Indian Special Effects Firm Eyes U.S. Expansion, Co-Pros

LOS ANGELES: VenSat, a Chennai- and Hyderabad-based animation and special-effects studio, is expanding into the U.S. with operations in New York and Los Angeles and plans to step up its film and TV co-production efforts.

VenSat America will be led by Ken Silverman, most recently with Tata in India, as president and CEO, and John Follner as executive VP and COO. The company will develop co-productions for its animation, motion comics, VFX and 2D-to-3D conversion services. In 2011, content amalgamation, including for 3D television, content production and distribution for all markets and platforms, will be a priority. The company is also mulling strategic investments into one or more U.S. entertainment companies.

VenSat’s credits include the special effects for the Indian features Dabangg and Robo, as well as Studio Cineville’s Land of the Astronauts. It is also known for its 2D-to-3D conversions. Its lead investor is Indo-U.S. Venture Partners (IUVP) a venture capital firm

"Expansion of our rapidly growing operations into the U.S., and being part of the mainstream American entertainment industry, is a natural extension of our company’s great aspirations and recognized capabilities," said executive director Venkatesh Roddam. "We are already linked with animation, VFX, and 3D conversion entities in Los Angeles, so the timing for this expansive move became ideal."

Satyanarayana Mudunuri added, "The VenSat mission since day one has been to serve front-ranking U.S. creators of animated and live-action content for motion picture theatres, television, and all other delivery platforms. Having determined this year to aggressively expand into 2D-to-3D conversion services as well, the decision to now enter the American market was a given."