If you are a Mumbaikar and a regular ‘scenester’, you will know that the F.A.M Jam, which is held frequently at Bandra’s hip pub and restaurant, The Daily, is slowly but surely becoming one of the coolest creative outlets in town. F.A.M, which stands for Film, Art and Music is a confluence of the three forms, and draws people from all creative professions.



‘Bombay is a gig-city. There are so many gigs happening around the city. If you don’t do something creative and interesting time and again, you can’t differentiate one gig from the other. Someone has to break the monotony, and we thought we should do that. So we decided to create a platform where all kinds of people come together irrespective of their creative stream,’ says Dishant Pritamani, Co-founder, The Daily.



Pritamani’s words very succinctly summarize what F.A.M Jam is all about.



The latest edition, which was held on 17^th April, saw a two-hour long short film screening session followed by alternative music performances by artists Your Chin and Sleepwalker. Amid all this, artworks by Ivan Lucas were on display through the duration of the event.



It’s a great property, no doubt, but Dishant has had to make some compromises to make it what it is. ‘Although there is so much more effort going into it, my regular Thursday night customers are baffled when they walk into a bar and find it has turned into a theatre. And you have also got to keep in mind that when someone’s engrossed in a movie, naturally his or her alcohol consumption goes down. But sometimes you have to let go of the monetary aspect of business,’ He says.



Really? ‘Well, though F.A.M Jam I get to give a chance to artists, musicians and filmmakers to show off their work. People who’re coming in to just watch a movie or check out art are so happy that we’re doing this. So it is worth it,’ he justifies.



The Jam’s unique concept has interested the new-kid-on-the-block, indie music channel Pepsi MTV Indies. But beer brand Budweiser has been an old collaborator. While The Daily and music managers Krunk curate all the content, Bud is seen as an ardent supporter of the music.



Says Budweiser’s Marketing and Sales Manager Austin Fernandes, ‘Dishant pitched the idea of doing a combo of film, art and music, we knew we had to come on board. It wasn’t something that was done before. That and the fact that, at Budweiser, we are keen to be associated with different genres of music like EDM, Techno and alternative. That’s why we said yes.’



Austin’s colleague at Budweiser, Sachet Thakur explains how it is a symbiosis of sorts. ‘Apart from the sponsorship, we provide mileage for the activity on social media. This means visibility in cities such as Delhi and Bangalore. Along with this, our sole presence at the event means it’s a great platform for us to generate trials.’



How effective are these product trials for Budweiser? ‘Here’s an indicator,’ says Austin. ‘We usually sell 200 bottles a month. But when there’s F.A.M Jam happening, the number shoots up to 5000 bottles a month and purchase intent filters down to liquor stores as well.’



With sponsor love and growing fan following, the F.A.M Jam will surely grow in the coming year. In our conversation, Dishant mentioned his plans to make the property a bi-annual affair. ‘In fact if The Daily had a presence in five cities, I would have held the FAMJam across all cities simultaneously,’ he says hopefully.



While it may still be early days for a plan as elaborate as this one, there’s no iota of a doubt that the idea sure has potential.