MUMBAI, 03/12/21 – Outpost VFX (Foundation, The Wheel of Time) today announces it will launch its first Indian facility in Mumbai in 2022.
The facility, which will be opened by Syamantak Thakur who joins as General Manager, will bring Outpost’s unique culture and benefits to India, including its enhanced holiday entitlement and paid overtime policy.
Thakur joins Outpost from Technicolor where he was Head of Department Management, having previously spent five years as General Manager at TRACE VFX. He is currently overseeing a team of 60 artists who have been working alongside Outpost’s other facilities to create high-end VFX for film and episodic projects.
Thakur said: “This is a really exciting opportunity for us to bring the Outpost culture to Mumbai. Our facility here will be wholly aligned with the values and beliefs of the studios in Bournemouth, Montreal, LA, and London. This extends to our ‘Life Time’ holiday entitlement and paid overtime.
“I want to ensure the studio has an employee-centric, friendly and welcoming culture where every person is valued, respected, and recognized for their efforts; something that I believe is often neglected in the Indian VFX market.”
Operating remotely throughout 2021, the Outpost Mumbai team has already been working on high-profile productions including The Wheel of Time, Foundation, and Star Trek: Picard. The facility will be based in the Western Suburbs when it opens in 2022.
“In the same way that our studio will culturally be an extension of the other Outpost studios globally, our Mumbai team will also be offering the same end-to-end services as the other studios,” said Thakur.
“In time, we will have the capability to cover the full gamut of VFX with our own 3D departments and CG artists.”
Gez Hixson, COO, said: “Entering any new region is tough – you have to find leaders that exude the beliefs and ways of working that we’ve adopted throughout Outpost. In Sam we have a leader that not only lives and breathes putting artists first but also has exemplary local knowledge of the market and a proven track record of delivering at the highest level.
“We couldn’t be happier to have Sam on board and I’m looking forward to bringing Outpost’s positive approach to the region.”
The opening of its Mumbai facility arrives during a period of sustained growth for Outpost following its expansion into Los Angeles in early 2021 and the recent opening of its London facility.
Headquartered in Bournemouth, UK, and with studios in Montréal, London, Los Angeles and Mumbai, Outpost VFX creates high-end visual effects for film and episodic productions. Formed in 2013, Outpost VFX has worked with global content creators including Netflix, Amazon, Universal, HBO and Apple on productions such as The Wheel of Time, Foundation and Watchmen.
Outpost VFX is known for pursuing a people-first vision and has backed this up in recent years with the introduction of cultural benefits in pursuit of better balance than is usually associated with the sector. These include Life Time, the company’s global uncapped holiday scheme and its enhanced overtime policy.
In 2021 the company received a Visual Effects Society Awards nomination for its work on News of the World.
Outpost VFX website: https://outpost-vfx.com
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