The business of short films

Hours after the Delaware Court of Chancery set the date for Twitter’s suit against Elon Musk, the Tesla chief countersued the social media giant. While the details of the 164-page lawsuit have been kept confidential for now, a redacted version may soon be available to the public.

Meanwhile, inflation may be here but avocados are unaffected…for now. In Australia, farmers are allegedly begging people to eat more avocados on toast as the country is experiencing an oversupply. Yields are expected to increase by more than 26% this year.

Peru too is seeing an oversupply, causing prices of avocados to fall across Mexico, the US, Colombia, and others. Similar trends are expected to arise in other markets as well.

Long story short: It’s an avo-lanche, and surprisingly, the millennials have nothing to do with it.

The business of short films

The trifecta of the internet revolution, smartphone penetration, and changing consumer choices have made the traditional three-hour movie passé. This rapidly shortening attention span means that more and more audiences are becoming amenable to the micro-content of short films.

Enter short film distribution company CineShorts Premiere, launched by Saif Hyder. It has more than 108 films in its catalogue and has licensed content to Disney+ Hotstar, Hungama, and MX Player. 

Lights, camera, action:

• The founder acquires content, in exclusive and non-exclusive deals, and releases them on streaming platforms instead of theatres. 
• As the platform provider, Cineshorts takes a 40-50% share in whatever the film earns. 
• London-based Discover.Films, Taiwan’s Omeleto, and US-based Short of the Week are among the global players operating in the short film space. 

Agri Infra Fund sanctions first drone loan

In a first, the government-backed Agri Infra Fund (AIF) has announced loans for small businesses and individuals to buy agri-drones. Depending on the number of drones and accessories purchased, a single loan can go up to Rs 10 lakh with 5% interest.

Kisan Drone, made by Chennai-based drone manufacturer Garuda Aerospace, has been selected under this pioneering loan programme.

Key takeaways:

• Garuda Aerospace has already pre-booked over 2,500 drones and is expected to manufacture one lakh Made-in-India Kisan Drones by 2024.
• The Agri Infra Fund, announced in May 2020, has a plan of disbursing Rs 1 lakh crore in loans across the agricultural infrastructure ecosystem. 
• The Indian drone industry has benefited from the government’s recent Rs 120 crore PLI (production-linked incentive) scheme. 

EaseMyTrip’s late-mover advantage

Prashant Pitti, Co-founder of EaseMyTrip, believes in treading off the beaten track. So, while other online travel aggregators are busy chasing the first-mover advantage, he reaps the benefits of being a late mover. 

Launched in 2008, EaseMyTrip began with a B2B (business-to-business) model, helping travel agents book flight tickets for customers. In its journey of over a decade, it has transitioned into a predominantly B2C company. 

A journey to remember:

• EaseMyTrip pivoted to a B2C model in the early 2010s by letting internet users directly make travel bookings. 
• The company prioritised operational efficiency and lean operations.
• Prashant advises budding entrepreneurs to build an appetite for risk-taking and experimentation.

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