Established by Balaji Telefilms in 2010, Institute of Creative Excellence, popularly known as ICE offers media and entertainment related courses. It covers all major specializations such as Acting, Modeling, Cinematography, Direction, Editing, Production, Scriptwriting, Sound, and VFX. With its presence in more than 13 cities across India, it has the largest network of centers in the country.

Since its inception, ICE has aimed towards creating an institution that continuously sets international standards and even surpasses them. This constant focus on quality has indeed paid them handsomely in the form of an ISO 9001; 2015 certification, the final authority on excellent management processes and procedures.

ICE not only aims to train and hone talent but also to bridge the gap between the trained professionals and the industry requirement by providing world-class quality training. Boasting a rich legacy of Balaji Telefilms in quality Indian television content, ICE offers a quality experience through their infrastructure and teaching methodology of blended learning, which incorporates elements of Instructor Lead Training (ILT), Computer Based Training (CBT), and Web-Based Training (WBT).

The Inception Saga

The team at Balaji Telefilms understands the skill set requirements of the media and Entertainment industry. Keeping the industry in mind, the institute provides a 360-degree approach to every aspect of the industry to excel in the competitive scenario.

The team states “We understand that an actor needs more than just a few acting tips, that sound engineers need hands-on training, editors need a thorough understanding of screenplay and producers need to comprehend the Director’s perspective.” The team further states, “We also understand how difficult it is to find all this in one place. Hence, we were inspired to set up ICE in 2010”.

Fabulous Personalities behind ICE

Jeetendra Kapoor, the legendary Bollywood actor, is the Chairman of ICE Academic Council. He ruled Bollywood from the 1970s and 1980s and is now a part of Indian Cinematic History. According to the institute, his extensive network within the entertainment industry has proven to be extremely beneficial for the company. Today, Mr. Kapoor is continuously pushing boundaries to open the new frontiers.

Ekta Kapoor is a member of ICE Academic Council. She is a creative force, a dynamic personality, and an insightful content creator. Her shows continue to be a channel driver and among the top three shows. She is also expanding her unmatched creative vision to feature films and new media and entertainment.

Additionally, the institute has three Directors -Mr. Hanumant Sabharwal, Mr. Mohit Nagpal, and Mr. Nitin Jain.

Hanumant Sabherwal has over 27 years of experience in the education industry and corporate training. He has a knack for masterfully mentoring students seeking guidance for any courses in India. After his honors degree in math’s from Delhi University, he pursued masters in math’s and accomplished an MBA degree from IMT, Ghaziabad.

Mr. Nagpal holds an MBA degree and has experience in general trade, financial product sales and Business development with organizations of repute like – Franchise India Holdings Ltd., Reliance Life Insurance, HDFC Life Insurance, Coca Cola India and Cadbury’s India Ltd. amongst others.

Mr. Nitin carries with him a strong experience of content and academics management in the education industry. He has handled various verticals like vendor management, product development, content development, and so on. Mr. Nitin has an MSc Degree in computer science and mathematics.

Not Just an Ordinary Institute

ICE is not just an ordinary media and entertainment institute. The features that separate it from other players in the same segment are:

1. Live Environment

ICE is housed in a campus that has 13 studios of Balaji Telefilms, thereby exposing students to live environment regularly throughout the course

2. Preferred Partner

ICE is the preferred partner of Balaji Telefilms, Balaji Motion Pictures, and ALT Balaji for sourcing fresh talents

3. Project and Assignment

In selected programs, the student will get an opportunity to work on the project under the guidance of the respective field experts

4. Guest lectures by Industry Experts

Guest lectures are conducted by important film and television personalities where students get an opportunity to interact, discuss, and learn from them

5. Exhaustive Library

ICE also houses a well-stocked library where students can refer to the work of the masters

6. Infrastructure

ICE is furnished with state of the art fully equipped classrooms and studios. Students are trained with the latest software and equipment.

7. Power Packed Courses

Industry experts who are known for their years of experience have designed the ICE curriculum.

8. ICE Academic Council

The ICE Academic Council boasts some of the most well-known talented and multifaceted personalities in the Indian cinema. It was established to get stalwarts and industry veterans of various disciplines to help further enhance the course of ICE

9. Courseware

ICE provides well-researched courseware to its students to help them understand the concepts taught in class in detail

10. Industry Experts

The faculty members at ICE have over two decades of experience in the media and entertainment industry. They have worked on numerous prestigious projects while training students at the same time.

Career Development Opportunities

The students are provided live environment so that they can learn the concepts practically. The various opportunities that lie ahead of the students after completing the course are as stated below-

• Acting: Actors (TV/Theatre), host, participation in talent hunt shows, dubbing artist, voiceover artist
• Direction: Assistant directors, script writing, screenplay writing, own YouTube channel, own short films, and documentaries
• Editing: Film and television editor, own YouTube channel, story board visualizer, online editing
• Cinematography: Director of photography, assistant cinematographer, focus puller, operating cameraman
• Script writing: Story writers, dialogue writers, screenplay writers, content development, ad film making
• Sound: location sound recordist, location sound editors, dialogue recordist, foley recordist, FM/radio channel engineer
• Modeling: Modeling shows, talent hunt shows, hosts, ad shoots, print shoots
• Digital photography: Event photography, portfolio shoots, ad shoots, print shoots

After the course, the institute further helps students to secure top-rated jobs in the industry. ICE provides placement support to all its students across all streams through a dedicated placements committee. With its network in the industry, ICE also gets regular updates on placement opportunities, which it continues to share with its students.

Renowned Alumni

There are numerous graduates from ICE who have made a name for themselves in the industry. They are making the institution proud through their dedication and innovative endeavors.

In acting category; Tashi Bahuguna- Dil Hi Toh Hai season 2; Mansi Ojha-Naagin 3; Rajnita Deora (Aishu)-Kum Kum Bhagya; Jaya Chauhan-Kehene ko humsafar hain.

In Direction; Rajat Mahajan-Director with Sawadhan India, episodic crime shows; Pallav Gupta-Shesh Sangbadh Movie with Prime Focus; Shreyas Porwal-1st Assistant Director – Savdhan India, Crime Alert, Fear Files; Vishnu Udayan-Director, own three short films and two music video by Kavya Udith.

In Cinematography; Girish Swami-Kum Kum Bhagya- own short films; Datt Prasad Gawade-Kasauti Zindagi Ki; Devi Laal-Kasam

In Modeling; Amardeep Kaur-Miss Gujrat, Miss India 2017 finalist; Ravi singh-Winner, X Factor modeling contest; Anu Pillai-Mr Physique, Mr India 2016; Ankita Mahadik-Winner, Miss Teen Global India.

In Script Writing; Sai Sagar-Asst Savdhan India & Crime shows; Rahul Bhatia-Content Creator- Beyond Dreams; Raman Kumar-Own Book; Prakash Gowenka-Writing 3rd Book & Web Series. Broadening the Media and Entertainment Perspective