In a short span of time, Assemblage has built a solid global foundation and is recognized internationally as a trusted, reliable, credible, and high-performing collective of talent. It is currently producing an exciting slate of high-quality projects across various formats: full-length feature film, TV series for networks, streamers/OTTs, and short-form content. With leading shows for Netflix, Amazon Prime, AppleTV, Disney+, HBOMax, Peacock, and others, Assemblage is on a high!
With a people-first approach to its operations, Assemblage stands tall and differentiated in the ecosystem as a powerhouse that focuses heavily on culture and value systems – energy that resonates with its entire workforce – it’s family!
Celebrating the eighth anniversary, Assemblage founder MadMax quipped, “I have the same feeling as I did eight years ago – nothing has changed! The eighth-anniversary milestone is special – it reflects the infinity symbol and our limitlessness. The power of what a collective of talent can do is truly limitless and I congratulate the entire family on this momentous occasion!”
On this milestone, Assemblage was flooded with warm and heartfelt messages from across the studio – a true testimony of the sentiment it evokes from its people. Here are a few snippets of the memoirs:
Kicking off the conversation, head of CG Dilip Rathod, the foundational pillar of the studio and a veteran of the industry with many accolades to his credit, reminisces, “It has been an emotional journey – I still remember the day we met at Max Sir’s house – he wrote “Assemblage” on a whiteboard! We started to do some previz work from just one laptop and also got involved in crimping the network wires ourselves at the studio. We have come a long way and are now a big family. From five to 500, that’s incredible in just eight years! I’m proud of the core culture here – it’s all about its people and Assemblage stands for its credibility.”
Head of the lighting/compositing department Ramakant Singh said, “The journey has been nothing short of amazing, and we are enjoying every bit of it! I relate transparency with Assemblage, where everyone has access and a voice and can discuss freely with its welcoming leadership. We love the way Arjun operates the studio and communicates with its people – it is difficult to come across someone who is so hardworking, passionate, and understanding!”
CG supervisor Arun Poojary added, “The journey has been remarkable and with the opportunities I’ve got, I am incredibly grateful to the company! The work culture is distinct and clearly sets us as a class apart from our peers. The dedication to deliver quality, build lasting relationships and an environment where every individual is valued, despite their designation does the magic. A strong sense of integrity, excellence, transparency, teamwork, responsibility is the core values that resonate with me personally! Max is highly inspirational as a leader and wonderfully motivational as a human being.”
Speaking about how the management took care of their employees during the pandemic, CG supervisor Vidit Kundra said, “It has been a great journey upwards since day one. When I joined, Max, Arjun, and the entire team made sure to make me feel welcomed and at ease. At Assemblage, we always feel like one big family where we support, motivate and appreciate each other. During my three years, I got opportunities to work on various projects and participate in cultural celebrations! Any institution’s core values, ideology, and leadership are best tested during challenging times. COVID pandemic is one such unique challenging situation. Since the start of the pandemic, Max and Arjun have stood by each and every one of us, not just professionally but also emotionally. Whilst there was news of employees being laid off due to the pandemic at other studios, our company made sure to take good care of us! I believe Max and Arjun both are wonderful leaders and great mentors, their words of encouragement, guidance, and advice bring the method to the madness!”
Recalling his journey, CG supervisor Ajay Trivedi said, “Through all the ups and downs (professionally or personally), I would proudly say that my journey here has been nothing less than fantastic! Now as I look back, it becomes hard to believe that six years have gone by, it just seems like yesterday when I received the joining confirmation letter and to my surprise, along with it I also received an invitation to an anniversary party which was due before my joining date! I joined here as a department lead and as of today; I have grown into my dream role of a CG supervisor. This has only been possible because of the amazing team here at Assemblage which has helped me grow both professionally and personally. I think the way things work here is like a family: we fight, we care, we love, we promote. The unique thing about Assemblage is the sheer value of togetherness, fellowship, and friendliness.”
Ajay Maurya, who leads pipeline technology shared, “I am lucky and privileged to be part of the Assemblage family through the highs and lows, and the baby steps! We are completing eight years and I have not only grown as a professional but also as an individual. I still remember the day being part of a group of handful of people who’ve always wanted to make a difference with their extraordinary experience and knowledge and here we are now a family of 400+ and growing together as we expand our team and business for the future developments. It’s the challenge, the excitement, and the thrill that gets me out of bed. To be successful at Assemblage, you have to love the variety! The exciting part of my role as head of the pipeline is doing things that haven’t been done before. It’s not about staying safe in your comfort zone – but pushing the boundaries each time. It’s been more than two decades since I have been in the animation industry and it’s a privilege to work with a father and son duo leadership. It’s been an honor to work with Max (Sir) as I have seen him from my teenage days as a pioneer of the Indian animation industry – very humble and always been a people’s person. Shouldering the vision and responsibility to Arjun has been very smooth and he carries the same core values and principles as a leader – very enthusiastic and passionately working towards the global vision.”
Animation supervisor Raj Thackeray said, “It’s been a very special learning journey. Simplicity is a core culture and is the true power of Assemblage. The environment is amazing, and Max and Arjun are simple and strong individuals, which flows through the organization. We have had humble beginnings and over the years despite the studio’s tremendous growth and success, humility remains in our DNA.”
Animation supervisor Shailendar Singh added, “It has been an exciting journey with Assemblage. Working on a variety of projects from episodic series to OTTs and feature films, each day brings with it new experiences and new learning. The team is dedicatedly focused on creating new benchmarks in the industry, pushing the envelope with innovations in our pipeline and workflows. Assemblage has a cohesive working environment and an open-door policy which allows people to have a good connection with its leaders. Equality is a core value of Assemblage that resonates with me, and the unique and refreshing ability to listen. Arjun has openness and honesty about him, which endears everyone to him. He has built a creative and inspirational work environment. I trust he will take Assemblage to new heights!”
Tushar Chavan, two namesake leads of modeling and texturing departments respectively, both shared similar sentiments, “We have had an exciting journey and grown as an artist to a senior lead and worked on different formats, clients, styles, and types of projects. There is a true collaborative culture here and there is a strong sense of family. The company makes everyone feel welcomed, appreciated, and motivated and brings out the best in our creative talent.”
Animation supervisor Guru Swamy said, “It’s been a memorable journey! Assemblage is an open book, where everyone has the freedom of expression with their juniors and seniors, a culture that focuses on development”
Head of FX Nishant Khanna shared, “It’s been an enriching experience being part of an independent studio that values the quality of work above all else. We’ve pulled off some world-class output where our creative thinking skills were put to test. It’s a very people-driven studio – that’s important for me! When enthusiastic people are at the heart of things, the energy to create something stunning is always sky-high. The strength of Assemblage is sheer teamwork. In fact, during the pandemic, despite the constraints and challenges, we had each other’s backs and delivered every single time, often exceeding expectations. This felt incredible!”
As Assemblage lives up to its name and reputation, of being a collective of talented folks, the memoirs from the teams are a fraction of the sentiment. With vivid memories of the last eight years and visits down memory lane, the entire crew at Assemblage are excited about the journey and roadmap ahead and are closely aligned to create more dents in the universe in the years to come!
AnimationXpress team wishes the mad crew at Assemblage a very happy anniversary too!
