AgTalk | Decoding Kids: EduMedia's Tabassum Modi

One of the pioneers in the use of progressive media ventures to enable the holistic growth of children, EduMedia India knows for a fact that every child is unique and needs a different growth & development approach. For over one and half-decade the company has been active in creating new methodologies and experiences to give inspiring and innovative offerings that have revolutionized the education sector in India today.

At the forefront of beehive of activities at EduMedia is Tabassum Modi, its Executive Director. An alumnus of SP Jain Institute of Management, Tabassum brings with her over a decade of rich experience in the business of events and entertainment. This dynamic young lady is responsible for the strategic direction, operations and execution of the entertainment foray of the company. Tabassum's strength is her eye for detail and she has a great ability to bring structure and systems in place. As Business Head of Krayons, she has been instrumental in setting up and making Krayon one of the biggest players in the kid’s event space in India in a very short span of time. Tabassum also takes care of the film making aspect of School Cinema. Numerous films made under her guidance have featured in film festivals all over the country and the world. Her strong vision and excellent leadership skills are an inspiration for the team that works with her.

To know what is happening at EduMedia and its plans going forward, Adully recently spoke with Tabassum Modi. The following are the excerpts of the interview.

Adgully: Tell us about your company, how it has grown over the years?

Tabassum Modi: EduMedia is a pioneer in the use of progressive media ventures to enable the holistic growth of children. We have a vast experience, in using creative methodology and have been involved in research since many years. EduMedia has continuously created inspiring and innovative offerings that have revolutionised the education industry in India today.

We have over 15 years of experience of working with kids, EduMedia currently comprises of four major verticals. Each vertical offers a unique product or service: Krayon, Activity, Mentor and School Cinema aim at empowering children and educators through events, training, publishing and films. Through our verticals, we reach out to over 3 million children in 30,000 schools annually. Our latest initiative, Decoding Kids, is a knowledge-sharing platform to enhance the understanding about kids amongst people who want to engage with them.

EduMedia’s internationally recognized research in the kid’s segment has been published in various International journals. Our children’s films have won National Film Awards and have been featured in over 25 International Film Festivals.  In addition, EduMedia’s specialized, award-winning events have positioned it as leaders in the kid’s edutainment business.

AG: Can you throw some more light on your core business verticals and its activities?

TM: Sure. EduMedia comprises of four main business verticles – Krayon, School Cinema, Mentor and Activity. They are the torch bearers that hold aloft the vision of the company by providing innovative solutions for corporates, schools, students, teachers, principals and parents. From events to training to publishing to films, EduMedia is constantly creating progressive avenues to bring about a positive change in the education segment.

Krayon is India 's leading events brand that specializes in conceptualizing, planning and executing school contact programs and events for youth and kids. 
Krayon's network is spread across 85+ Indian cities, the company is also active in Pakistan, Sri Lanka & Nepal. Krayon has a reach of over 20,000 schools in India.

School Cinema is an innovative film-based learning program that utilizes the powerful impact of cinema to introduce & reaffirm life-skills, values & attitudes as prescribed by various education boards. Each class module comprises of 10 films for children combined with an exciting interactive workbook. The program also includes specific films on teaching skills and parenting skills to bring the teachers and parents in the learning fold.

Mentor is the first magazine of its kind in India that focuses on principals and educators. Mentor features articles by, for & of principals, leading educational experts, field leaders and successful people from various walks of life; on educational issues, learning's and experiences. Mentor has a monthly circulation to 11,000 schools with a readership of over 150,000 across 40 cities in India

Activity pioneered organized life skills learning as part of the school curriculum in India. Established in 1997 it has to-date delivered over 2 million hours of training programs for students and teachers. With a strong focus on research and understanding the psychosocial development of children, Activity creates research based content for students & teachers across all segments of society.

AG: Please elaborate on your latest initiative, the Decoding Kid Conclave 2013. How did the idea of having such an event come to you?

TM: Every kid is unique and yet approachable in some way or the other. There is no tailor made formula available to understand them. When we conceptualized the idea of The Decoding Kids Conclave 2013, the prime motive was to create a platform which would solve every query related to kids and engaging better with them. Moreover, we are looking forward to making this event an annual knowledge sharing platform for those interested in knowing and delving into the dynamic world of children. The Conclave will have a new theme every year, with this year’s theme being “Marketing to Kids”.

AG: What new insights do you expect the event to throw up? Is it a known fact that Kids constitute the biggest market and are huge influence for buying the product?

TM: As this year’s theme is “Marketing to Kids”, Decoding Kids Conclave will have an array of topics related to marketing to kids like research perspectives, digital marketing to kids, kids as future consumers, responsible marketing to kids, kids in advertising, rural marketing for kids products and unforgettable properties to name a few.

Our topics and speakers like Prahlad Kakkar (Ad Guru &Founder of Genesis Films), Pradeep Kashyap (CEO, MART & President, Rural Marketing Association of India - RMAI) and Rajiv Chilaka (Creator of Chhota Bheem & Founder-Director, Green Gold Animation and Partha Rakshit (Vice Chairman of ASCI) will reveal insights from their own work in this space of kids and marketing. All of them have done remarkable work in this arena and there is a lot for everyone to learn from their experiences.

Kids do constitute the biggest market and are a huge influence for buying products. So the major takeaway for marketers should be that all their marketing efforts should have the kid as the centre of it and not treat them like regular consumers or a target group.

AG: As a company how will this initiative benefit you?

TM: The Decoding Kids Conclave is a massive platform where the who’s who of the industry will gather under one roof for a one of its kind initiative. This will establish us in the kids’ domain as thought leaders and will facilitate the overall growth and expansion of the company.

AG: What are your company's future plans?

TM: Each vertical of our company has a lot of potential. So we would like to focus on the growth and scaling up of each vertical in the near future. We also want to build up Decoding Kids as a trusted knowledge sharing platform and provide research and consultancy services for anything related to children.

AG: What are some of the hurdles you encounter in growth?

TM: Because our work has been city-centric and since the rural composition is vast, expansion in rural areas demands a lot of time and resources.  So it is a big hurdle to enter the rural markets.

Moreover, children are changing everyday –  this is a huge challenge presently. We need to keep up with the changing times, trends and norms. The kids’ domain is a vast arena for investors and other professionals, so competition will increase at the speed of light. But this is a good challenge and we look forward to it.