A Creator, a Writer, Director & Producer with a vast range of experience across various communication and entertainment mediums, Srija Barua started Cinemon in 2018 as the Alignment is off. content think-tank and production house particularly to make youth and subculture driven content. Starting from a very early age of 19, Srija Barua has been an inspiration to women entrepreneurs. It can be said that at present, Srija Barua is the backbone of one of the most promising content agencies, Cinemon. When asked about her role, Srija said, "I play many roles, sometimes producer, sometimes director, sometimes the writer, creative director, sometimes the business development executive and sometimes the sales force, but mostly as the creative producer. My main function, I would say, is to create an environment that reverberates with excitement and creative flow. I maintain that rhythm that ensures the entire team is abuzz with the same tune and perform what they do best."

In the initial stages of her career, Srija started following many other creators, such as Walt Disney, making them her role model and getting inspired by their work. "A lot of it has been a one-woman journey with incredible collaborations with people who were driven mostly by the ideas we have, the vigour of the stories we'd want to tell, and of course the energy with which we all work together. I have always wanted to show people how I see stories. This germ started when I was a kid and read Chander Pahar by the veteran author Bibhuti Bhushan Bandyopadhyay. I was smitten and addicted to the world he created for me. A world I could experience with my eyes closed and travel through, feel the thrill, the mystery. I wanted to share this world with everyone just the way I experienced it. Disney has been a major influence. His life and his works, his characters that live on beyond him, and how he combined eccentric creativity with business just dazzle me. As I grew older, I realized I sucked at following instructions and I didn't like being told what to do. So, I created my own instructions that led to Cinemon", says Srija.

Taking Cinemon To Great Heights

Cinemon is mostly known for its excellent storytelling and engaging content. Cinemon has many young creative minds constantly finding new ways of telling stories as they look for new stories to tell. For the past 2 years since they began their journey, they have conceptualized and executed numerous films with brands for airing on all mediums.

“Srija barua is also looking forward to upgrading its technology by collaborating with renowned data science and advisory companies”

"Cinemon started out as a production house first. Our forte has always been video. But now, we have become a hybrid. We love how the growth of Social Media has given storytelling more possibilities of trans media narratives. So, conceptualising Social Media Narratives across real time with youth-based insights and storytelling is one of our biggest USPs. We provide end-to-end multi-media solutions", says Srija.

Srija Barua is also looking forward to upgrading its technology by collaborating with renowned data science and advisory companies. On this note, she adds, "Starting this year, we are in collaboration with a renowned Data Science and Advisory Company to breed concepts based on social listening and provide creative solutions drawing from the intelligence that it provides us. Partnering with such cutting-edge technology allows us to create concepts that transcend the mediums' conventional use and work towards engaging and experiential trans media narratives. Virtual influencers are an example of what's on our menu this year."

Overcoming Challenges

When asked about the major challenges she has faced and how she has overcome those challenges, Srija says, "In the beginning, the challenges were about approaching the right people. I was very inexperienced. But with time, I realized it's not just about low-hanging fruit but about finding the right door to knock on. It's about finding people who are bold enough to experiment with you. So, we look forward to equally driven people just like us, be it our collaborators and clients. We try to find narratives and youth culture driven story-telling that excites both us and the clients. That way the we are able to create value at every step of the process and not just in the final products we deliver.”