Story TV appoints Yash Raj Films' Manan Mehta as SVP, Content & Strategy

New Delhi: Story TV has appointed Manan Mehta, a former Yash Raj Films executive, as Senior Vice President - Content & Strategy, as the microdrama platform looks to strengthen its premium content slate and expand its original intellectual property (IP) portfolio. Mehta brings over 20 years of experience across Business Strategy, Marketing and Content thought leadership, with experience across agencies and companies including Leo Burnett, Taproot, and Razorfish, followed by a significant 11+ years tenure at Yash Raj Films, one of India’s most premium film studios. His appointment comes at a pivotal time for the entire vertical storytelling category. Globally, vertical storytelling content is emerging as one of the fastest-growing formats in digital entertainment, with the market projected to reach US$3 billion by 2030 in India. In India, Story TV has emerged as the category leader, commanding a dominant market share with a rapidly growing audience base of over 100 million. Welcoming Manan Mehta, Saurabh Pandey, Founder and CEO, Story TV, said, “We are entering what we see as OTT 2.0. The grammar of entertainment is changing, and vertical storytelling is emerging as one of its most powerful expressions. Our focus is to move microdramas from a niche to a full-fledged entertainment ecosystem. We are on a journey to build an ecosystem where directors, writers, producers and top creative talent come together to define a new vertical-first language of storytelling that will scale both culturally and commercially.” At Yash Raj Films, Manan Mehta worked closely with Aditya Chopra and played a key role in strengthening the studio's brand and content marketing engine, helping position Yash Raj Films as one of India's premium film studios. He led marketing and content strategy for over 26 films that collectively grossed Rs 5,200 crore approximately at the global box office. “Manan joining Story TV strengthens our ambition to elevate vertical storytelling. His experience at Yash Raj Films brings studio-scale thinking and original storytelling, which will go a long way into making micro dramas mainstream. His role will be key in bridging traditional storytelling with the new vertical-first world, deepening talent partnerships, and scaling premium IPs,” added Pandey In his new role, he will lead the company's strategy to develop premium vertical storytelling franchises, forge partnerships with leading actors, filmmakers, and studios, and strengthen Story TV's position as the destination for premium vertical storytelling, the company said. "Micro Drama has already arrived, but for premium vertical storytelling, there is no playbook that exists anywhere. And that's exactly what excites me about this opportunity,” said Manan Mehta, SVP - Strategy and Content, Story TV. “Premium vertical storytelling is the next big shift in entertainment, and I'm thrilled to be part of building it with Saurabh and the entire team at Story TV."