Rohini Iyer: The Womanpreneur behind celebrity branding
amita-adminThe glitter and glam world of Bollywood is bewitching, but very few succeed in carving a niche for themselves in its cutthroat realm. Rohini Iyer, the founder of leading publicity and marketing company Raindrop Media, not only entered this impenetrable domain but has become a force to reckon with.” I have no godfathers, I come from a very regular family, and I have made it on myown,” she proudly says.
Her power-packed journey from being a media strategist to a game-changing entrepreneur is nothing short of inspiring. Bollywood’s Who’s who look up to her – she has been an integral part of their success.Superstars and legendary filmmakers alike vouch for her sharp acumen and Midas touch. With inclusion in as many as 36 national and international power lists, and with 18 influential awards to her, Iyer is an unstoppable force. Her success story has also been documented in books featuring the most powerful entrepreneurs in the country.
Inspiration
“I decided to launch Raindrop Media because I strongly believed that ‘character’ is what you have and a ‘reputation’ is what you earn. I realized that actors who had immense personal character and integrity didn’t always have the best reputation,” Rohini explains.
Journey of the Entrepreneur:
Rohini Iyer started her career as a journalist at the age of just 16 years old for a film magazine and worked as an intern with various entertainment firms like Channel V and MTV. She had developed close links with many popular celebrities in Bollywood.
After gaining experience, Rohini decided to start her entertainment firm titled “Raindrop Media” with her friend Rahila Mirza back in 2003 with around Rs.5 lakh from their savings.
She named her firm after taking inspiration from BJ Thomas’ song “Raindrops keep falling On my Head”
At the initial stage of the company, she bagged a dream project of marketing and publicity of the film “Main Hoon Na”.Since then, she has secured her place as Bollywood’s most sought-after publicist, with a clientele including A-listers like Priyanka Chopra, Katrina Kaif, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Shahid Kapoor, and Farah Khan.
When Iyer got into this profession, most celebrities got their assistants to take care of reputation management. Rohini has played a significant role in making it a full-fledged business.
“When I entered, reputation management was unorganized. The digital age was coming in, studios were coming in, everything was new. I just happened to be at the right place, at the right time.”
Iyer often describes herself as a “Media Director” in film credits.“We are not directing the media,” Iyer explains,“We are helping the filmmaker and his cast and crew to deal with all aspects of the media including brand tie-ups, finding the right script and dealing with all aspects of marketing and promotions.”
Raindrop Media, the media wing in the Raindrop Group of Companies, stands as India’s largest global reputation management firm. Over the years, Iyer has diversified Raindrop to be a group of divisions that caters to not only reputation management for films, fashion, and talent, but also into merchandising, packaging, digital media, and content creation.
“Online media is fast becoming the strongest and most important medium of information,” she believes.
Future Plans:
Rohini is looking at foreign frontiers with offices coming up in New York and Los Angeles.
“Raindrop is planning a massive re-branding in addition to new global collaborations that have proven time and again that we are born leaders. Having found our place in the ecosystem, we are utilizing our power positions as showrunners, changemakers, and thought leaders,” she says.
Fight against Covid:
Raindrop Media joined hands with The Cause Wear, a non-profit apparel brand for the “Help India Breathe” initiative to support sustainable fashion and help covid victims. Under the campaign, people could purchase clothes from The Cause Wear website and fund an Oxygen cylinder. Leading fashionistas and women icons like Masaba Gupta, Tara Sutaria, Diana Penty, Athiya Shetty, and Nidhhhi Agerwal, came forward to support the initiative through their Instagram handles.
Message to women
A champion of gender empowerment, Iyer has been closely working with her network of other powerful women to lead dialogues on women’s rights, equal pay discrimination against women, and the importance of creating an ecosystem that is safe and brings equal opportunities to women.
“If women want to be successful, they have to stop limiting themselves and not make a deal about gender bias.
Mountains move and incredible things happen when women empower women,” she believes.
Rohini, The Enigmatic Persona:
The ambitious and fearless Rohini looks up to her mother for inspiration.
Her success mantra: “Never let success get to your head, and never let failure get to your heart. I’ve always spoken my mind. In the process, I may have lost friends, but I have gained a lot of respect.”
Sources:
https://www.vogue.in/content/celeb-publicist-rohini-iyers-story-will-make-you-aim-for-the-stars/amp
https://www.vogue.in/content/celeb-publicist-rohini-iyers-story-will-make-you-aim-for-the-stars/amp
