The face of AVGC in Bangalore spoke to the skillful minds of the ‘IT city’ during a panel discussion at the Bangalore ITE.biz event held at The Lalit Ashok this morning. Organised by ABAI, a non-profit association catering to AVGC since 2006, the pre-dominant idea of this discussion was to display what Bangalore has achieved in this AVGC space so far and what is the way ahead.
Over the past few years, Bangalore has emerged as a dominant player in the AVGC sector, not many cities in the world can boast of having globally renowned studios such as DreamWorks Animation, MPC, Rockstar, Technicolor, Zynga along with very successful local studios such as Xentrix and Dhruva interactive in one ecosystem.
The discussion witnessed panelists from DreamWorks Animation India, Xentrix Studios, Zynga and Rockstar Games along with Adi Shayan, Secretary of ABAI as the moderator. And, the discussion was further supported by views from VS Manjula, Principal Secretary, Dept of IT, BT and S&T, Government of Karnataka.
The panel discussion began with the panelists presenting their journey of their respective studios in terms of areas of work, their evolution (years in existence, current crew size), projects executed. Damien and Jai showcased their studio reels which were world class and Shailesh played a video showing what it is to work at Zynga.
The panel then deliberated on: Comparison of work being done here with what their peers are doing in other countries; latest trends in the industry in terms of impact of the VOD/Netflix/Amazon Prime, AR and VR, Twitch and what it means to them and how they are aligning to these trends, road map forward. In terms of evolution, what’s next on the value chain for them/new areas of work/new products/upcoming new projects/growth projections for the near future, conducive environment in Bangalore and the need for talent with strong artistic fundamentals as an important factor to be able to achieve their growth projections.
“Bangalore is leading the way in AVGC and has produced some high end work both at the national and global level,” states Adi Shayan. The panel was then opened to the audience of 300, however not many questions could be entertained due to time constraints.
“We wanted to display what AVGC is in Bangalore, what we can do ahead and how we can do it. So, the audiences were a mix of youngsters and professionals from the AVGC industry, individuals from the other sectors mainly IT and entrepreneurs involved in various startups,” informs Adi.
The Principal Secretary of Government of Karnataka, V Manjula, acknowledged and appreciated the positive outlook of the industry and commended the industry for its great partnership with the Government of Karnataka in the development of the AVGC ecosystem. She assured of continued support on the various initiatives already at play including a host of them in the skill development area such as DAC (Digital Arts Center), Train the Trainer (TTT) program and Finishing School.
“Bangalore has already proved itself in terms of AVGC but we wish to place Bangalore on the world map as the ‘cornerstone’ for this industry. This panel discussion is a small effort to attract more creative minds and channelise young talent by creating varied opportunities,” explains Adi. This discussion will be followed by various initiatives of ABAI to involve students directly in this industry by offering first hand exposure.
Joint Secretary of ABAI, BS Srinivas expressed, “With this discussion, we have opened the doors of the AVGC industry of Bangalore to the common people as our central aim is the growth and development of Bangalore.” The Government of Karnataka has always been supporting ABAI in their initiatives and further support is anticipated in terms of infrastructure and equipment. With VS Manjula being a part of this discussion definitely, we can hope for firm support and encouragement to enhance this industry by giving birth to numerous opportunities right at the grass root level.
“ABAI is a bridge that connects the AVGC industry to the common people; it brings talent and opportunities together,” expounds Adi. A commendable effort by the members of ABAI, this discussion has definitely created awareness about how big is Bangalore in the AVGC industry. And, with the ABAI fest coming up this February, we can anticipate a more vibrant and conducive atmosphere for AVGC to blossom down South.