I am a vision-driven content leader shaping India's unscripted entertainment landscape for 25 years, blending strategic storytelling with disruptive formats across OTT, TV, and digital ecosystems. I champion cross-functional collaboration, scalability, and IP development, partnering with global brands and talent to deliver high-impact, audience-first experiences across youth, dating, travel, and lifestyle genres.

George Varghese

I am a vision-driven content leader shaping India's unscripted entertainment landscape for 25 years, blending strategic storytelling with disruptive formats across OTT, TV, and digital ecosystems. I champion cross-functional collaboration, scalability, and IP development, partnering with global brands and talent to deliver high-impact, audience-first experiences across youth, dating, travel, and lifestyle genres.

Next availability:
December 15, 2025

I am a vision-driven content leader shaping India’s unscripted entertainment landscape for 25 years, blending strategic storytelling with disruptive formats across OTT, TV, and digital ecosystems.

I champion cross-functional collaboration, scalability, and IP development, partnering with global brands and talent to deliver high-impact, audience-first experiences across youth, dating, travel, and lifestyle genres.

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Language

English
Fluent
Hindi
Fluent
Malayalam
Intermediate
Marathi (Marāṭhī)
Beginner

Work Experience

Showrunner | Format Creator | Creative Director at Independent Consultant
May 1, 2020 - October 12, 2025
Creative Leadership & Format Development: Conceived and built multiple original unscripted formats across youth, dating, captive reality, gameshows, improv, experiential, and competitive food genres — engineered for scalability across networks and OTTs. Drove end-to-end creative strategy, shaping narrative architecture, character arcs, episodic cadence, story engines, set grammar, and overall show DNA. Applied audience strategy using FGD insights, behavioral patterns, heatmaps, and demographic viewing data across Tier-2, and Tier-3 markets to inform casting, beats, story flow, and retention design. Originated Engaged (JioHotstar | 1.8 crore+ views) and developed Battleground (Amazon MX Player), strengthening platform engagement and audience stickiness. Cross-Functional & Platform Collaboration: Partnered with OTT content teams, marketing, brand leadership, sales, and creator ecosystems to align creative intent with platform strategy and monetization needs. Led high-stakes projects like YouTube FanFest India 2022, coordinating India–Singapore hybrid workflows and influencer-driven content structures. Execution & Production Strategy: Directed and produced 150+ vertical films, leveraging mobile-first audience behavior and short-form consumption patterns to design formats optimized for reach, retention, and shareability. Built and mentored multidisciplinary creative pods (writers, APs, story producers, edit supervisors, casting, and digital teams) to deliver fast-turnaround, platform-aligned content. Designed brand IPs for Hyundai (KBC S15/S16), Asian Paints, Cadbury, iQOO, balancing creative integrity with measurable brand impact.
Commissioning Editor at MX Player
October 1, 2018 - June 6, 2020
Content Strategy & Commissioning: Developed and commissioned Love OK Please (travel–dating format; SCREENXX Gold), shaping it through platform insights, demographic data, and creative strategy. Evaluated, refined, and greenlit pitches using strong editorial judgment, understanding of platform needs, and evolving unscripted trends. Audience & UX-Integrated Creative: Used audience intelligence and UI/UX pathways to design content journeys that increased session time and binge-readiness. Built branded content frameworks that aligned narrative beats with viewer behavior and advertiser objectives. Cross-Functional Alignment: Collaborated with Sales to create brand-first IP, ensuring alignment between consumer insights, brand strategy, and content execution. Served as a creative partner to production houses, guiding show bibles, treatments, PPMs, and episode structures.
Creative Director | Director at Independent Consultant
June 1, 2005 - September 30, 2018
Showrunning & Creative Strategy: Directed premium unscripted formats across talent, food, travel, lifestyle, fashion, stunt, youth, glamour, and dating — overseeing story construction, visual language, and character arcs. Brought creative strategy to every project — determining tone, pace, treatment, format design, and narrative engagement mechanisms. Applied audience strategy to build episodic momentum, increase emotional payoff, and maximize retention across long-running daily & weekly reality formats. Large-Scale Production Leadership: Led teams of 100–180+ across multi-camera, single-camera, captive, and high-mobility outdoor setups. Designed and supervised creative workflows: research → scripting → on-floor execution → story producing → post-production→ packaging. Flagship Achievements: Showran India’s Next Superstars Ki Paathshaala — a 65-episode captive reality series for Star India, establishing a repeatable reality grammar for talent-driven shows. Delivered genre-defining titles including Splitsvilla, Indian Idol, X-Factor, Raja Rasoi, Stuntmania, Style and the City, The Great Indian Rasoi, and more. Built strong relationships with networks and brand teams to weave advertiser narratives into high-impact creative moments.
Creative Leader / Creative Director
January 1, 2020 - Present
Conceived and built multiple original unscripted formats across youth, dating, captive reality, game shows, improv, experiential, and competitive food genres—engineered for scalability across networks and OTTs. Drove end-to-end creative strategy, shaping narrative architecture, character arcs, episodic cadence, story engines, set grammar, and overall show DNA.
Creative Director at Freemantle / BBC Studios India / Endemol Shine India / Colosseum / Rangrez / Face Entertainment / Via Earth Films
January 1, 2005 - January 1, 2018
Led multi-genre unscripted formats across youth, dating, reality, game shows, and lifestyle; engineered creative strategy, narrative architecture, character arcs, episodic cadence, and show DNA; guided end-to-end creative processes.
Assistant Director
January 1, 2000 - January 1, 2005
Fiction, ads and music videos; supported creative and production workflows; built foundational skills for showrunning and creative direction.

Education

Bachelor of Arts at St. Xavier's College, Mumbai University
January 11, 2030 - January 1, 2000
Diploma in Film & Television at Xavier Institute of Communications (XIC)
August 1, 2000 - May 3, 2000

Qualifications

Add your qualifications or awards here.

Industry Experience

Media & Entertainment, Education, Professional Services, Travel & Hospitality, Software & Internet, Gaming, Telecommunications, Other
    paper Branded Content

    2 seasons of premium brand representation , as we championed Hyundai- Desh Ka Sawal for KBC S16/17

    paper Content Writing for Brands

    On Youtube Fanfest India 2022 a project that I creatively led and helped shape, the opportunity cropped up to write brand narratives that aligned with the content IP.