After three waves of the coronavirus pandemic, the world is battling a challenging state of economy and shrinking employment opportunities. One of the hardest-hit professionals belong to the creative sector, those with skills such as content writing and photography. In February, when startup Cast India launched in Pune, the aim was to form a bridge between such creative professionals and employers.
A month on, the startup has registered more than 800 aspirants from Pune and its surroundings as well as 40 companies which had vacancies to fill for graphic designers, models and content writers, among others. “We are starting to give them resources according to their requirements,” says Praddyuman Bapat, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), who founded Cast India with Pulkit Jain, the Chief Technology Officer (CTO).
The startup is targeting an estimated market size of nine million across India, and is focused on film and television, media, advertising, public relations, events and marketing, though it is not limited to these. “After the pandemic, we have noticed that employment opportunities have decreased but a lot of independent professionals have started emerging because of the low incomes they were getting through their jobs. Experts in social media, for instance, are in high demand from companies and small startups who do not have the resources for their social media. The latter employ social media experts, such as influencers and designers, on contract,” says Bapat.
“The expected growth of the advertising industry is 11 per cent, while media, film and television will witness a nine per cent growth, public relations sector will grow by 10.50 per cent and the events industry will grow by 11 per cent by 2024. This rise will generate opportunities for aspirants in the market,” he adds.
The company has identified more than 350 profiles that are required in the market on a daily basis, such as graphic designers, experts in social media posts, brochures and flyers, content writers for blogs and models for shoots. “Businesses require these services but do not want to spend a lot of money since the market is still unclear about what is going to happen next,” says Bapat.
Cast India is bootstrapped, with the founders investing Rs 1 crore, though they have a potential investor on board. At present, the service is free for aspirants and the employers but, in a few months, there will be a charge of Re 1 per day —or Rs 365 annually — for aspirants and Rs 399 per month for employers looking to recruit talent. A concierge service, where a relationship manager connects aspirants and employers, will also be launched. “We are interested in connecting employers to local professionals. The pandemic era has seen a rise in people who create digital content, some of whom have millions of followers but are not local to where the employer is based. We try to put employers in touch with local talent who understand the market better than others,” says Bapat.
Beyond Pune, the company has begun to get applicants, who are voice-over artists and actors, among others, from Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and Bihar. “Our aim is to reach out to multi-talented professionals over urban and rural geographies through an ideal platform where they can showcase their talents to the world,” says Bapat.
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