THE WILD EAST GROUP MERGES WITH LEADING ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY EXCEED ENTERTAINMENT
Representatives from Exceed Entertainment and The Wild East Group today announced the exciting news that the two brand giants have merged into one international entity. The Wild East Group will continue to operate independently within the Exceed Entertainment group of companies.
Exceed Entertainment is currently the market leader in celebrity management, brand endorsements, television, and production managing talent, such as Hrithik Roshan, Priyanka Chopra, Bipasha Basu, Shilpa Shetty, amongst others. The Wild East Group has been an industry defining leader in IP monetization, brand development, brand licensing, and business development, working with clients such as Hrithik Roshan, Paul Frank, Playboy, and the Kolkata Knight Riders.
The merger brings together Exceed Entertainment’s expertise in celebrity management and brand monetization, complementing this with The Wild East Group’s ability to analyze a brand’s asset value at a balance sheet level to produce an exceptionally potent partnership that builds long-term brand equity for their clients.
This joint enterprise is a pioneering move in the field of brand management and marketing, embracing multiple avenues such as licensing, brand extension and monetization within the Indian cinema sector in South Asia. The impetus behind the merger was born out of an informed decision that identified a market gap between vision and implementation within the celebrity brand extension arena. Through the innovative projects the companies will introduce in the marketplace, the merger adds value to the Indian economy and entertainment infrastructure, resulting not only in greater market penetration and increased skill share, but also a better value proposition and enhanced equity scope for brands entering the film industry.
Afsar Zaidi, Founder and MD of Exceed Entertainment, comments: “We are excited to bring The Wild East Group into the Exceed infrastructure. This is a powerful merger as the skillsets of the two companies are clearly very complimentary, and will redefine the talent management and brand space by offering new bundles of services with a variety of different lenses.”
Sid Shah, Founder of The Wild East Group, says: “India has irrevocably passed from the age of transactions and deals to the age of value, and this merger was necessary to be able to offer the kind of value-add services that brands require. We have already been embedded culturally with Exceed for years, so there won’t be much of a transition, and our clients will get to share in the benefits of significant resources that Exceed brings to the table. I will step down and continue as an Advisor, with the team remaining intact and Neha Kanoria and Pankaj Sikka will remain management leaders of the new entity, bringing a wealth of international and domestic experience”.
