Story TV has appointed Manan Mehta as Senior Vice President, Content & Strategy to lead vertical storytelling for its platform. According to the press note by Story TV, Mehta brings over 20 years of experience across Business Strategy, Marketing and Content thought leadership, with experience across agencies and companies including Leo Burnett, Taproot, and Razorfish, followed by a significant 11+ years tenure at Yash Raj Films, one of India's most premium film studios. The appointment comes at a pivotal time for the entire vertical storytelling category, when the same category is emerging as one of the fastest-growing formats in digital entertainment.
Welcoming Mehta, Saurabh Pandey, Founder and CEO, Story TV, stated that the company is entering what they see as OTT 2.0, with the grammar of entertainment changing and vertical storytelling emerging as one of its most powerful expressions. As reported by Story TV, the focus is to move microdramas from a niche to a full-fledged entertainment ecosystem, building an ecosystem where directors, writers, producers and top creative talent come together to define a new vertical-first language of storytelling that will scale both culturally and commercially. "Manan joining Story TV strengthens our ambition to elevate vertical storytelling. His experience at Yash Raj Films brings studio-scale thinking and original storytelling, which will go a long way in making micro dramas mainstream," added Pandey. In his new role, Mehta will lead the platform's content and strategy, with a focus on developing original intellectual property, premium vertical storytelling franchises and partnerships with actors, filmmakers and studios.
At Yash Raj Films, Mehta worked closely with Aditya Chopra and played a key role in strengthening the studio's brand and content marketing engine, helping position Yash Raj Films as one of India's premium film studios. According to the press note, he led marketing and content strategy for over 26 films that collectively grossed approximately ₹5,200 crore at the global box office. His role at Story TV will be key in bridging traditional storytelling with the new vertical-first world, deepening talent partnerships, and scaling premium IPs. "Micro Drama has already arrived, but for premium vertical storytelling, there is no playbook that exists anywhere. And that's exactly what excites me about this opportunity," said Manan Mehta, SVP - Strategy and Content, Story TV. "Premium vertical storytelling is the next big shift in entertainment, and I'm thrilled to be part of building it with Saurabh and the entire team at Story TV," added Mehta.
As reported by Story TV, Story TV was launched in 2025 and has emerged as India's microdrama platform, pioneering a format that is reshaping mobile entertainment. With Mehta joining the leadership team, Story TV aims to build a premium entertainment platform which is centred around marquee talent, high-quality storytelling and original intellectual property. In his new role, Mehta will lead the platform's content and strategy, with a focus on developing original intellectual property, premium vertical storytelling franchises and partnerships with leading actors, filmmakers and studios to strengthen Story TV's position as the destination for premium vertical storytelling.
