Published September 25, 2024 • 5 Min Read
Since the launch of Dark Slope, founders Raja Khanna and Dan Fill have pivoted several times to reflect the needs of consumers, the shifts in the entertainment industry and the evolution of technology. Today, Dark Slope’s 35,000 square foot studio complex, with a reconfigurable LED volume up to 100 ft, is one of the most advanced virtual production facilities in the world.
TLDR
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If the market isn’t ready for you yet, pivot to address current needs
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Monitor the industry for opportunities – then be ready to seize them
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Keep your long-term vision in sight, even if your business follows a different fork
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Seek out specialized financing options that may exist for your industry
Ready, willing and able to pivot
Khanna and Fill originally started Dark Slope with a focus on immersive theme park experiences. As exciting as that was, the need wasn’t growing as fast as they wanted. So they pivoted.
First, they used the same kind of technology to create linear content, including high-end television animation. Later, they created a fork of their business into education simulation. “We realized we could apply spatial technology to simulate real-world type experiences,” says Fill. He explains their technology enables users to safely learn hands-on skills, such as complicated healthcare procedures, in a virtual world.
Their third pivot was to leap from animation to live action. “It’s basically a green screen, except it’s entirely made out of very high-end LED computer monitors” explains Fill. “We create a 360-degree world where you can create whatever digital environment you want. It means production is not going to be stopped by rain or snow or daylight, allowing for the ability to shoot five or six setups in the same day. With a click of a button, I can change from a sunset on a beach to a subway car. This pivot has been amazing for us, especially during a tricky time of the entertainment industry.”
See Dark Slope’s production in action:
Capitalizing on industry shifts and opportunities
Raja Khanna and Dan Fill are seasoned entrepreneurs with several technology and production businesses under their belts. For roughly 30 years, they have been friends, competitors and colleagues, each establishing themselves as leaders in immersive entertainment.
But five or ten years ago, Khanna and Fill wouldn’t have had the resources to develop their LED volume – the cost of the technology was just too high. “Historically, these volumes were used only by the most advanced CGI shows as the technology was astronomically expensive,” explains Khanna.
But they have been monitoring the shifts in technology and entertainment and were ready to take advantage of both to grow their business. “We were one of the few companies who understood the technology when it did arrive,” says Khanna, adding that their expertise in film and television production, and their knowledge of the state of the entertainment industry, enabled them to use their expertise to address emerging needs.
3 Tips for Small Business Owners from Raja Khanna and Dan Fill
1. Be able to pivot quickly without straying from your long-term goal
“You have to be able to pivot on a dime and move quickly, without compromising your core beliefs and your core vision.”
2. Build flexibility into your business model
“We create content that gets output in different formats – as a home VR game, as education content, as animation for TV shows. Underneath is the same technology, so we have lot of flexibility.”
3. Believe in your expertise and your experience
“We believed the streaming content world was going towards virtual production and grow aggressively. So we doubled down on that and built in that moment.”
Riding the wave of evolving talent and expertise
It’s no secret that the skills needed to succeed in the future of work are changing, and as universities and colleges teach advanced technology systems, Khanna and Fill have been able to hire skilled talent that previously didn’t exist. Khanna explains that they had to train their first cohort of staff, simply because they were ahead of the curve, but now they can build specialized crews from graduates coming through school to support their business.
Leveraging specialized financing options
The development of Dark Slope’s studio was a capital heavy build. Fortunately, in the entertainment industry, there are several tax credits and production financing options available, which they were able to take advantage with the help of RBC. “When we came to RBC with this idea that we wanted to build a giant, multi-million-dollar LED volume, Rebecca didn’t flinch. She said let’s roll up our sleeves and see how we can help you.”
Today, Dark Slope is experiencing massive interest in their studio. They are ahead of projections and their pipeline is very healthy. “Part of that is that technology has matured to the point where what we can do is faster, better and cheaper than the alternative, combined with the fact that not anyone can do this – it is a highly skilled operation and you need deep expertise in spatial technologies,” says Khanna. Their vision was always clear – to build a company with deep expertise in the intersection of technology and entertainment.
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