Up Close with Shivan Giri

Movie Marker Magazine got up close with film producer Shivan Giri to chat about producing movies in Hollywood.  

Thank you for chatting with us today. Can you tell us about life growing up?

Growing up in Mumbai, India, the home of Bollywood, I was surrounded by the film industry and developed a passion for storytelling. I was fascinated by reading interviews of my favorite directors and learning about the behind-the-scenes process of my favorite films. I no longer wanted to simply be a consumer of stories, but to produce them and evoke thought or emotion in audiences. I had acquired a lot of theoretical knowledge by watching films, but I wanted to gain hands-on experience.

Did you go through any specific training?

To test my abilities and assure myself that I was capable of the challenges of the filmmaking process, I enrolled in a 4-week workshop where I learned the basics of filmmaking. I wrote, directed, and edited multiple projects with ease, and the process came naturally to me. After the workshop, I knew that I could work on a film set. To further sharpen my skills, I moved to Los Angeles for film school where my focus was on directing.

What was the first project you worked on?

One of the first projects I did was a short film, “Abs of Steel”, a story about a young overweight man who overcomes his physical insecurity. The film received numerous praises from critics and was selected at the Los Angeles Film Festival and various other festivals. While “Abs of Steel” was going through its festival run, I was offered a producing role on my classmate’s thesis project. This was how my journey as a producer began. My peers recognized my creativity, management skills, and discipline, which made me a popular producer, and I was offered all the producing jobs at film school. After graduation, I received offers from industry professionals to work on feature films and web series. The highlight of my career was working on the project “Fracture” with Mr. Joel Novoa, known for directing Netflix series “Cobra Kai.”. After that experience, I began receiving offers not only from A-list Hollywood professionals but also Bollywood directors who sought to collaborate with me for my producing skills and experience in the Hollywood industry.

Has there been one particular moment in your career that you’re most proud of?

The proudest moment of my career so far has been starting my own production company in India, ‘Cheat Meal Productions,’ and purchasing my own camera equipment.

What’s been the pros and cons of pursuing your producing career?

Pros: The opportunity to collaborate with talented individuals, expand professional networks, travel to various locations, attend industry screenings, read a wide variety of unique scripts, and be a part of exciting projects.

Cons: Irregular working hours, lack of sleep, constant availability through phone calls, and the possibility of rejection.

What’s coming up next for you?

I am currently developing “Abs of Steel” as a TV show. I am both producing and directing the project, which is currently in pre-production stages and filming will begin in June 2023 in Mumbai, India.

How can people find you?

My Instagram is: @shivangiri and my projects are listed on IMDb.