We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Krystina Owens. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Krystina below.

Krystina, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

I can honestly say that, even with as many wonderful productions as I’ve gotten to be a part of within the work our studio team has done, one of the most meaningful projects I’ve ever worked on would have to be my capstone film from my senior year of college-a prequel film/setup story for “The Author’s Daughter”. This story is incredibly dear to my heart and one that I still have in work today. The idea behind the story is an exploration of the importance of fiction and imagination within our world, and how storytelling makes up our identities as individuals and shapes our history and cultures, and creates magic in the ordinary world around us. I’m patiently working towards the opportunity to re-tell this story in a new light, with hopefully a more successful execution then what I could do as a student! But no matter how the project looks to me now when I re-watch it, the experience of working on that set and in the animation room is one I’ll treasure forever. It was truly the first project that tested my abilities as a filmmaker in taking what was in my imagination and bringing it to life on screen, and trying to make the film as grand as I could with the little experience I possessed. For this film in particular, I wanted to undertake the technical challenge of seeing how far I could push the interaction between traditional animation and live action, showcasing the world of the narrative colliding with our world not only within the plot, but visually as well. The technical and logistical challenges of bringing this film to life as a student cannot be understated-I may have been a little ambitious at the time as a director! But the film could not have gotten as far as it did without the support, talents, and dedication of my family, classmates, co-workers, friends, and fellow creatives. The time that we spent together as a team over the course of months in executing this film, whether it was late night planning meetings, days in the warehouse building the set, afternoons in the recording booth, animating over weekends in the studio, or shooting long hours after day jobs on set were exhausting, but unbelievably rewarding. I am so proud that the fantastical world of the film we created together was able to premiere in the Senior Showcase, and the film took home an award for Innovative Storytelling. I learned more over the course of that project in finding my voice as an artist and a director, and the incredible feats that a dedicated and passionate creative team can accomplish in bringing to life a story and a film. I can’t wait to revisit this story in the near future and see what our team now is capable of creating!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Krystina Owens, and I am the president, co-founder, and executive producer of Velorean Productions and Innovelore Entertainment, two studio divisions dedicated to the craft of exceptional storytelling.

My passion has always been in storytelling, and I knew from the age of four that my career would lie somewhere in the creative realm. I have a background as an actor, writer, and director, and while I still continue my solo pursuit of these paths to a degree, I also knew when I was in college that my ultimate dream in life is to create a studio that could be known, even beyond me, for a legacy of creating magnificent stories. I hope to grow a company that can be known for crafting narratives-either our own IP or our client’s concepts-that leave a lasting impact on our audiences long after they experience them.

With this dream in mind, I approached Praxis Resources, Inc., known for its 26 years of impeccable technical expertise and custom manufacturing capabilities, and the studio division was born as Velorean Productions and Innovelore Entertainment. Two branches of the studio with separate missions-one dedicated to bringing to life our client’s concepts, and one dedicated to the creation of our own- but ultimately each has the same heartbeat, and the same overall goal-to create unforgettable storytelling experiences for our audiences.

Velorean Productions has been in operation since 2019, and focuses on the creative development and production of narrative content and media for external clients. Our studio serves clients in the film and television, education, gaming, and advertising industries, and we focus on the development and production of feature films and series, commercial spots, curriculum content, games, short form narrative content, promotional material, and attractions/live entertainment experiences.

We work in a full script to render pipeline, focusing heavily on story and visual development of our projects, and then working with our clients to determine the best medium to present their story. We work in all forms of animation, including traditional and 3D, as well as live action and motion graphics. Our team also has strong VFX capabilities, to enhance any project we undertake with whatever can be dreamed up by the imagination. In addition to what we can produce digitally, our team works alongside Praxis Resources, Inc. to create dazzling technical and practical effects, including 3D printed and custom fabricated specialty props and set pieces, costumes, animatronics, and other live entertainment and experience effects.

Innovelore Entertainment, our sister studio division, focuses on the development of our studio’s original content and IP. We are excited to be developing original films, series, and attractions across different genres that we hope will be the ultimate culmination of the studio’s imagination and creative development talents paired with our team’s experience in executing visual and technical masterpieces across production mediums.

Have you ever had to pivot?

If there’s ever any advice I can give to those just starting their career paths, it’s that life is FULL of pivots! This is an inevitability that has been hard for me to accept, having always been a person that charges forward best when I have a well-thought out plan and pathway ahead of me. But, life is going to throw rocks in your path or even change that path altogether, and you have to be ready and adaptable. Because ultimately, what I’ve come to find is, usually the resulting journey from that unexpected pivot is better than the plan I had originally set for myself.

It was really a pivot that led me to forming the studio dream in the first place-in my senior year of high school, I had a set plan that I was going to go to a big film school in California right after graduation, move to LA and begin working for a large production studio. I’d rise through the ranks until I could become a director or a studio executive, after years of work. And then my world was shattered when I wasn’t accepted into my dream school.

What was a devastating setback at 17 is now one of the best pivots my life has ever taken; ten years later, I can’t even imagine what my life would look like had I stuck to my original plan. Being forced off of the path I was so certain was going to bring me success and happiness allowed for the opportunity to broaden my mind into what else was possible for my life, and find a new and, ultimately, better dream to pursue.

So I always say to never let a pivot or bump in the road get you down for long! It may just be the turning point down the best path you never knew you had available to you.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

I’m very fortunate to be able to have a career that has a healthy balance between being a creative and being a business person/entrepreneur. When it comes to the latter, my brain thrives on the strategy and competition behind growing a business, or figuring out the logistical side of bringing a creative world to life with real-world constraints, or improving the efficiency of running day-to-day operations.

But, I must admit I breathe a sigh of relief each time I’m able to take the time to turn on the other side of my brain and get lost in whatever world I’m working on creating at the time.

I think being a creative is rewarding because it allows you to explore a piece of your identity free from the limitations or expectations of your own day-to-day life. Creating art is an honest pursuit of self-expression, and with your resulting creation you hope that it speaks to your audience about ideas and core beliefs that make up you as a person. Your art speaks to your passion, your motivations, and the way that you see the world around you. It not only allows you to show a more honest version of yourself, but art is perhaps the most honest way that we can connect with others around us, who often feel the same emotional connection through engaging with that creative world or experience.

What the imagination is capable of producing is not only remarkable to me in understanding the essence of the artist who created it, but it is utterly spectacular in just how strong of a response and a community can be built off of the creation as well. People all over the world engage with the same stories, world, and art, and are able to connect with each other over that creation sparked by individual imaginations. Storytelling and art connect us in a way unlike any other, and getting to be a part of that creative community-hoping that my ideas and imaginings can reach another on that kind of cosmic level one day-is what I find the most exciting and rewarding about being a creative.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.velorean.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/veloreanproductions/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VeloreanProductions
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/velorean-productions/