Ashwini Jain introduces us to one of Mangalore’s best known local stars. Kiran Shenoy is a multi-talented media personality who dabbles in everything from radio to documentary filmmaking.
“I sing for myself, no one else!” says our good looking, talented star of the day when we catch him loudly enjoying his own tunes, and singing them all wrong. It’s one difficult task to get Kiran Shenoy to sit in one place and talk about himself – he is always on the phone, lost in his thoughts and ideas or executing them.
Kiran Shenoy, popularly known RJ Kiran, is a Mangalore-based entrepreneur who has a seemingly endless history in the media. At 27, he is one of the most innovative and experimental people we have ever come across. Kiran has a degree in Corporate Communications, but his work experience covers a range of mass media. He has tried every kind of media field that you can think of!
Finding His Own ‘Voice’
He started off as an RJ (Radio Jockey) at Radio Mirchi in Mangalore and was the city’s most loved voice for just over two years. It was during that period that he was known as the ‘Voice of Mangalore.’ Since then, he has organised and hosted a number of events, cementing his popularity as a media personality.
Kiran’s biggest draw is his rare technique of connecting the city. He used his shows to focus on the most unique and un-talked about aspects of Mangalore, which he felt deserved attention. He would travel all around the city to find human interest stories and talk about it live to his wide range of listeners. His efforts to host such shows and bring these stories into the spotlight made him Mangalore’s favourite Radio Jockey. And now, even though it’s been nearly 2 years since he quit the job, he is still sought-after and recognised by the name ‘RJ Kiran.’
A Man Of Many Talents
Kiran is a master documentary filmmaker, and he continues to work on projects alongside his other full-time ventures in the field of digital media. His passion for photography and videography is readily apparent – he even takes his camera to lunch. His zest for all things media related has resulted in several successful digital media ventures.
A man of many talents, Kiran used to work for a digital media agency – Hungama Digital Media Entertainment. Today, he owns his own company and is an active social media personality in the region. He hosts shows, advertises products, and promotes events regularly. He is also one of the few people in Mangalore who has managed to crowdfund events through social media. Most people in the area know that if they want something to go viral – RJ Kiran is the one to call.
Spreading His Wings
Kiran’s most recent and ambitious venture is the fast growing digital media institute in Mangalore called Olpa. He and his team also manage a website and app that is associated with almost every commercial and entertainment event in Mangalore. It launched a few months ago, but the city is still talking about the grand launch event that he and his team organised. From beauty contests to commercial and social events, Kiran’s team has tried it all – and they’re far from done.
Commercial success apart, what makes Kiran so special is his interest in social issues, and not just ambitious media undertakings. He was the first person in Mangalore to take on a ‘Ferry Ride Awareness Campaign’ regarding HIV Aids. Also, Kiran has worked towards conducting painting classes and other such activities for the differently abled children of the city. He says that it was one of the most difficult things that he has done as it was not easy to get those children together for a purpose. “They needed assistance to arrive and a lot of convincing, but when those activities did happen, they were the some of the most accomplished moments of my life,” he says.
Kiran has a charming personality, and we didn’t want to stop chatting with him! Between his engaging manner and perfectionist ways, we began to wonder if there was anything Kiran couldn’t do. There is – he can’t sing a single song without messing up the lyrics. But we won’t hold it against him when we still have so much to learn from him!
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