Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) has announced its plans to expand global operations. The former head of studio at DNEG Bangalore and Chennai, Kiran ‘KP’ Prasad will head a full pipeline studio which will be based in Mumbai.
The visual effects division of Lucasfilm Ltd. is headquartered in San Francisco and has studios in Vancouver, London, Singapore and Sydney. It will open a new full pipeline studio, operating full visual effects and animation services for film and television in Mumbai to gain access to the talent base in the region.
Prasad will lead operations and report to ILM SVP and General Manager, Janet Lewin.
“With five global studios consistently operating at capacity and continuing to grow, the time was right for ILM to expand once again to meet the industry’s increasing demand for high-caliber visual effects,” said Lewin.
Added Rob Bredow, SVP and chief creative officer of ILM: “ILM is in high demand from top filmmakers and showrunners around the world. Being able to add more top talent, now in our new ILM studio in India, is going to help us continue to grow and continue to do the highest quality work on even more exciting shows. We’re particularly excited about the talent in India and establishing a top-tier, full service studio as we have first in San Francisco, then Singapore, Vancouver, London, and Sydney.”
“ILM has always been on the forefront of technological and creative innovation in the visual effects industry and there is no better time to start our studio in India than now, as the Indian VFX industry is poised for spectacular growth in the coming years,” said Prasad. “It is exciting and an honor to be part of the ILM team at such a key moment in the VFX industry with technological developments pushing the boundaries of visual storytelling. I look forward to working with the executive team to set up the studio from the ground up, building a world-class facility and bringing the best of the diverse Indian talent together for an opportunity with endless possibilities.”
The studio behind the groundbreaking StageCraft LED system volume stage and shows such as “The Mandalorian” and “The Book of Boba Fett” continues to grow. There are over 2,500 artists globally working for ILM, as it continues to offer award-winning VFX and animation.
ILM’s Mumbai studio will work on projects of all shapes and sizes, including live-action and animated feature films, television, streaming and themed attractions. The studio will be hiring across the board with openings posted on their careers page.
