Hi,

I am Vinod Talreja KC-BMM. I am doing photography from almost a year and a half now and I aspire to be a photojournalist in one of the best newspapers in the country. I am no good at writing and photographs are my way of expressing myself. I believe photographs can be used as powerful means of communication. My picture of the broken egg-shell was a part of my photo story on female foeticide. Most of the photographs seen here comprise of simple things that are many a times neglected by us. Enjoy!

– By Mariya Sethjiwala, Sophia College

The scratching sound of a disc, the innumerable keys on the sound board, the lights of the dance floor, the thump of the music – if this gives you an adrenaline rush, then surely, a part of you wants to make people dance to your tunes and take a party by storm. To be a DJ is the career you need to zero in on then!

Not regarded as a mainstream career option till a while back, Disc Jockeying or DJ-ing today has emerged to be a successful career option for people who know their music and can create foot-tapping numbers to dance on. With the increase in per capita income and the willingness of people to spend on celebrations- no matter big or small, music remains the key. The soaring high awareness of good music among the party-goers and party-hosts has made a good DJ one of the most sought after people in the media industry.

To give you a very basic explanation, a DJ is the person who selects and plays pre-recorded music for a gathered audience for a variety of events and functions. Most professional DJs do much more than just play music: they are responsible for mixing tunes, forming beats, setting the right mood in the club, understanding the clientele and playing music according to their likes and dislikes.

To become successful in any profession isn’t a piece of cake and DJ-ing is no exception. Knowledge of the technicalities of sound is a must if you want to be a DJ; that means concentrating hard in your Radio and Television lectures in the fourth semester of BMM. But let me tell you that these lectures will simply give you a sketchy base. There’s a sea of things you will need to know and learn about like cartridges, needles, mixers, tables and the list is endless.

I’d advise you to follow the current trends of music. A DJ should know at the tip of his fingers what sort of music is in and what is out. Stay glued to top music channels and keep a track on what’s playing on the radio stations as well. Practice is what will make or break your career. Wouldn’t it be really uncool if people are staring at the ceiling when you are playing your music instead of dancing? You need to get hands on training to prepare for your big night. So if you really are sure you want to be a DJ and are willing to spend massive amounts on equipment, then go ahead and buy your own tools. But a wiser option would be to work as an assistant to a DJ and get to used his equipment and learn from him.

The bottom line is that you must strike the right chord with your audience. Once you do then a life of fun, music and a lot of ‘scratching’ awaits you!

THE ERA OF SPECIALISATION

NorthpointCentre of Learning offers 4 Post Graduate Career programs – Advertising, Digital Marketing and Media Management and 1 in the field of Market Research.

The programs aim to develop high quality manpower expertise for the fast changingAdvertising, Digital and Media Industry. The focus is to guide students towards choosing one of the preferred careers within the Advertising, digital or the media space.

The Northpoint Centre of Learning

Course Highlights:

–The Northpoint Centre of Learning provides a bridge between the evolving needs of industry for effective talent on the one hand and the developmental needs and aspirations of young professionals on the other.

-The courses are an 11-month residential program in a scenic campus at Khandala, away from the hustle bustle of city; it provides the perfect environment for learning.

– All training at Northpoint is done in close engagement with leading organizations in industry.  Such partners, a growing list of 17 large companies, participate in curriculum design, in-class training (over a 100 senior managers come to teach specialized courses every year), field work and in-company internships on live projects.

Northpoint’s growing list of industry partners are:

Ogilvy, JWT, Lowe Lintas, Leo Burnett, AY Digital (New York), Nielsen,  Lintas Media Group, Aegis Media, Carat, iProspect Communicate2, Posterscope, Vizeum, Carat Fresh Integrated, Doosra, Isobar, Position² and Social Wavelength

Mr. HareeshTibrewala, Joint CEO of Social Wavelength, had this to say, “We are here, not just to build a business, but to build an industry. We are delighted to have this opportunity of working with a reputed institution like Northpoint and to contribute towards creating a qualified resource pool.”

Ganapathy Balagopalan, Vice President – Planning, Ogilvy & Mather thinks “Northpoint is a great opportunity to nurture talent with the right skills and attitude for an industry which badly needs it.”

– Field work and in-company internships are the pillars of these courses.

– Over 225 alumni are currently successfully placed in industry with many who are already well established entrepreneurs

The 4 Northpoint courses are as follows:

• Digital Marketing and Marketing Communications
• Advertising Management and Marketing Communications
• Media Management & Marketing Communications
• Marketing Research

Success of this training model is expressed in the words of:

Saraswati Kheterpal, student of the PGPAMMC 2005-06 batch (who was initially placed at Publicis by Northpoint and now works with the CFI Group), “Northpoint Centre of Learning is a realistic balance between theory and practice. It is an educational centre which puts you in the shoes of a complete professional, who is fit to be a part of the industry. My program at Northpoint gave me exposure to – ‘Practical learning by doing!’ and I think that it is the only place which can do that.”

Admissions are open and you can contact the Course Co-ordinator, Sunita D’souza on +91 9594992609.  The details are also available on Northpoint’s Website or their facebook page

Organization Name: BMMBox.com

Organization Description: The one-stop shop for BMM students

Location: Mumbai

Role Title: Media Sales Executive

Role Description:

• Talk to direct clients and sell ad space as well as custom brand packages (media schools, institutes, animation workshops, overseas media schools)
• Talk to agencies and work with them to get BMMBox.com on the media plans for their relevant clients
• Be a thinker, marketer who can come up with smart, creative ideas to grow the revenue

Qualification Requirement: BMM, BMS, B.Com

Experience Requirement: 1-2 years of advertising industry, not necessary sales

Compensation/Stipend: Rs.15,000/month

Application Process: Send in fully updated resume to connect@bmmbox.com. The subject line must read ‘Sales Profile’.

Selection Process: Resume screening followed by interview

Key Dates: Candidate must join ASAP.

‘Captured in Time’ speaks of the life in Mumbai lived in the fast lane, captured using high shutter speed in a camera.

I believe life is all about hardwork. It is a common thing recognised everyday. One works hard to fulfill his/her basic needs, to live life comfortably. It is the key to all the locks that stop one from achieving his/her aim.

These photographs not only depict how hard people work so as to achieve success but also to get through life, one day at a time.

Name: Daniel Fernandes

Profession: Stand-Up Comic

Company: Microphone Entertainment

Daniel Fernandes

Questions:

1. Did you plan on becoming a stand-up comedian or did stand-up comedy just happen along the way?

It happened by chance while I was studying for an MBA. I was asked to perform for a college event but I didn’t want to do the same old song/dance routine, so thought of giving Stand-Up a shot. It went well. Then I moved to Mumbai and as the scene was steadily growing I joined the bandwagon, while I still held on to my regular day job.

2. How do you come up with your jokes/material? Real events, observations, experiences, etc.?

Stand-Up is a very personal art form. All of my material is based on a life experience or an observation. You first jot down an idea and start writing about it. You run it by an audience, see how they respond, get back and keep editing till you get the order and delivery of the words just right and then you have a joke, gag or a bit that becomes part of your set-list. The entire process to get a single joke right can take anywhere from 9 months to years, depending on how deep you go with it.

3. What are the qualities required to be a stand-up comedian? A funny bone, discipline, diplomacy, etc.

A unique sense of humour, a never say die attitude, ability to write, quick wit on stage, honesty, discipline and a sound understanding of business.

4. Where do you see the stand-up industry in the next couple of years?

The industry is growing slowly and steadily but it is still a long way off from being established. We need more youngsters to look at Stand-Up as a viable career option (which it can be) and as more comics join the fray, supply will meet demand. The future is bright for sure.

5. The venue you love performing at is? The venue you aspire to perform at is?

The venue I love performing at is The Comedy Store Mumbai. There are many venues I hope to play some day like the The Comedy Cellar (New York), The Apollo Theatre (London) and stages at Comedy festivals across the world. All of this of course is many years down the line.

6. How easy/difficult is it for new artists to get a chance early on to perform? One piece of advice you’d like to give them would be?

Getting spots to try out Stand-Up for the first time is easy. Sticking it out and doing it till you get really good and are able to make a living out of it is the hard part. There are lots of open mic nights around the city where newbies can test the waters. My advice is to have a goal in mind when you start out and keep adding to it.  If you’re doing it for the money or fame you’re not going to get very far, but if it’s for the sheer joy of the art form there is so much you can do with it. There are many elements of Stand-Up that must be developed. The best advice I could give is to get on stage as often as you can and watch as much live comedy as possible. Eventually you will get the hang of it and if you’re smart about it, you might be able to make a decent living out of it.

Have some questions for the interviewee above? Wish to get some of your doubts cleared? Or want to just say a simple ‘Hi?’ Feel free to add your thoughts and questions as comments and we will try and have them answered for you!

I hear people often saying things like “He/she is so ignorant, living in a bubble”, “Get out of your bubble”, “Come to me when that happy bubble bursts” and so on… But what I can only manage to say is I live in my imperfect, little beautiful bubble. Trying and trying harder with every passing day to know more and be more.  Bombay being my very own tiny, imperfect, beautiful bubble.  This city is where I’ve been born and brought up, it’s my very own. The City, the lights, the Padmini Taxis, the chaotic traffic scene, the architecture, the Pav, the people, the sky line, this ity has my heart and it is my soul.  So this one’s to the city that’s given me my all. This one’s to the city that is so much more. Have a look, maybe this city will have your heart to. Meri Bombay, it’s my little bubble.

I walk on skies and float in the air.
I trip but I don’t fall because my city takes care.
I have cutting chai and maska pav, well that’s how my morning begins.
With all the junk food here, I’m surely never getting thin.
Causeway and Hill road, they are my shopping therapy
When I get sad there’s always Sunlight to go get tipsy.
Well, that’s all I have, my sad attempt at rhyme.
But you get the drift, it’s this city, it makes me want to shine.