Twilight Post is more than just a visual effects studio; it’s a canvas where imagination soars freely. The startup, born in 2022 in Kolkata, is a revolutionary powerhouse in the field of animation and visual effects. It is redefining the landscape of creativity and storytelling. Led by the visionary Abhishek Ghorui, Twilight Post specializes in crafting captivating visual experiences that leave a lasting impression.
Today on The Inspiring Chapters, we have with us Abhishek Ghorui, the driving force behind Twilight Post. In this candid conversation, he shares his compelling journey that started from humble beginnings in Durgapur to becoming a celebrated figure in the visual effects domain. His path was strewn with challenges. From doing odd jobs for a living to starting his own visual effects studio in Kolkata, Abhishek’s story is nothing short of an inspiration!
Hi Abhishek, glad to have you with us today on The Inspiring Chapters. To begin with, please tell us a few lines about yourself.
I was born and brought up in Durgapur. From childhood, my ambition was to pursue an off-track career. But as a mediocre family, it’s really tough to choose an off-track career apart from JEE and doctoral studies (as you know, it was a very common career option in the 20th Century).
After my 12th, I went to Calcutta University to study Computer Science. The subject, however, did not give me the kick! As a result, I switched to Animation and Visual effects shortly after my graduation.
After my animation course, it was really tough to get a job in or near Kolkata. I decided to shift to Mumbai, as at that time Mumbai was the hub for the Indian Film Industry. It was 2008 and I can still recall those struggling days.
As a fresher, it was really tough to bag a job at that time as well. I didn’t have a job for almost four months in Mumbai! Providing me with financial support every month was a significant challenge for my parents too. At times, I used to distribute pamphlets in front of colleges to get some extra money for survival. It was really a tough time, though.
Finally, I got my first job at Prana Studios in Mumbai. It was a great experience working with the Team on some great blockbuster movies, such as Tron Legacy, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Thor, Pirates of the Caribbean, and many more. It was like a dream come true for me when I saw my name in the end credits list on the big screen.
My journey continued, and I moved to another studio – MPC in Bangalore. I worked there from 2011 to 2017. During my tenure at MPC, I was lucky to work in many Blockbuster and Oscar-winning movies and got the lucky charm to hold the Oscar with my hands. It was really a WOW moment, and I’m still feeling goosebumps while I recall those moments. I worked at Life of Pie, The Jungle Book, and many more blockbusters.
In 2017, I became a member of the Steven Spielberg and James Cameron-founded company Digital Domain in Hyderabad. I was lucky enough to work on the biggest Marvel Movies like Ant-Man, Avengers: Endgame, and Infinity War. This is a short summary of my career and Achievements.
Abhishek, please tell us about Twilight Post. What motivated you to build your dream company?
Founding Twilight Post is an amazing part of my Life. I am the only child of my parents, and it’s really tough to stay away from them. It’s a normal emotion for many of us. But due to the lack of infrastructure and opportunities, we are settling in other cities away from our hometown, family, and friends. I used to travel back to my hometown to see my parents, usually twice or even thrice a year. It’s really hard to hold back your tears when you see your Mother and Father crying to see you. The countdown used to begin for your next visit. Along with this emotional melodrama, the rising ticket prices for return tickets usually burn your pockets without leaving an extra amount for savings. It’s the case for many of us and for me as well.
After my Marriage in 2014, the emotions of meeting our parents and the travel expenses doubled. I started thinking about coming back to Kolkata and doing something in the area of visual effects. But in Kolkata, there were no studios that used to work with global clients of the Disney, Marvel, DC, or Warner Brothers kinds of studios.
The Studios in Kolkata used to work mainly with the local Tollywood film Industry. Even though I tried to get a job in a Bengali VFX studio in Kolkata, I did not get proper recognition for working with the Hollywood Giants. I wondered if there was a platform for artists like me in Kolkata who could work on great international projects, along with the benefits of staying near my hometown and my parents then it would be great.
I decided that someday I would try to create such a platform. However, it was really tough to quit a well-established job and open a new venture. In 2020, when COVID hit us all, it actually put us in a dramatic situation. The lockdowns kept us away from our parents and loved ones. Finally, I decided that I would quit my well-established job in Hyderabad and move back to Kolkata. I had a firm belief that my base is strong enough to survive with my artistic skills and experiences.
I quit my Job on February 15, 2022, and started Twilight Post on April 15th (Pohela Boisakh) in a small 200-square-foot garage in Salt Lake City, India. In this whole journey, Jayita, my wife, has supported me a lot. She is the Managing Director of the company.
Along the way, I got lucky to get my core team members, who are like the pillars of Twilight Post. They have believed in me and in the vision of Twilight Post to create a great platform to work, evolve, and grow by working on great international feature films, television shows, and commercial projects. This is how Twilight Post was born!
Abhishek, we all know having an idea to incorporate it into a company is a journey in itself. How was this initial journey in your case?
For a moderate family with zero experience in business in the family history, it’s really tough to take the first step, which is to “QUIT THE JOB”. It took me eight years to gain the confidence – “Yes, I can do it and take a calculated risk”. But Thinking of opening a Startup on your own and actually executing it is quite a challenging job.
Without enough funds, it was a nightmare, as the operational costs and initial investment are quite high. I tried to reach out to a few investors, but in West Bengal, the visual effects Industry is not as popular as in the Southern states of India. Hyderabad, Bangalore, and Chennai have lots of VFX Startup studios and companies.
As a result, I wasn’t lucky enough to find someone who would help me with the funding. This was the story for 2021. But as I already decided that I would quit my job and start Twilight Post, I cleared out all my savings, wiped out all my credit cards, took a personal loan, and started Twilight Post with all this initial amount. In fact, my savings account was negative for quite a few months before I started Twilight Post. But with all your love, support, prayers, and God’s grace, I survived the initial days to get the thrust.
How did you get your first clients?
Acquiring clients poses a formidable challenge within this fiercely competitive industry. However, our organization currently lacks the necessary resources in the form of a dedicated marketing team to assist me in acquiring new clients. The invaluable expertise I have acquired over the course of 15 years in the industry has undeniably facilitated the acquisition of projects both domestically and internationally. I have always held a firm belief that fostering robust relationships takes precedence over mere profit accumulation.
What gives you a competitive edge over your competitors?
“When you compete against everyone else, no one wants to help you. But when you compete against yourself, everyone wants to help you“ – Simon Sinek.
I have consistently seen our friends as valuable opportunities for development rather than as competitors. I am a strong believer in developing solid, win-win relationships with our esteemed business leaders. As a business, our unwavering commitment is to deliver every project on time and with unwavering attention to uncompromising quality.
How has been the growth of Twilight Post since its inception? Please share the strategies you followed to build a successful customer base.
The Journey of the Twilight Post since its inception is quite interesting, emotional, challenging, and exciting! We started with nine resources (we call our employees our resources as they are the revenue generators). Today, we have 43 resources. We have moved out of the 200-square-foot garage, and now we have two office Spaces of 4500 square Feet.
Now we are the first of our kind in Kolkata and Eastern India to be TPN-assessed and Audited (Trusted Partner Network), which is powered by Motion Pictures of America. It means we are certified to work with Netflix, Walt Disney, Warner Brothers, Marvel, and many more. Additionally, Amazon Studios evaluates us.
In terms of pipeline, we have industry-standard anti-piracy and anti-hacking technology to keep our client’s data safe and secure. Twilight Post has created a platform where many of us who used to work outside the state have come back to our native states and joined the forces of Twilight Post.
We have not only created a platform for the talented talents of West Bengal, but we are very proud to give a platform to our neighboring states like Jharkhand, Bihar, Odisha, Sikkim, and Assam. Twilight Post is still evolving and growing at every moment.
Twilight Post follows a very simple Strategy with our Clients. We are here not to make business out of transactions but to build strong relationships. At Twilight Post, we usually work as an extended team with our customers and clients. We communicate and deliver according to their requirements, and we usually give extra LOVE to the frames we deliver to our clients, as “Every Frame Matters.”
What is the present market size in this sector?
India’s animation and VFX industry was valued at around 107 billion Indian rupees in 2022. Despite the lapse in market value in the previous year owing to the pandemic’s adverse effects. Of the total market size, the VFX industry accounted for about 50 billion Indian rupees.
Please share the investment details of Twilight Post.
Twilight Post is a 100% bootstrapped startup. We have had no investors up to this point. It’s self-funded by myself.
What are the present challenges and how do you plan to overcome them?
As it’s 100% self-funded at times, it’s really challenging to grow rapidly. But what we are doing is just taking baby steps and always counting on each step before taking the next one. As a first-of-its-kind startup in Kolkata and Eastern India, it would be really great if we could get support from the state government with some subsidies like in the South Indian states. We are already in talks with some government and industry officials to form an AVGC (Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, and Comics) committee to boost the industry and sector here as well.
What plans do you have to further scale up the growth of Twilight Post?
Twilight Post is constantly growing and evolving. We have more plans to expand our services in the coming days. We want more talented people to join our work culture and grow and evolve alongside us. We have a very simple belief – “Let’s Grow Together.”
Abhishek, we know you have won many awards and have many achievements to your name till date. I would request you to share some of them with our readers.
It’s really an honour to hold The Academy Award for Life of Pi and The Jungle Book. A few months back, I also won the Kolkata Entrepreneurship Award.
Anything else you want to share.
I would like to thank the whole team at The Inspiring Chapters for covering us. This will not only help us reach many people, but it will also help the young generation get motivated and make the extra effort to make their dreams come true.
Abhishek, one last question of this session, if you have had one wish, what would it be?
To bring back the Oscar once again to the City of Joy.
