Every entrepreneur’s journey is unique in its own, but what remains common is their determination and never give up attitude. An exceptional leader chooses less traveled path and continues journey that separates from the others. “When you start you don’t know what you are getting into, as the time passes by, you realize what path you have chosen for yourself and it gets extremely difficult at times,” says Arvind Ghorwal the CEO and Founder of Elysian Studios.
Arvind’s quest has been filled with numerous obstacles, but he did not give up on his idea. He knew that there are tough times that every entrepreneur has to go through, however one has to move forward on the path and have an understanding that there is light at the end of the tunnel.
Starting From Scratch
Arvind is an IIT Mumbai graduate, and it is there that he became familiar with filmmaking. “We did a Pilot project in IIT Mumbai back in mid-2015, where we created one of the 1st 360 videos in India,” said Arvind. He and his friend saw potential in this idea and thus ventured into a start-up. However, the journey came to a halt when the teammates could not get along. Consequently, Arvind opted out of the venture and initiated his solo journey, “I had to form a new team and start from scratch to keep the entrepreneurial journey going,” expresses Arvind. Understanding that being the sole bearer of a fairly new startup will be challenging, he started seeking wisdom, regarding leadership and bliss.
While traveling along with the spiritual place of India he was able to discover the right path and locked some of the international clients. Soon, he started working with big MNC’s and established Elysian Studios on the map of leading AR-VR companies. He adds, “Entrepreneurial journey is tough, you can only sail through it if you have the passion along with persistence, perseverance, and patience.”
Elysian translates to spiritual inspiration and Arvind Ghorwal has been utilizing this inspiration to create a blissful VR experience for others. Acknowledging his enthralling entrepreneurial passage, we engaged in an interesting conversation with him to unravel the secret behind his unique and in-depth approach to virtual reality. Here are the snippets,
Why is it named Elysian Studios?
Elysian’ means divinely inspired. We believe in doing what we love in the highest form taking inspiration from the Universe. Being native to India-the land of spirituality, we love to explore the possibilities that the Universe opens for us. Through Elysian, we are trying to bring back the ancient wisdom, and take people beyond what they can perceive, opening them up – to the lands of mysticism and inspiring them to reach their ultimate possibility.
What makes Elysian Studios different from the others?
I believe it is a unique and in-depth approach to virtual reality (VR) storytelling that distinguishes us in the industry. We produce 360°/ blissful Virtual Reality experiences. Our process includes pre-production, production, and post-production. Furthermore, we also offer an aerial photography and videography services as well as 360° Images and Virtual tour services.
By far, are there any accomplishments that you’re proud of?
We are one of the 1st VR studios in India who have created a VR series—Mystic Lands. The Mystic Lands depict some of the most ancient, blissful, and energetic lands like Kashi – The city of Lord Shiva, Bodh Gaya – The land of Buddha’s enlightenment and Rishikesh – Yoga capital of the world. Also, our VR films are receiving much love from various parts of the world; also we are getting shortlisted at various International Film Festivals and are featured on major VR platforms.
COVID-19 sure was unprecedented, what is your take on the situation?
I believe a major crisis like COVID-19 will come and go, however, the important part is what we learn from the situation. It is not just important to learn our lessons, but also to continually apply them after the pandemic.
Has the pandemic managed to change your industry?
In my opinion, the outbreak has proven positive for our industry. Due to the pandemic, a nationwide lockdown was imposed in several parts of the world and people were forced to stay in their houses. This gave rise to virtual platforms, thus shifting the attention to VR and AR technologies and how they can be integrated to help in the current times. Looking at the adoption rate, I anticipate that soon enough these technologies will be implemented in our day to day lives through smartphones and other gadgets.
So, did the outbreak or remote working adversely affect your team’s fervor?
In my opinion, motivation for work comes from within. Despite the situation, if the person is not motivated or passionate about his/er task inevitably it will affect the work. This is the reason why at Elysian Studios we only work with people who love what they do. So, whether the world is going through a pandemic or not, we love what we do. Although the pandemic has brought along a few changes, our team has swiftly adapted to them and followed the necessary norms to save ourselves from the virus.
Lastly, is there any message you would like to give to the aspiring, especially considering the current times?
Many entrepreneurs are emerging from this land of opportunities. My message for them would be—the road ahead might be tough and we as entrepreneurs would need to change the ways we function, thus after adopting the required changes, we should move towards a better future not just for ourselves but for the complete nation and beyond. And try to adopt green technology to help our Mother Earth prosper.
Also Read: “The 10 Most Revolutionary AR-VR Leaders of 2023”
