tough, and the first year was especially challenging. There were points where it got really overwhelming, but over time, we’ve become much more intentional about setting boundaries and prioritizing balance.” 

For her, physical activity has been crucial to clearing her mind and recharging. “Personally, I find that physical activity helps a lot; it’s a great way to clear my mind and recharge. One of non-negotiable for us is not working on Sundays (unless we have shoots planned, of course!). We’ve realized the importance of taking that day to relax, recharge, and simply enjoy our 20s!” she shares. 

Both Aanya and Meghna find strength in each other’s support, whether they’re sharing the highs or lows of their business journey. “Most importantly, Meghna and I lean on each other for support, sharing the highs and lows, which helps us stay energized and aligned,” Aanya says, speaking to the importance of teamwork in maintaining personal well-being.

Advice for Young Women in Media and Production

When it comes to advice for young women looking to break into the media and production industry, both Aanya and Meghna are passionate about encouraging others to take risks and embrace opportunities. Meghna’s advice is simple but powerful: “Our advice would be to trust your instincts and take the plunge; don’t wait for the 'perfect' moment. The industry is huge, and there’s room for everyone. There are many untapped opportunities, and sometimes you just have to dive in and figure things out as you go.” 

She emphasizes the importance of confidence and learning from mistakes: “It’s also important not to get intimidated. Confidence is key, and remember that everyone starts somewhere. Mistakes are part of the journey, but as long as you’re committed to learning and producing quality content, you’ll find your place.”

Aanya adds to this advice, encouraging women to not let age or experience hold them back. “Being young is a strength in an industry hungry for fresh ideas, especially during this time when things are ever-changing.The most important thing right now is to be bold with what you have to say and what you think.” she points out. 

She also highlights the significance of building and nurturing relationships, “Maintain relationships with everyone because, in an industry like ours, especially in production, your main strength is the people you work with.” For Aanya, the key to success lies in ensuring the happiness of the people around you. “Make sure you keep your people happy. That’s one of the key things,” she concludes.

 

Women Producers India women producers female producers producers
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