The Chief Geek
Sidrat Talukder could hardly be called an ordinary boy during his childhood, and the same applies still. Always an avid gamer, his boyhood days were filled with technology, computers and video games. Co-founder and Managing Director of StrateGeek Digital, Sidrat, fondly known as Chief Geek, he has always been the kind of person you would expect big things from.
"I moved to Saudi Arabia with my family when I was just three years old, and I have attended multiple schools," says Sidrat. Having attended a Pakistani school, a Bengali medium school and English medium school, Sidrat believes the diversity helped him greatly to understand different perspectives.
He finished his middle and high school in Bangladesh International School, English Section, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. "During my high school years, I was thrust into many leadership positions- prefect, head boy, vice captain of the cricket team- which I believe ultimately shaped me for everything I was able to achieve later on in life," he says.
After coming back to Dhaka, Sidrat enrolled himself in the Institute of Business Administration, Dhaka University. "The years in IBA really set me on-course. I met my founding partners, and every kind of inspiration I needed." Having prepared for various business and marketing competitions, preparing for presentations and even just simple class work had their effects of Sidrat, as they ignited a passionate interest in Marketing. He found 7 others who share the same kind of passion, and on the 2nd year of university, collaborated with them to start Maverick Studios. "We started early on so that even if it doesn't work out, we can still look for other options," says Sidrat. Since 2010, Maverick Studios has been up and running successfully. They have created a wide range of corporate videos, promotional videos, commercials, animations, charity videos, training videos and more for some of the leading clients around the globe, like Unilever, HSBC, Nestle, Citi Bank, Grameenphone, and more. Maverick then split into three different parts- Maverick Studios itself looks after audiovisuals, while Ice9 Interactive researches and develops cutting edge marketing solutions that involve mobile apps, augmented reality, gesture tracking etc. StrateGeek helps clients navigate Social and Digital media marketing, by managing online strategy, content creation, advertising and customer service. Together, the three companies are able to offer best-in-class solutions across multiple digital marketing disciplines-- all under one roof. The reason Maverick, Ice9 and StrateGeek stand out from the rest is solely because of the thought-process. "I always like to think outside the box. And coincidentally, so do all the other founders. We only challenge ourselves to think above and beyond because we know we can. We are always pushing ourselves to do more than possible."
One of the works that Sidrat was personally proud of was a motivational video for the National Cricket Team, during the 2011 ICC World Cup. "There were no specific clients for the video. We were our own clients. But we got a phenomenal response from the general public. What surprised us most was when Ian Pont, the then bowling coach of the national team, noticed the video and not only appreciated our work, but showed the video to the entire team for inspiration," says Sidrat. He adds, "In the press conference after a certain victory, the captain had even mentioned how the video had motivated them to play as well as they did."
Recently, Sidrat Talukder has been cited by CMO Asia as one of 'Asia's Most Influential Digital Media Professionals'. "It was never about the recognition and accolades for me. The most important thing for me is to do better than I did yesterday. It is this desire to think big and do big that has led me this far."
To young aspiring entrepreneurs, Sidrat says to "always give a 100%, never stop believing in yourself despite the challenges, and find ideal partners to help you move further. And remember, success is mostly effort and self-belief."
Comments