Rotomaker is a fairly known name in the VFX industry. Originally based out of California, the studio has eventually spread its wings to various other locations. With more than 1000 movie credits to their name, including acclaimed Hollywood movies, regional movies, and television series, the studio has risen as a formidable name in the industry. The fact that they are authorised could be attributed to the rigorous auditions they underwent by the likes of MPAA, Disney, Marvel Studios, FOX, Warner Bros, Sony Pictures Imageworks and other VFX facilities in Hollywood.
Founded back in 2008 by industry veteran Madhav Reddy Yatham (Mike), the studio has been pushing forward in terms of operations and productivity under his leadership.
We took a dekko at the printed portfolio of the company and were pleasantly surprised by the sheer amount of work the company has completed successfully since its inception. The gamut of projects consists of big scale Hollywood movies, regional shows, TV series, and commercials.
A chat with the founder, Madhav Reddy gave us an overall idea of how he, as a successful entrepreneur, took Rotomaker Studios to where it is today.
“I started my career in 1993 in India. I studied animation and visual effects at CDAC, Pune initially and then moved to Mumbai for a job. I was in the feature film division of Crest Communication, working for Shyam Ramana as the head of film visual effects division for around four years and then I moved to Vancouver, Canada. While in Canada I worked in a company called Rainmaker. Eventually, I moved to the U.S.A. with a citizenship in the year 2000. During my time in America I worked for Deluxe, Technicolor, Ascent Media Company 3, Sony, Warner Bros., Universal and various other post-production facilities,” shares Yatham.
With a diverse range of experience in his cache, Yatham moved ahead to make it as an entrepreneur. Faced with challenges, he pursued his vision with the assistance of his contacts and acquaintances, eventually initiating Rotomaker Studios.
“By 2007, I had made a lot of contacts and friends in the industry and I thought of starting my own outsourcing service. Initially, it was very challenging to get outsourced work to India. My friends helped me kick off the business and from there, our humble team grew into a force of 1000 talented individuals today, working together to provide the best quality of work.”
Apart from having its office branches in Chennai, Vijayawada, and Hyderabad, the studio also has a VFX academy to its name. Rotomaker Academy specialises in courses around the VFX industry, including rotoscoping, matchmove and paint and has its branches in Hyderabad and Vijayawada. The academy prides itself on a guaranteed 100 percent placement.
Says Yatham, “I have been in the industry for a long time and I am well aware of the tech aspects of the pipeline, how it works in the U.S.A. Thus, initially, I came to India, trained some people and went back. That’s why I developed the team and passed on my learnings as an artist to them.”
The studio adheres to its own pipeline, which is inspired and adapted by Yatham himself, which he believes results in faster delivery to clients while keeping the quality intact.
An alumnus of St. Xavier’s College, Yatham plans to bring in animation and gaming IPs going forward, with a proposed incubation center for gaming in Hyderabad.
On being asked what motivates him being an entrepreneur, he says “I have a business interest in the place, but I also want to create more employment.”
On a parting note, he said, people who want to make it big as an entrepreneur in this field of work have to focus on the quality of work they deliver. Nothing should be hindering the quality of work that they deliver to the clients.
With a catalogue of 225 clients in 18 countries and big titles like Game of Thrones, Justice League, Fast & Furious 8, Guardians of Galaxy, Wonder Women, Spider-Man, League of Legends, King Arthur, Ghost Busters, San Andreas, Predator, Ben-Hur, Independence Day, Kung Fu Panda 3 and a lot more in its kitty, the studio seems to be pushing its limits under the leadership of Mike Yatham who is also the co-founder and secretary of recently established TVAGA (Telangana VFX, Animation and Gaming Association), a non-profit association which plans to develop and promote animation, visual effects and gaming industry in the state.
