We were lucky to catch up with Viduran Roopan recently and have shared our conversation below.

Viduran, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

Since I was about six. At first, I wanted to be a writer. Then in my early teens, a musician. But about halfway through high school, I sort of pushed those ideas to the back of my head. My parents strongly advised against pursuing a career as a musician and for a long time I was focused on studying to be an engineer. I never wanted to be one though. In my junior year of college, I switched my major to Communication Studies thinking it was broad enough to present a wide variety of options while I figured out what it was I really wanted to do. Through a mix of some art-centric elective courses and post-college international travel, I began forging my current career path.

Viduran, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I started as a videographer at a jazz club in suburban Atlanta then by working as a journalism intern at a news station in Chennai, India. Shortly after I returned from India, some friends and I built a live event space and began filming comedic and musical performances. During this time, I was offered a PA job on a prank, reality TV show. From there I continued to network, land more gigs and take on different roles in the industry while working on personal creative projects on the side.

My team and I specialize in creative and commercial content creation. Services include: feature and short films, documentaries, music videos, branding/promotional content, as well as EPKs, BTS and live events. I also offer consulting services as a producer and/or production manager to help with development and storyboarding, as well as providing assistance with scheduling, logistics and budgeting. Getting high quality production value on a limited budget is a rare skill. I’ve been fortunate enough to occupy several creative, managerial, technical and client-facing positions from bidding and development all the way through post-production and delivery. I’ve accomplished this on a scale ranging from small, regional projects to major studio productions that impact global audiences. I intimately understand what is required for each budget tier of content creation, to see things through till the end, and to ensure clients receive the best service possible.

I’m most proud of what we’ve accomplished with my debut feature-film, The Company of Thieves. It showcases the full gamut of our abilities. Whether a client is looking for creative or commercial content, having a strong, narrative-driven focus is imperative to crafting effective messaging. This, in addition to our proficiency with state-of-the-art filmmaking technology, gives us a comparative advantage because we can provide creative solutions through a multi-disciplinary approach.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

1.) Supporting more government funding for arts and music programs in public schools would be a good place to start. 2.) Frequenting smaller, local venues and consuming more independent works to support the artists in your community, not just the superstars and major franchises that come to town.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

Life is too short to spend it doing anything other than what you love. If the way you live your life is not bringing you joy then I would urge you to reevaluate and do what you can to change that. I understand that sounds impossible to some. But finding joy in life needn’t be derived from your occupation. That’s what the creative process means to me anyway. Because for me, even the worst day on set is better than being stuck behind a desk. And even if you do have to be stuck behind a desk, find something that sets you free. I felt the need to create long before it made me any money, and I’ll continue to do so long after it stops. I’ve found that creating art is like creating a microcosmos, your own personal universe that represents the thoughts, sensations and actions you experience in ways that make more sense to you, and hopefully others as well. I make things to reveal truths, open minds and with enough luck and attention, improve lives.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.entrancefilms.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecompanyofthieves
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/official.the.company.of.thieves

Image Credits
Photos Courtesy of En Trance Films