If it takes the sun and rain for a flower to grow, it also takes women entrepreneurs like Prerna Suryawanshi to inspire and bring change to conventional trade. For someone who didn’t set fixed goals from the start, she has always chased her dreams even if it meant to go against her stride and beat all odds. With extensive experience in the areas of PR, Digital Marketing, Casting and Celebrity management, Prerna Suryawanshi has carved a niche for herself in the regional Marathi entertainment industry. Having managed over 30 Marathi celebrities, 10 films, theatre plays, corporate events and more, she has proven her mettle by transforming her dreams to a vision and remarkably achieving those goals. From being unsure of her career goals to kick-starting it with an internship that happened perchance after her graduation in Mass Media, she has grown to be the founder of her own company, The Social Hoot PR and Digital marketing.
As the third and the youngest among her siblings, she has always strived to be independent and do something different in her life. Although the early years of growing up were free from parental pressure and struggles, she endeavoured to push herself away from comfort to welcome new learnings and take on challenges of interest. She chose to move away from her family in Mumbai to study in a convent school at Panchgani. Such moves made by her drove her further on to broaden horizons and explore her career path thoroughly, time and again.
Her outgoing and friendly nature helped her hone incredible communication skills and develop a knack to charm her way to become a deal-maker in her line of work. With a police officer for a father as the source of inspiration, her mother has been the pillar of support along with her siblings, an older brother and sister.
Humble beginnings marks the rise of new learnings
Initially, her job with the PR Company, LinOpinion, in the client-facing department taught her the first lessons of the PR industry, which was a unique and exciting experience for her. It was here that she decided not to go the corporate way and landed on a chance to do PR and event planning for a Marathi film event way back in 2015.
With ideas bursting out of her, she was kicked to be working on this project and put her heart and soul into it. The event was cancelled at the last moment, but she didn’t lose her heart. It is then that she realised what a movie buff she was and decided to pursue her PR career in the entertainment industry.
Although the event was called off, her ideas and effort invested earned her contacts and she was recognised by known figures in the Marathi film industry. One of the leading producers who had plans of starting a celebrity management company for Marathi artists approached her with a job offer. Without care for salary, Prerna gladly accepted and set sails to work on the new venture, which seemed enticing to her and had her parents’ complete support.
Celebrity Management in the regional cinema industry was almost unheard of at the time when Prerna’s career took off. Hence, along with new experiences came heaps of learning that she was to do all by herself. She managed celebrities, their schedules and endorsements. Eventually, PR and social media responsibilities came under her purview, as well. Convincing celebrity artists to establish their presence on social media in the Marathi cinema industry was a task on its own.
Although they were not big on trying it, her communication skills came to her aid. She convinced and educated famous Marathi artists about social media and its benefits. All this and more were single-handedly managed by her, putting the multi-tasking abilities to test, which she passed with flying colours.
As days blended into nights, she enjoyed her work and lost track of time. But Prerna worked hard and smart to manage 5 distinctive artists successfully. Mistakes were made and there was struggle involved initially but she learned a great deal from them, which were a milestone on its own. Soon, she landed a team of her own and groomed them to enhance efficiency.
Hard work pays off for sure.
She established a great rapport with the artists that she managed and travelled with them to handle their schedule efficiently. With continuous research, she was well-informed and always on top of things at any given time. She developed great work ethics and artists trusted and took her into their confidence, which she kept up with her head held high.She was determined to create a win-win for everyone who worked with her.
Never back down.
Even negative influences in her life transform to a positive approach that fuels her to move along the course when the going got tougher by the mile. Stepping on hard stones in a challenging industry, Prerna quit her job and started her company. She says, “My family have faced their fair share of challenges and I have grown up hearing about it. I understand my struggles. Hence, I can cherish and value the good fortune that comes ahead of hardships.”Initially, she faced gender bias in a male-dominated industry and tread through difficulties while setting up shop and managing it all. But, she refused to back down. As direct competition to the establishment she worked with previously, it was challenging to land work at first. But, her communication skills and social media got her pitching to clients and helped to establish a brand presence. Leading artists and old clients like Sai Tamhankar, Ankush Choudhary and Amey Wagh stayed on and supported her. Soon, old clients and new poured in wanting to work with her. Many old clients chose to associate themselves with her company against losing some valuable projects as well. “Getting out of the comfort zone is very important. It is okay to not have goals, but don’t stop going after your dreams to achieve what you want,” she says
Prerna has made sure that her celebrities are always upto date and in trends,Prerna promoted her clients heavily in PR & Social media, Every look is promoted widely. Prerna believes in Team Work and Working with the entire Team of the Celebrity, that is the stylist, the hair artist, makeup artist the efforts came to success when Amey Wagh was recognised and featured as a stylish digital actor on the reputed publication – LokmatHaving entered into partnerships and many hardships later, Prerna’s company is one the verge of being dissolved. The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic might have shifted the aesthetics of the PR industry a little. Her parents were hospitalised. But that hasn’t stopped her from working. She managed the whole household inside-out on her own while balancing her professional life as well. Her father is and has always been her inspiration and the guiding factor of her life. It is he who has supported her to keep going all along.
It’s a brand new day every day!
Today, Prerna Suryawanshi continues to manage 10 celebrities with a natural flair and has pivoted her line of work to take on digital channels to start working uniquely. In high spirits, she sets off to transgress from the conventional ways of working to cause change. She looks forward to rebuilding her career with new beginnings in an industry that she is proud to be a part of and says, “Come what may don’t stop working. Push yourself away from your comfort zone constantly to evolve as a person and enhance your career. Patience and communication skills can take you a long way in the celebrity management and PR industry.”
Prerna is now breaking more barriers and bringing the first-ever style award show dedicated to Marathi Industry to celebrate Fashion in this industry. And her this concept was welcomed by the entire industry.
