About me

Charu Menon is the Managing Director and Executive Producer at Heckler Amsterdam. With over fifteen years of experience across film, television, advertising, and digital content, she has produced award-winning work recognized at major international festivals and award shows including Cannes Lions, D&AD, The One Show, AWARD Awards, Young Directors Award, St Kilda Film Festival, Doc Edge Festival and Spikes Asia.

A TVC and VFX producer, Charu has collaborated with leading global advertising agencies and top-tier creative talent to realise ambitious ideas at the highest level of craft for international brands. She set up Heckler's operations in Singapore, earning the studio numerous accolades including being named Immortal's Best Post House in APAC, prior to moving to Amsterdam in 2025 to set up Heckler's base in Europe.

She has also been an active contributor to the global creative community, serving on numerous industry juries. Charu was part of the Direction Jury at D&AD in 2020 and 2022, and the Film Craft Jury at Cannes Lions in 2023. She has also served on craft juries for the Immortal Awards, Ciclope Asia, Ciclope Festival, Young Directors Award, Gerety Awards, Clio Awards, Ad Black Sea Festival and MAD Stars.

In 2021, she was named a Woman to Watch by Campaign Brief Asia.

Charu is also the producer and executive producer of By the River, an Australian documentary exploring the 'death hotels' of Varanasi. The film received multiple accolades, including the Golden Tripod at the Australian Cinematographer Society Awards 2020. It was an Official Selection at the Oscar-qualifying Doc Edge Festival and St Kilda Film Festival, as well as the United Nations International Film Festival. The film won Best Short Documentary at the Moscow Short Film Festival and premiered online on Nowness.