Janeeth Rodrigo
Janeeth Rodrigo ජනීත් රොඩ්රිගෝ | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 9, 1987 |
| Nationality | Sri Lankan |
| Education | S. Thomas’ College |
| Alma mater | Open University of Sri Lanka Australian Institute of Business |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, businessman |
| Years active | 2013–present |
| Awards | Global Understanding for Sustainable Development Award Social Media Channel of the Year |
Janeeth Rodrigo (born 9 December 1987 as ජනීත් රොඩ්රිගෝ [Sinhala]), is a Sri Lankan entrepreneur and digital media professional.[1] He is best known for leading several of Sri Lanka’s pioneering digital content initiatives.[2][3] He served as the General Manager of TV Derana’s digital media arm and founding Sri Lanka’s first YouTube multi-channel network called "IdeaHell".[4][5]
In January 2025, Rodrigo became the Executive Director of Digital Turtles, a bi-national digital advocacy and strategy organization focused on internet safety and civic engagement. He is an alumnus of the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP).
Personal life
[edit]Janeeth Rodrigo was born on 9 December 1987 in Moratuwa, Sri Lanka. He completed his primary and secondary education at S. Thomas’ College, Mount Lavinia from 1992 to 2006. During school life, he performed continuously in school drama productions such as Antigone.[6]
Career
[edit]Rodrigo completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Sciences from the Open University of Sri Lanka. He later completed Master of Business Administration from the Australian Institute of Business in 2014.[7]
In the late 2000s, he joined TV Derana where he later became the General Manager of TV Derana’s digital arm called Derana Macroentertainment Pvt. Ltd.[8] In 2017, he pioneered to launch "IdeaHell" at TV Derana,[1] a collaborative creator space and incubator for online content creators.[4] Under his leadership, IdeaHell became Sri Lanka’s first-ever YouTube-approved multi-channel network (MCN).[9] In 2010 at the SLIM Brand Excellence, Ada Derana won the Silver Award for the ‘Most Innovative Brand of the Year’.[10] In 2016, he won the Global Understanding for Sustainable Development Award for TV Derana’s news platform Ada Derana.[11]
By 2018, YouTube had officially appointed IdeaHell as the country’s only MCN, enabling Sri Lankan YouTubers to monetize their content for the first time. IdeaHell provided resources and training in areas such as audience development, content strategy, and digital rights management, and managed over 60 YouTube channels across genres including food, music, lifestyle, comedy, travel, and technology.[9][4]
Apart from IdeaHell, he initiated another platform at TV Derana titled "Pulse.lk", a lifestyle and entertainment digital platform launched in 2015. Currently, "Pulse.lk" has become one of the leading online content channels in Sri Lanka. He also involved in developing "Mogo Studios", a digital animation and gaming initiative also under Derana.[7] He resigned from Derana at the end of 2024. In 2024, Rodrigo won the Award for the Social Media Channel of the Year for "Pulse.lk" at the 5th New Generation Asia Awards.[12]
In January 2025, Rodrigo became the Executive Director at Digital Turtles, a digital strategy and advocacy organization operating out of Sri Lanka and Singapore.[7] Digital Turtles contributed to the creation of "Cyber Hero", a 3D mobile game designed to teach teenagers about internet security and safe online practices. "Cyber Hero" was launched in 2024 with the support by the U.S. Embassy in Colombo, as part of efforts to promote digital literacy. Later he launched the "Creator Incubator" initiative.[13]
Apart from entrepreneurship, Rodrigo is a frequent speaker, mentor[14] and columnist on topics related to digital media such as a 'DisrupTech' column in The Morning newspaper, as well as a resource person in various workshops.[4][15][16][17]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "IdeaHell appointed as first multi-channel network for YouTube in SL". ft.lk. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
- ^ "Fortunaglobal launches Sri Lanka's first Sinhala and Tamil news bot". dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
- ^ "Campus to Corporate". nsbm.lk. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
- ^ a b c d "Content creators can now monetise via YouTube in Sri Lanka!". ft.lk. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
- ^ "Soon on an electronic device near you: Anyday – Anytime – Anywhere". adaderana.lk. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
- ^ "A tribute to a stellar personality, Vinodh Senadheera". businesscafe.lk. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
- ^ a b c "Janeeth Rodrigo". datanyze.com. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
- ^ "The Twitter killer or just another Meta fail?". themorning.lk. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
- ^ a b "Content creators can now monetize via YouTube in Sri Lanka!". businesscafe.lk. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
- ^ "Ada Derana bags silver..." adaderana.lk. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
- ^ "Ada Derana wins Sustainable Development Award". adaderana.lk. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
- ^ "Pulse awarded Social Media Channel of the Year". vivalanka.com. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
- ^ "UNITED STATES SUPPORTS FEMALE-LED DEVELOPMENT TEAM TO LAUNCH CYBER HERO MOBILE APP TO PROMOTE DIGITAL SAFETY". usembassy.gov. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
- ^ "Founder Institute South Asia Mentors". Founder Institute, Inc. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
- ^ "YouCon 2.0 – Await the Biggest International Virtual Conference on YouTubing & Content Creation". adaderana.lk. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
- ^ "ICT Agency of Sri Lanka in partnership with Diversity Collective Lanka support budding digital content creators to monetize their content using YouTube as a platform". icta.lk. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
- ^ "YouCon 3.0". chokolaate.net. Retrieved 2020-12-03.