‘3 things determine a successful career in animation’

Why does a son pursue a programme in animation and multimedia when his father has an event management company? The answer is simple. Not only did the son, Lakshay Chopra, want to join the company, he has been adding value to the corporate films that the company has been producing.

“I have been an Apeejayite right from the beginning. We call Apeejay our family school. After I dropped engineering and came back to Delhi, studying at Apeejay Stya University (ASU) was something that came organically. It never occurred to me to explore other institutes/universities,” Chopra said.

Excerpts from an interview.

Was organising events and making films something that you wanted to do?

I fell into it. My father has the business and it followed that I joined him. I have been working in this space since I was in class XI. After I completed the course in BDesign in animation and multimedia from ASU in 2016, I have been associated with my company and organising social and corporate events.

How did you end up studying at ASU?

I have been an Apeejayite right from the nursery. It began with admission at Apeejay School, Faridabad. I was here till class II. Then our family shifted to Sheikh Sarai and I enrolled at Apeejay School, Panchsheel Park in class III. Post-class XII, I went to Manipal University for engineering. But engineering was something that didn’t interest me and gave up the programme.

Once back in Delhi, I enrolled in BDesign at ASU. It was a four-year course.

Can you share some memories from your school days?

To be honest, there are so many of them. Half of my family has studied at Apeejay. So, Apeejay School, Panchsheel Park is a family school for us. Whenever we met we bragged about our school days and how good the days were and the fun we had. Overall, it is a nice school.

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I have been an Apeejayite right from the nursery. It began with admission at Apeejay School, Faridabad. I was here till class II. Then our family shifted to Sheikh Sarai and I enrolled at Apeejay School, Panchsheel Park in class III  

–Lakshay Chopra, Alumnus of Apeejay Stya University

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What are some of the things that people should know about the event management industry?

There are a couple of things that people should keep in mind while setting up their event management company. First, they must have a great field team to get good clients. Second, it is a capital-intensive business; one has to have one’s décor, and investing in it is extremely expensive.

Did you ever think of working for someone else?

I did want to but it was only logical that I come and work for our company. I realised that I can add value to our production company; we make several short films including animation for corporations. With my knowledge, I have only added value to the company. Once I completed my programme at ASU, I joined my father full-time two years back.

What are the challenges of having an event management company?

There are not very many if you have the capital and clients. Luckily for us, we have both. There were a few issues during the lockdown period and once things opened, it took time for things to normalise. But everything is how it used to be pre-Covid times.

How was the teaching methodology at ASU?

The first two years were very good; those were the years when I learnt digital illustration. So, that was interesting. The whole thing of learning how to hold the stencil and draw with it was a learning curve. But when we came to ASU, I didn’t think that I learnt much since I already knew everything there was to know about animation. I watched so many training videos on YouTube and I learnt hands-on in my father’s company.

Is it mandatory to know how to draw to make a career in animation?

No, not really. I still don’t know how to draw very well. Digital illustrations are very different from drawing with a pencil on paper where one needs to be artistic.

What are some of the things to keep in mind to make a career in animation?

There are a few things to keep in mind if one wants to succeed and excel in this field. First, the person must be able to think out-of-box. Second, have new design ideas. Three, one must keep abreast with the latest innovations and know the trends.