Associate Director, Sports & Entertainment, India

About WPP Media 

WPP is the creative transformation company. We use the power of creativity to build better futures for our people, planet, clients and communities. For more information, visit wpp.com. 

WPP Media is WPP’s global media collective. In a world where media is everywhere and in everything, we bring the best platform, people, and partners together to create limitless opportunities for growth. For more information, visit wppmedia.com 

At WPP Media, we believe in the power of our culture and our people. It’s what elevates us to deliver exceptional experiences for both our clients and each other. In this role it will be critical to embrace WPP & WPP Media’s shared core values: 

• Be Extraordinary by Leading Collectively to Inspire transformational Creativity. 
• Create an Open environment by Balancing People and Client Experiences by Cultivating Trust. 
• Lead Optimistically by Championing Growth and Development to Mobilize the Enterprise. 

WPP Media, is looking for a Director – Film & OTT Associations to join its Content team, working on one of India’s largest and most diverse FMCG portfolios. The role sits at the intersection of brands, entertainment and popular culture, identifying and building meaningful partnerships across Bollywood, regional cinema, OTT platforms and streaming content. We are looking for someone who combines strong entertainment instincts with strategic, creative and operational rigour. The individual should understand how brands can participate naturally within the world of films and streaming content, while ensuring that every association delivers against clearly defined brand and business objectives. This is a high-intensity role involving complex partnerships that can run across three to six months, from opportunity identification and creative development to production, amplification and post-campaign evaluation.

Key Responsibilities

1. Opportunity Identification & Curation

• Identify relevant upcoming films, OTT shows, talent and entertainment properties based on brand requirements and cultural opportunities.
• Proactively curate opportunities across Bollywood, Hollywood, regional cinema and streaming platforms.
• Evaluate opportunities through a combination of audience fit, cultural relevance, content context, reach and brand objectives.

1. Strategy & Creative Development

• Translate brand briefs and business problems into compelling Film and OTT partnership ideas.
• Work closely with production houses, studios, platforms, creators and internal teams to develop data-backed and creatively strong brand integrations.
• Ensure integrations feel authentic to the narrative rather than forced brand placements.

1. Partnership & Campaign Management

• Lead projects end to end across negotiations, creative development, production, approvals, asset delivery and amplification.
• Manage multiple stakeholders and complex timelines while ensuring campaigns are delivered to the highest quality standards.
• Build strong relationships across production houses, studios, OTT platforms, talent ecosystems and other entertainment partners.

1. Execution Excellence

• Protect the creative integrity of every association while ensuring clear and meaningful brand visibility.
• Work closely with partners during production and post-production to deliver all committed integration and amplification assets.
• Anticipate challenges and solve for changes that may arise during the course of production or campaign rollout.

1. Campaign Monitoring & Optimization

• Track campaign performance and recommend interventions or amplification opportunities where relevant.
• Work closely with content, planning and buying teams to maximise the impact of the partnership beyond the core integration.

1. Measurement & Learning

• Build comprehensive campaign reports linked back to the objectives defined at the outset.
• Conduct post-campaign evaluations covering brand, media, content and cultural impact.
• Develop learnings and best practices that improve future Film and OTT partnerships.

What Success Looks Like

In the first 3 months

• Develop a strong understanding of the portfolio of brands, agency ecosystem and ways of working.
• Independently manage Film and OTT campaigns from briefing through execution and reporting.
• Proactively bring new opportunities and thinking to brands rather than responding only to briefs.

In 6 months

• Build strategic annual Film and OTT opportunity plans across priority brands.
• Increase the number of brands meaningfully participating in entertainment partnerships.
• Develop a strong understanding of emerging trends across films, streaming, talent and audience behaviour.
• Establish strong working relationships with key studios, production houses, platforms and internal stakeholders.

In 12 months

• Establish best practices and frameworks for Film and OTT partnerships.
• Become a trusted thought partner to brands on entertainment and popular culture.
• Build a differentiated pipeline of partnerships across Bollywood, regional cinema and OTT.
• Deliver against agreed annual business, partnership and campaign objectives.

What We’re Looking For

• Minimum 5+ years of relevant experience across entertainment marketing, branded content, film partnerships, OTT partnerships, studios, production houses or related businesses.
• Prior experience working on film integrations, movie marketing partnerships, OTT associations or branded entertainment is strongly preferred.
• Graduate degree mandatory; postgraduate qualification preferred.
• Strong understanding of the Indian film, streaming and entertainment ecosystem.
• Strong creative judgement coupled with the ability to evaluate opportunities strategically and commercially.
• Excellent project-management skills and the ability to manage complex, long-gestation campaigns involving multiple stakeholders.
• Strong presentation, communication and interpersonal skills.
• Understanding of social media, digital marketing, content marketing and media amplification.
• Proficiency in at least one Indian regional language is preferred but not mandatory.
• Hands on Experience in pre and post-production will be an added advantage.

Core expectations from the role  

1. Work across some of India’s largest brands
   Build entertainment partnerships for a diverse portfolio of leading FMCG brands.
2. Put brands at the heart of popular culture
   Work across films, streaming, talent and entertainment to create partnerships audiences genuinely want to engage with.
3. Operate at extraordinary scale
   Be part of Mindshare and WPP Media, working within one of the largest media and marketing ecosystems in India.

 

Life at WPP Media & Benefits 

Our passion for shaping the next era of media includes investing in our employees to help them do their best work, and we’re just as committed to employee growth as we are to responsible media investment. WPP Media employees can tap into the global WPP Media & WPP networks to pursue their passions, grow their networks, and learn at the cutting edge of marketing and advertising. We have a variety of employee resource groups and host frequent in-office events showcasing team wins, sharing thought leadership, and celebrating holidays and milestone events. Our benefits include competitive medical, group retirement plans, vision, and dental insurance, significant paid time off, preferential partner discounts, and employee mental health awareness days.   

WPP Media is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without discrimination or regard to characteristics. We are committed to fostering a culture of respect in which everyone feels they belong and has the same opportunities to progress in their careers.

We believe the best work happens when we're together, fostering creativity, collaboration, and connection. That's why we’ve adopted a hybrid approach, with teams in the office around four days a week. If you require accommodations or flexibility, please discuss this with the hiring team during the interview process.