Varun Patra is a media & cultural entrepreneur, who has seen significant success in turning unachievable & larger-than-life ideas into reality over the last decade. Fuelled by the goal of bringing cultural & societal change in India, all of his professional endeavours have been focused towards building ecosystems & foundations for just that using Homegrown & Lokal Consortium to create impact.

He’s been instrumental in shaping creative, culture & youth marketing strategies for brands in India, as the co-founder & CMO of Homegrown—A digital first, next gen lifestyle youth culture platform for the creative class- Publication / Creative & events agency / Content Studio / Creator network. 

THE CURRENT:
Homegrown: Varun & his sister Varsha co founded Homegrown which has dug its heels deep and stood steady as trailblazers in presenting India’s dynamic youth culture with authenticity. Represented by those who cannot be defined or confined, Homegrown is  one of the most influential platforms in the country - always at the frontline of creating, curating and cultivating change & taking India to the world.

Over the last 6 years he has led 100+ campaigns & events to drive social change & shape youth movements for brands like Bacardi, Audi, AbInBev, Nike, Unicef, British Council and 130+ others, consistently pushing them to change the narrative of how brands communicate that truly resonate with the Indian Youth. From award winning campaigns, to youth culture festivals, to cultural impact initiatives Varun has gotten leading brands globally & locally to invest in the youth of tomorrow.

Lokal Consortium: Lokal Consortium is his NGO that focuses on impact urbanism using cultural civic projects - Urban Regeneration / Arts & culture development / grassroots Sports. The first initiative looks at reimagining the Versova District of Mumbai using the UN SDG goals

Host / Mentor / Speaker: Varun has been an industry mentor at Pearl Academy for the school of Media & Fashion + Given over 20+ keynotes & hosted 30+ workshops across universities, conferences, summits & internal brand sessions under his personal interests & learnings of youth marketing, nightlife & music industries, creative economy & more..

Start Up Advising: With interests in food-motorsports-fashion, Varun also is an advisor to:

• Nomada ( Eatery & Restaurant in Mumbai )

• Rayo Racing ( Motorsports Academy & Team )

• Delhiwear ( Fashion house & studio )

THE PAST:
Creative Professional: Prior to HG he worked at India's leading digital agencies like The Glitch (WPP), Jack In The Box / 120 Media Collective & WebChutney (Dentsu) where he played a key role in award winning campaigns during the early days of the digital marketing movement in India for brands like Redbull, Puma, Lindt, Diesel, Jack & Jones, etc

Start up advisor: Varun has been instrumental in launch & marketing strategies for start-ups within the music, entertainment, digital dating, e commerce & social impact spaces.

Entertainment consultant & DJ : Consulted on international tours with Major Lazer, Sean Paul, Gorgon City, Skream & Benga, Calyx & TeeBee to festivals like VH1 Supersonic, Smirnoff Experience & Basscamp. Varun has performed at India’s biggest music festivals, venues & culture spaces under the AlgoRhythm moniker & had launched an alternative music night called FLUX

THE FUTURE:
Varun’s key goal for the decade of 2021-2030 is to create more sustainable communities & cities within India by creating opportunities for everyone using all the mediums at his disposal using HG / Lokal Consortium & his future endeavours.

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| SPECIALITIES |
Creative Economy - Experiential - Content - Arts & Culture Development - Festivals & Entertainment - Culture Shaping & Marketing - Social Impact - Music - Automobiles - Sports

| AWARDS |
Forbes 30u30 Asia 2017
Inca Nightlife 30u30 2018
Soho House Mumbai Committee 2018
UN Young Changemakers 2020
Ink Awards 2018 ( HG )
Kyoorious Awards 2017 ( HG )
Wow Awards 2019 ( HG )
Campaign Asia 2020 (HG)

| WORKSHOPS & MASTERCLASSES HOSTED |

-The Indian youth opportunity by 2030 | 2022 ( AISEC Mumbai )

- Metaverse 101 | 2022 ( Sahathe College )
-Using architecture to build more creative & Sustainable Cities - Moderator | 2020 (HG X HP)
-Driving Innovation using maker spaces for cities - Moderator | 2020 (HG X HP)
-How to think like an entrepreneur | 2020 (KCLAS University)
-Shaping youth culture online & offline | 2020 (Pearl Academy University)
-India’s Creative Economy by 2030 | 2020 (ISDI Parsons University)
-Nightlife Policy Making | 2019 (India Nightlife Convention Awards)
-Nighttime Economy and Culture Building | 2018 (India Nightlife Convention Awards)
-Media & Content Marketing Masterclass | 2018 (Whistling Woods College)
-Sub Cultural Marketing | 2017 (Nike India Summit)
-Marketing and partnering with brands | 2017 (AbInBev Yearly Summit)
-The India Opportunity | 2017 (AbInBev Global Visit)
-Indian sneaker & street culture | 2016 (Nike Global Visit)
-Social Media & Brand Building for artists | 2015 (Social Media Week)
-Music Marketing & Best Practices | 2014 (Social Media Week)

| PANELS MODERATED & SPOKEN AT |
-India Nightlife Convention Awards 2019 | Building the nightlife culture for Mumbai
-India Nightlife Convention Awards 2018 | Brand partnerships in Music & nightlife culture
-Ears Asia Conference 2018 | Culture Riding vs Culture Building for Brands
-Music Inc 2018 | Creating brand experiences for the creative economy
-HG Street Festival 2018 | Skateboarding culture in India - The past x present x future
-India Nightlife Convention Awards 2017 | Mapping the creative footprint of India
-Puma RTS Session ( Mumbai ) 2017 | Creating a music x culture collective
-Palm Expo 2017 | Brand partnerships done right in Music
-UK India Music Conference - The Exchange 2017 | The future for brand partnerships in Music
-Times Education Fair 2017 | Building an identity for a youth media platform
-Puma RTS Session ( Bangalore ) 2017 | How immersive a/v experiences will be the future
-Palm Expo 2016 | Arts x Brands x Fans
-U25 Summit 2015 | Content Marketing for the creative industries
-Social Media Week 2014 | Building culture using both online & offline
-Social Media Week 2013 | Social Media & content for Musicians

| FESTIVALS & EVENTS CONSULTED ON |
OJI Skream & Benga India Tour 2012
Vh1 Supersonic Festival 2014
Basscamp Festival 2011/2012
Major Lazer India Tour 2015
Sean Paul India Tour 2012
Smirnoff Experience 2013

| KEY FESTIVALS | CULTURE EVENTS HOSTED BY HG |
Third Eye Tour 2014
Jump Mumbai 2012
Summer Swell Challenge 2013
Third Eye Tour 2014
Nike Airmax Day 2015/2016
Budweiser BUDx 2018
Skate Social 2017
HGStreet 2018
Dharavi Project 2019
Casa Bacardi 2019

| KEY AWARD WINNING CAMPAIGNS WORKED ON IN PREVIOUS AGENCIES |
Jack & Jones Friday
Red Bull F1 Khardungla Run
Puma Loves Vinyl
Red Bull Racing Can

| KEY AWARD WINNING / IMPACT CAMPAIGNS EXECUTED AT HOMEGROWN |
Budweiser BudX
Casa Bacardi
HDFC Life Memory Project
Diageo LoveScotch
UNICEF No Prison For Children
Nike Dunk Sky Hi
Johnnie Walker Join The Pact
+ 126 Other brand campaigns executed