EXCLUSIVE: Early Netflix veterans Rob Guillermo and Nihaar Sinha have teamed to form Indus Valley Media (IVM) an independent studio designed to develop, produce and finance films and series for the global marketplace.
The goal of Guillermo, former VP, Head of Business Affairs & Legal for Netflix Nonfiction, and his former Netflix Content Strategy partner and screenwriter Sinha, is to help top creative talent and content suppliers in both scripted and unscripted reach audiences worldwide.
As part of its initial set of projects, Indus Valley Media is co-financing and producing documentaries that pull back the curtain on Jean-Michel Basquiat, Alec Baldwin, Mitch Hedberg and Marc Maron, among others.
“For over 20 years, I’ve had the privilege of helping some of the industry’s most recognized talent bring their stories to audiences worldwide — from Grammy-winning artists to Oscar and Emmy-honored productions. IVM is the result of that experience: a space built to support bold ideas, elevate underrepresented voices, and develop content with lasting cultural impact,” said co-founder Guillermo. “I am very excited to take on this new adventure, where our focus is on bold, high-quality, independent storytelling that challenges norms and connects with audiences worldwide.”
Added co-founder Sinha: “With experience as both a professional screenwriter and a content strategy & finance executive, I saw first-hand the need for an independent studio to support artistically excellent and commercially promising projects that may otherwise face a tougher road to greenlight. Combining my creative and analytical skillsets to build a company like IVM is a dream, and working alongside a partner with such complementary experience and skillsets situates us for success in a rapidly evolving, global content marketplace.” Guillermo most recently served as VP, Head of Business Affairs & Legal for Netflix’s Nonfiction team, launching the Netflix Documentary and Stand Up Comedy initiatives in 2013 under Cindy Holland and partnering with Lisa Nishimura. During his nine-year tenure, he negotiated deals and supported productions for projects including the Obamas’ Higher Ground Productions Oscar-winning American Factory, the Grammy-winning Homecoming: A Film by Beyonce, the Emmy-winning Making A Murderer, and the long-running Emmy-winning series, Chef’s Table, while also serving as an executive producer on 15 Netflix originals. He led negotiations for Dave Chappelle’s highly-anticipated, exclusive stand-up comedy deal that brought Chappelle to Netflix in 2017, and oversaw deals with Kevin Hart, Jerry Seinfeld, Ali Wong, and many others. Prior to Netflix, Guillermo spent almost nine years at Comedy Central, working on projects such as Comedy Central Presents, The Half Hours, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and South Park. He has been recognized by Variety as a Hollywood top dealmaker. At Netflix, Sinha worked as an analytical partner to Creative and Business Affairs executives to analyze viewership data, perform title valuations, and make programming recommendations. He supported the Original Drama Series, Documentary and Stand Up Comedy teams under Cindy Holland and performed the strategy work behind key initiatives such as the Dave Chappelle exclusive stand-up comedy deal, the Original Series overall deal strategy spanning deal structure, the Stand Up Comedy volume and slate planning framework, analysis of the impact of season length on viewership, and other strategic questions.
As a screenwriter, he has sold original series development to Universal Content Productions and developed projects with Oscar winners Mark Johnson (The Holdovers) and Tarell Alvin McCraney (Moonlight). Previously, Sinha led new business development for a talent-centric private family office, where he negotiated VC-style investments and JVs. He began his career in media-focused investment banking, where he worked on M&A and private placements for SVOD platforms, digital media publications and ad-tech companies.
IVM projects already in production include a Jean-Michel Basquiat feature documentary from Emmy-winning Boardwalk Pictures which IVM is co-financing and producing alongside Interscope Films and h.wood Group, with Guillermo and Sinha serving as executive producers; Oscar-nominated director Rory Kennedy’s (Last Days in Vietnam) upcoming documentary on Alec Baldwin, which is being produced by Mark Bailey and Moxie Films, in association with IVM, with Guillermo serving as Co-Executive Producer; and Are We Good?, a documentary following the life of comic and podcast pioneer Marc Maron from director Steven Feinartz (Marc Maron: From Bleak to Dark) and produced by Anchor Entertainment, which just had its world premiere at SXSW. IVM is co-financing and producing with Guillermo serving as Executive Producer. In addition, Guillermo is executive producing the upcoming untitled Mitch Hedberg documentary from Emmy-winning director Jeff Siegel and veteran producer Michael Blieden, with IVM serving as financing producers.
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