Work, Pricing and Attitude at Core of Eye-Q-Films, Eyes on Big 5 Studios

Every journey has a beginning. What life experiences shaped the entrepreneur you are today?

You might be surprised to know that becoming an entrepreneur was nowhere on my mind when I was growing up. I grew up with notions of romantic poverty and settling in Greenwich Village. The way my life evolved, ensured that I wouldn’t get a job anywhere. Actually, the story doesn’t even end here. I did get a job in advertising. However, I was a mediocre copywriter not getting anywhere in advertising. So after 7 years and 2 advertising jobs later, I resigned in 2003 and returned to Mumbai. I started freelancing as a copywriter. Less than a year later, in 2004, the first opportunity to direct an ad film came my way.

Your venture carries a story of its own—what was the defining spark that pushed you to create it?

After returning to Mumbai, I started freelancing as a copywriter. There was an ad film Project and my script got approved. I decided to Produce and Direct it myself. Till date it is one of the most audacious decisions I have taken. I do not come from a Film family. I had never gone to Film School and I had never assisted anyone. The night before the shoot I could not sleep at all and woke up at 4 am.

The client was Mr Henrique Dsouza. At one point he said, “Suresh, I want you to say Lights, Camera, Action.” Even today, I am in regular touch with Mr Dsouza even though the last Project we did together was more than 10 years ago.

Many entrepreneurs come from underrepresented or overlooked backgrounds. How has your identity influenced your path?

No, I would not say that I come from an underrepresented or overlooked background. My late father was employed with a Public Sector Organisation. My mother was a Lecturer in Physics who has retired as a College Principal. I studied in a prominent private school. However, yes, I do not come from a business family and first-generation entrepreneurs do have a lot going against them.

My parents were not Film buffs. I do not remember any conversation around Films at home. At the same time, growing up, as a family, we saw nearly every Film that was playing in theatres. And for this, I will be eternally grateful to my parents.

I would also like to mention here our generation’s unparalleled good fortune. We grew up with the trajectory of Mr Amitabh Bachchan’s success, for which no adjective is enough.

The entrepreneurial world is competitive. What makes your approach stand out?

We are crystal clear about what we do. If someone asks us pointed questions about our core product, core strength, what we do and what we do not, where we are going, we can answer them convincingly.

I follow a 3-step methodology in deciding who to work with. The first is obviously the work. Second is the pricing. Third is attitude. Only when a person meets all 3 criteria will I decide to work with someone. This is because it’s a huge responsibility undertaking work on behalf of a client.

One big problem I encountered in the early days was that forget paying late, the distrust is some much people do not even accept cheques. They would expect you to settle the full payment in cash before releasing the final edit or the final music piece. We work only on a 50% advance and there is no way we can settle all the bills in full, before our balance 50% reaches us. However, over a period of time I managed to convince people and they started trusting me. Most people I work with now are the same people I started with.

Growth can be double-edged. How do you ensure your venture scales without losing its original purpose?

Perhaps it was providential that early in my entrepreneurial career, I met the Founder of an organization, a big debacle in Indian business. Pointing at the road outside the venue where we were meeting, he said “We were running a Formula 4 on the streets of Mumbai.” With that as the guidepost, I have never tried to run a Formula 4 on the streets of Mumbai. That is, growth at breakneck speed, without accounting for constraints.

What is our original purpose? To enjoy working. Yes. We are very much on track on that score.

We now have a scalable media business which can scale up like industries, with a Rs 100-200 crore and even more.

We fancy ourselves in the mould of the Big 5 Studios – Universal Studios, Paramount, Warner Bros, Columbia Pictures, 20^th Century Fox – fructifying stories completely under our banner, with funding from Corporates in lieu of in-film branding.

We are evolving into a Global Media Organisation working with nearly all client categories, with humongous activity under our umbrella. We offer a number of backend collaborations truly living up to the word ‘Integrated’ in the value we bring to the table.