Summary: About Paula McGlynn: Paula McGlynn is a CEO and Founding Director of Gulbadan Talkies Pvt. Ltd. and Marathi content brand, Bharatiya Digital Party (BhaDiPa), in Mumbai. BhaDiPa makes fresh, new and original content in Marathi. BhaDiPa started in 2016 when there was no Marathi content in the digital space. It began with its flagship show, “Casting Couch with Amey & Nipun,” a parody of a celebrity chat show. BhaDiPa has revived the Marathi stand-up comedy scene by hosting shows and now manages over 15 comics. It has expanded into several content genres with Travel & Lifestyle (Bha2Pa) News & Politics (Vishay Khol) and has several Long-Format series releasing soon. Twice the recipient of the SFU Mobility fund for her research on the film industry, Paula McGlynn has strong networks between both the Indian and Vancouver film industry and has started the BC – Indian Film & Media Initiative, a volunteer effort to increase business between the two industries. She is an active member with the Indo-Canadian Business Chambers (ICBC) Media & Entertainment Committee. Some of the questions that we cover in our chat with Paula include: ● You have done fine arts from Simon Fraser University. But if we go down the Memory Lane, did you have any other options for your graduation studies? For instance, in India at least when I was studying, engineering and MBBS were the only 2 commonly preferred options. ● BhaDiPa has good reach and follower base with some interesting shows lined-up. What is the trigger point for the inception of an idea? How do you guys go from point A to Z? For example, the show called "aai ani mi" or aaplya bapachi or say miss manners. What was the inspiration for an idea and how did it transpire into a full-fledged show/series? ● You have several shows, which one is challenging and closest to your heart and why? ● Say there is an idea Anusha gets on the table but you disagree and say Sarang is neutral. There is conflict in opinion. How do you guys come to terms with it? Could you give our listeners an example of this - an idea which did not make everyone happy but eventually turned out into something fruitful. ● How do you balance being an artist and an entrepreneur? Please shed some light on the challenges you face in each of these roles. ● You have worked on a few documentaries in the capacity of a director and sound engineer. Then, India happened and you worked on Indian projects. My question is, as an artist - how is Indian cinematic art different than the world? ● I read somewhere that you describe your childhood in two words, "space-cadet". Could you please elaborate how? Do you happen to have similar experiences now as well? ● When you think of content creation, which among the following is most important and in what capacity - conviction, money, skill, talent, and originality? ● There are a lot of Marathi content creators as of today. What is the vision of Bhadipa in the next 5 years, which differentiates it from others? ● From job hunting after your bachelors and aspiring to be a sound engineer to now spearheading the Marathi content space, what was that turning point (the mug and bucket moment as I call it)? Please elaborate.
