We had the good fortune of connecting with Shivashish Ahuja and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Shivashish, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
It keeps me going. It’s not a desk job that a personality like me would eventually get bored of. There is sense of urgency, risk and passion involved in every story and with every director I work with in the capacity of a Director of Photography. Plus, what one can do with a thirty second video (if made right) cannot be done with any other medium. You can strike emotions which can influence someone’s rest of the day or maybe their entire life, you never know. Hence, I chose a creative career which is so powerful to influence not only one person but the masses.

Creative career definitely has it’s own set of challenges, especially when someone asks you about your stability and future. But it always keeps you on the edge to push further and grow. All I can say is that, it was the risk taking and the thrill of this industry that took me from being an amateur five years ago to shooting one of the Emmy Winning Shows “Staycation.” And I am pretty sure, this is just the trailer, the movie is still in the making.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My journey started six years back when I first picked up the camera to click photos. It was soon when I was covering Behind The Scenes for the Indian visit of Global stars Vin Diesel and Deepika Padukone for their movie XXX: Return of Xander Cage, that I realized the still photography was just the start. I soon drifted towards filmmaking, and storytelling became a new means to express and share opinions.

Since then I have mainly worked in narratives, commercials, and music videos including Grammy Award winners like Billie Eilish, Alessia Cara, and Carlitos Del Puerto.

Among additional credits and celebrities include Mena Suvari (American beauty), Naomi Osaka (Olympic champion), Tate McRae (renowned music artist), and Diljit Dosanjh’s (renowned Indian music artist) new album Moonchild Era.

I look forward to projects which challenge me to plan and deliver better. I love narrative projects and collaborating with directors who are invested in their stories and love pre-production.  My mantra is to keep hustling until you get it, otherwise, why did you even start?

Fight for it and once you achieve it, the happiness on your face will be priceless.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I love Los Angeles and its vibe. As far as travel and food is concerned here is are a few spot which I love going to:

  • Lake Tahoe especially in winters and the California Burger Company at that spot is to die for.
  • Hollywood Hike is a must which gets in the daily dose of fitness with a fantastic view.
  • Chinese Theatre. I mean it’s pretty obvious a filmmaker will definitely drag his non film friends to show movies in the best theaters. Ahh, I wish I will take them there someday to show a movie, which I worked on.
  • The Universal Tour.
  • Mayura Restaurant, Honest restaurant, Annapurna Grill for some spicy Indian food.
  • Drive through the Pacific Ocean en route San Francisco
  • Academy Museum
  • And obviously driving around the entire LA is fun in itself. From beautiful skies outside grocery stores 😂😂 to amazing beaches, it’s fun. I mean you can DM me if you want a list of Indian restaurants which offer Spicy Food but other than that I think my list is never ending.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I will try to make this brief, unlike an award ceremony where I would present a list of people. Just Kidding,

Coming from a background where people rarely are aware about filmmaking, I am eternally grateful to parents, Reena and Ghanshyam Ahuja, especially my brother Raj Ahuja for supporting me in a career which they have no roots.

Among others my partner, and friends who have stood by my side, despite the odds. I can’t be more grateful for having such creative minds surrounding and supporting me.

Website: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10703715/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shivashish_ahuja/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shivashish-ahuja-b28678124/

Other: For inquiries you can reach out to me at Email: ssadop97@gmail.com Alessia Cara Album Launch – Grammy Winner https://youtu.be/7-u3iWGl-TU Billie Eilish – Billie Bossa Nova (TIME ABC Performance 2021) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEkfsSms4Q0 Grammy Winner Carlitos Del Puerto – Zoom B6 Docu Commercial https://youtu.be/8XjD5fDFbVo

Image Credits
Photo Credits: Jake Starlord Ayala Siddhesh Pandey Advait Sachin Dewasthalee

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