Creative Circuit 2.0 was a brand-new initiative by AIESEC in University of Sri Jayewardenepura, which was a re-iteration of the Creative Circuit, which happened in April 2021, only this time, the target was not just the members of AIESEC in USJ but the whole community of designers, artists, and enthusiasts who are passionate about the Creative Industry in Sri Lanka.
Creative Circuit 2.0 was a four-day event organized to pave the way for the betterment of the Creative Industry in Sri Lanka, driven by the vision of fostering new talent and innovative thinking in young individuals to bring about a positive change in the creative industry. Youth were given an opportunity to witness the collective effort and dedication of key personnel behind impactful projects and to learn from their experience. The event covered many facets of the creative industry, including the film industry, music industry, game development, graphic designing, video production, and many more.
The highly anticipated event unfolded on the 29th of October at the Technology Faculty, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, marking the first physical event of the Local Committee for the term 21/22. The first session was an introductory session by the Organizing Committee of Creative Circuit 2.0. This was followed by a session conducted by Ms. Minoli Jayasinghe on the behind-the-scenes process of the reality TV program ‘The Voice Sri Lanka.’ She covered the in’s and out’s of the entire process behind one of the biggest franchise TV programs in the world. Mr.Pasan Liyanage then joined virtually to share his knowledge and insights on music production. He did not forget to share his experiences of working in the industry as well. Ms. Chanithi Gunasekara of KL.LK delivered her session on the theme ‘Storytelling in Advertising’, where she covered different aspects of storytelling and their significance.
The most awaited session of the physical day, ‘The Pinnacle of Sri Lankan Film Industry,’ a panel discussion with the minds behind one of the most budgeted movies of Sri Lankan, Aloko Udapadi, was held next. The Director Mr. Chathra Weeramen, the co-Director Mr. Bharatha Hettiarachchi, the Colourist Mr. Dinidu Jagoda, the Costume Designer Mr. Kumara Karawdeniya, and the Art Director Mr. Sunil Wijeratne were in attendance while Mr. Mishel Shiromal hosted the discussion. The film crew shared their experiences in making Aloko Udapadi and shared their knowledge with the audience.
The fourth and final session of the inaugural day was a virtual session on the Game Development Industry of Sri Lanka, which Dr. Kasuna Karunasena hosted while the developers of the first multiplayer game of Sri Lanka, RAM Studios, joined in for the first part of the session. The second part of the session was joined by Mr. Akira Wijekoon, who shared his insights on commercializing video games.
The second day of the event commenced with a discussion with Internationa Special Effects Makeup Artist, Ms. Morgan Muta, where she shared her insights and experiences on the art of special effects make-up. This session was hosted by Mr. Akash Sunethkumar of Junkyard. This indeed was an interesting session for the viewers as Ms. Morgan was a special effects technician of famous titles such as X-Men Origins and many other Hollywood films. Mr. Etienne Beschet joined next for an informative session on the new trends in the Creative Industry, where he shared some of his personal work with the viewers.
The famous cinematographer Mr. Adam Suchitzky was the third speaker for the day, who joined and shared his experiences and insights on the process of Cinematography. Our very own Local Committee Vice President of Incoming Global Talent, Ms. Theshani Weligamage, hosted the session.
The final session for the second day was again hosted by Mr. Akash Sunethkumar on the theme of Intricacy of Costume Designing. Emmy-award-winning Costume Designer Ms. Ellen Mirojnick was the sole speaker for this session, where she shared her experiences in the industry, including her work in the famous Hollywood production, ‘The Greatest Showman.’
Mr. Phil Tan, a 3-time grammy-award winning Music and Audio Engineer joined the Creative Circuit on its’ third day to share his insights on the International Music Industry. This session caught the eye of many viewers as Phil was the mixing and audio engineer for many titles of famous artists including Rihanna, Anne Marie, Mariah Carey, and Coldplay. Ms. Theshani Weligamage hosted this session as well.
This session was followed by a discussion with Mr. Jon Sorenntino, who is a Designer and an Art Director, who shared his insights on the new trends of UI/UX Design. The session was hosted by the Organizing Committee President of Creative Circuit, Mr. Upeka Fernando.
The final session for the third day was called ‘Reimagining Beauty’, which was hosted by Organizing Committee Vice President for Public Relations, Ms. Dehami Pathirana. An Award-winning make-up artist, who worked in famous movies like The Hunger Games, Immortals, and Pirates of the Caribbean, Ms. Nikoletta Skarlatos, joined and shared her knowledge and insights.
The fourth and final day of Creative Circuit comprised of three hands-on sessions on different creative tools. Mr. Pasindu Kaushalya covered some fundamentals of Video Editing with Da Vinci Resolve while Mr. Isuru Hathurusinghe shared his knowledge on illustrating using Adobe Photoshop. Mr. Chase D joined next to share his insights and knowledge on Video Game live streaming. The event finale was a panel discussion with much esteemed personnel of the Creative Industry in Sri Lanka. Mr. Randy Chriz and Ms. Portia Ratnayake, the co-Founders of Meraki United, joined the session along with Mr. Yasith Abeynayake, Director of Design Operations in Cambio Group, Dr. Amri Adheeb, Managing Director of Sound Vision Entertainment, Mr. Yasith Sirisena, CEO of Prodigi Interactive and Mr. Santosh Menon, Chairman of KL.LK. The discussion was moderated by Ms. Theshani Weligamage. The panel shared their ideas on how the Creative Industry is at present and how Sri Lanka can reach the world stage in terms of the Creative Industry.
Creative Circuit 2.0 was successful largely due to the support of many individuals, including the Event Partners who gracefully and generously supported the event from day one itself. ‘KL.LK’ as the Title Partner, ‘Upfield Sri Lanka’ and ‘Kalana Engineering, Deluxe partners, ‘Flomo Notio’ and ‘Whiskey Tribe’ as Banner partners, and all other partners were instrumental in the success of the event. The hard work of the Organizing Committee and the support of the Event Managers and the Executive Board of AIESEC in USJ were all a part of the event’s success.
By Upeka Fernando
Organizing Committe President
Creative Circuit 2.0 – AIESEC in USJ
