Rising Stars: Meet Aryan Sachdeva

Today we’d like to introduce you to Aryan Sachdeva.

Hi Aryan, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
One of the earliest memories I have is me using MS Paint on my Uncle’s computer. I was very close to him as he would teach me many cool new things on his machine. I think because of this obsession I had, my parents decided to get me my own laptop very early on. As a kid, I think I was the first to have my own computer in my friend group back in India. I started to program in Visual Basic and C very early on. I joined an institute for learning the programming language C and C++ back in India. By this time, it was apparent to my parents and family that I would pursue something related to computers as a career. In India, we have to choose the subjects we want to study after 10th grade. As I used to be decent in my school courses, I decided to go for PCM (Physics, Chemistry and Maths) with Computer Science. My time in high school wasn’t the best, as I struggled to keep up with Physics and Chemistry.

Going back a little, I started watching Hollywood movies around my early middle school years. I was always curious about how the filmmakers were able to bring completely fictional and virtual things to life. I used to watch classics like Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, and Jurassic Park repeatedly. However, the obsession started after I saw James Cameroon’s Avatar for the first time. I was hooked, I quickly discovered a lot about Computer Graphics, and that was all I wanted to do after that. As I mentioned that I started experimenting with programming early on, I began to play around with Processing. My parents were supportive and encouraged me. After school hours, I started going to an institute that specialized in 3D computer graphics. During my time over there, I learned Maya, After Effects, and other content creation tools.

After high school, I decided to start applying for colleges that had strong Computer Graphics courses focused on the entertainment industry. I moved from New Delhi to Los Angeles in 2017 and started my journey at Otis College of Art & Design. I chose Motion Design as my major, and I am currently in my senior year. I have learned so much during my time here. I feel like a completely different person right now than when I initially joined. I think California suits me, I love the weather and the plethora of opportunities it provides for someone like me.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The road has been a little bumpy, from struggling in high school to explaining my family members what I actually do and making them believe that it is a real job. A big one has always been moving and staying around 9000 miles away from my closest family member. I was 17 when I moved to the US alone for college. I was petrified, new people, new culture, and a country I had never been to before. I can’t even imagine how my parents were feeling at that time. Also, it wasn’t effortless to get used to the culture over here. It took me some time to figure out the American ways, luckily from the start, I had some local friends who helped me ease that process. Another big one was Covid-19. I chose to drop out from my college for a year till things got back to normal again. I tested positive when I went back to India in the early days of Covid. Although I am now back to progressing towards my degree, Covid did delay the whole process by a year. Fortunately, I have received an incredible amount of love and support from my family, friends, and colleagues. It has helped smooth out the bumpy path I took.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a 3D Motion Designer and an FX Artist. I specialize in procedural and custom workflows to create elegant visuals for film and advertising. I recently have worked for Cantina Creative and MPC Film & Episodic. Both of those companies work for high-budget Hollywood productions. I also do freelance Motion Design projects. I have been a long-term member of the crypto community, this year I got into NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens). I help artists set up their NFTs on the best platforms, and I have even sold some of my own work as NFTs.

The thing that sets me apart is how I combine my knowledge of programming with my more creative side. I am able to adapt and work in complex workflows efficiently. I feel very fortunate and proud that I was able to intern at MPC Film while I was still in college. I think that will help me a lot in getting a head start when I graduate.

Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
I firmly believe that the harder I tried and worked, the luckier I got. I was admitted to my college around three weeks before the classes were supposed to begin. Somehow me and my parents were able to figure out the whole process in that small amount of time, and my US Visa was issued on the same day I interviewed. That is extremely rare. I also got into crypto quite early, so it has enabled me to help my parents just a little bit with my college tuition. I would say I have been quite lucky till now.

Contact Info:

• Email: aryansachdeva1999@gmail.com
• Website: www.aaryansachdeva.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mad_pixels/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/aaaryansachdeva
• Other: https://foundation.app/@aaryansachdeva