From Justin Bieber’s demands in India to Sunburn, meet the crew that manages it all

• In an interview with Business Insider, founders of the Production Crew Entertainment talk about managing India’s biggest music events.
• From Sunburn to Supersonic, the founders Dinesh Shetty, Vikas Menon and his brother Vevek Menon are building a technology to hold grand music events in the country.
• Indian events industry is expected to cross ₹100 billion by 2021.

When Justin Bieber was in India, he had bizarre demands like Indian Yoga caskets, luxury sedans and choppers. The Coldplay performance in the country had to manage a massive crowd of 80,000.

And, there is one company arranging it all. Based out of Mumbai, The Production Crew Entertainment is the behind-the-scenes partner to events with A-list stars and DJs across the world.

Founded nine years ago by friends Dinesh Shetty, Vikas Menon and his brother Vevek Menon, The Production Crew handles everything right from production, operations and security.

The events industry has just found its footing in the country. But it is growing fast with more global artistes making their way to the country every year. According to reports, the Indian events industry is expected to cross ₹100 billions by 2021.

At a Bigger Scale

The scale of these events is growing with each passing year. More and more international stars and DJs are signing up to come to India. And these massive events require an integrated company to co-ordinate management.

Nine years back, The Production Crew started off as a specialised manpower support to event companies. As they started picking up projects, they spotted a big opportunity.

“There was a big scope in the industry where the event manager and the production world weren’t working on the same line. We were all production directors and we decided to bring production specialization to events, bring the creative thought process of an artiste to life,” said Vikas.

Today, the Production Crew has presence across cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Pune, Ahmedabad and Goa.

The coming of tech

The Indian events industry, especially in the music scene still has a long way to go. “India is more manpower driven, it should be less on manpower and more on technology. We are trying to bring tech into the industry,” said Shetty.

Be it the uber-popular Sunburn or the vh1 Supersonic with DJs like Marshmello performance or Disney musicals like Aladdin and Beauty and the Beast or the 112-feet Adiyogi statue unveiling with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the company managed it all– from permissions for venues, to understanding stability of the structure, everything.

Starry demands

“Meeting the expectations of international stars is a huge task. They have experiences with different and more advanced technological products. Here in India, we have to bring multiple partners into the game to deliver a product like that,” said Vikas.

On the top of craziest requests is still Justin Bieber’s demand for a jacuzzi on the third floor in his green room!

So, are there any challenges of being in this industry? “Lack of sleep,” said Shetty with a smile.

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