Indian Web space is evolving and we as an audience have also evolved. From short clips to web series, online content has seen a huge transformation. Digital Technology has changed the method of content consumption. Rise by Ultra shorts (A social platform for content by United Breweries Limited, Kingfisher Ultra) the only Indian web series starring Vikrant Massey, was shortlisted for the prestigious Los Angeles Web Fest 2018, and was selected as the 2nd Runner Up in the Trailers category. While interacting with Pitch Team, Sandeep Balan, the script writer for Rise, talked about how content and web series are still evolving in India and also the inspiration behind ‘Rise’. ‘While I was writing this story my only attempt was to keep it real and connected with the daily lives of today’s generation who have totally become work dependent. So the idea was to portray the real story. If you look at the subject of Rise it is very topical and current, it talks about IT layoffs, which is a prevailing problem,’ said Sandeep. While talking about Ultra shorts, Sandeep said, ‘At Ultra Shorts we look at relatable things because genuinely relatable stories works the best. Rise itself has proved well in maintaining that connect with the audience. Shrey, the character played by Vikrant, is an IT professional who gets the bike of his dreams for which he was saving a lot of money but loses his job on the very same day. We have tried to capture the uncertainties of life in a very subtle way.’ Different content is consumed differently by varied audiences, one has to keep the target audience in mind, Sandeep said, ‘I targeted mostly those who were in their first jobs, mostly in their mid twenty’s because we wanted to convey the message that losing your job does not mean the end of the world. Life is all about rising up after falling down and that’s how we came up with the title Rise.’ The character of Shrey and story was both accepted by the audiences. ‘The second episode has 3million organic reach and more than twenty thousand comments, people were congratulating and thanking us,’ added Sandeep. Sharing his thoughts on how India is still evolving in terms of web series and online content, Sandeep said, ‘With Jio and better internet speed, lot of traction has been achieved on online content. If you look at the finale episode of Rise, it was close to an hour long. Till a few years back people watching hour long content on their mobile phones was unheard of.’ Commenting on the acknowledgement at the LA web fest 2018, Samar Singh Sheikhawat, CMO, United Breweries said, ‘   ‘With the content landscape exploding, these Ultra Shorts with Cheers!, has been a unique way for us to share consumers stories the way we want to. With these stories we try to ensure that our product is not merely placed but is integral to the story, almost like a character. And the results have been extremely exciting – not just these awards and nominations, but the consumer reactions and feedback as well that have helped us improve with every story and make each of them as relatable as possible. This communication strategy has worked in our favor and we will definitely continue to explore more stories with Cheers! in the coming years.’