When ‘Should’ve Just Neflixed’ dropped towards the end of 2019, it was obvious that The Script Room held promise. It was the account the shop had opened its score with for the OTT platform’s original ‘Selection Day’. It did not let its first client down with the New Year work.
After four years into business and over 150 ad films, the nine-member shop that does only films has proved its mettle. While there are plans to grow, certain things seem unlikely to change at the ‘agency’ born to give writers their due. Everything about the shop feels organic – growth has not been forced on the agency.
Sometime in 2023, The Script Room is likely to announce its foray into a related space. But no, it isn’t launching a production house, even if that is admittedly a high-margin game. And it will not venture beyond the medium of film.
Ayyappan Raj, who co-founded the company along with former Lintas colleague Rajesh Ramaswamy (Ram Sam), underlines that what started as discussions on a WhatsApp group will possibly shift gears now, but stay on the chosen path.
“We never want to be an army. We want to be that crack, bespoke team that solves problems. A senior team where the person who writes the script is the same person who makes the presentation, attends the PPM, handles the shoot through to the voice over and post,” explains Raj, over a few cups of green tea at The Script Room’s Mumbai office nestled in Pali Hill.
The headcount might go up to 40 over time, he guesstimates, but doesn’t foresee a 100-member outfit. Where the agency is consciously lean on employees, it makes good with collaboration in the form of ‘The Writer’s Room’, actively courting and responding to writers not just from advertising but across the board.
Tinder | We Need To Talk
An eight-minute short for Tinder on consent titled ‘We need to talk’ is a case in point. The credits reads: “Story, Screenplay & Dialogues : The Script Room x Shivani Gairola”. Gairola is not on the rolls of The Script Room, but counts among creatives the outfit has worked with. The film was directed by Sonam Nair and produced by Mystic Lotus Films.
Mobil | Sonu Tey Papa Di Gaadi
A 30-minute film for Mobil has story, screenplay and dialogues from The Script Room and additional dialogues and lyrics by Ashish Jangra, who isn’t from advertising. The creative concept came from 22 Feet Tribal Worldwide, while the film was directed by Rajesh Ramaswamy with Coconut Films as production house.
“We will be involved in every project but that does not mean putting out work with one signature. We don’t want to be confined to one sensibility. Hence, Writer’s Room. Each writer has his or her own voice. Brands speak in different voices,” says Raj.
Bumble
PhonePe
Oyo | Come To Oyo
The outfit was born out of the desire of a group of people to work together and experience the joy of creating work. Raj, Ramaswamy and team do not want to trade that for scale.
“The idea is for four or five of us to be hands-on. We do have a second rung but the selfish desire is to keep our hands dirty,” he reasons.
Within advertising, work has fetched more work for The Script Room, but it also competes in pitches when called in. A system has been worked out. When it is a pitch calling a bevy of agencies, The Script Room insists on a pitch fee. When one or two agencies are involved in deep discussion with the people making decisions at the client end, Raj says it is sometimes worth the effort even without a fee.
Raj, a former computer programmer brought up in Tamil Nadu’s Tanjore who had an overseas stint in South East Asia, notes that The Script Room’s project fee-based model is working well. It is in fact preferred by clients over a retainer, he explains.
That seems to be the way most new contracts are being drawn up, especially those involving startups, say industry watchers. In the case of The Script Room, the clientele has included online gaming majors and Coinswitch to Chumbak and Paper Boat and more.
“We don’t have clients coming to us because of global alignment. We had some work that got us more work and clients have trusted us with repeat work. We have put all our ads on our YouTube page – it’s not a select reel. We would like to believe that the hit rate and average quality are decent,” he adds with a hint of modesty.
Beyond advertising films, a pilot has been made for an OTT show in Kannada and that should see the light of day. More content is in the pipeline, as is the ‘new venture’ Raj insists is too premature to discuss.
“None of this was planned. We were a bunch of friends who enjoyed each other’s company and wanted to work with each other,” surmises Raj.
The Script Room may have started off without a script for its own journey, but it seems likely that it will go places building on its rooted foundation. It will certainly help build a few more brands along the way as it seeks its destination.
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