Gaurav Pant: From Techie to Animator and Content Strategist
Meet Gaurav Pant, a seasoned motion graphics designer, content strategist, and animation filmmaker with over 7 years of experience. He has been instrumental in helping both B2B and B2C companies gain organic attention and build trust on the internet. Throughout his journey, he has collaborated with industry giants such as EY, PocketAces, Paytm, and Dabur, leaving a significant mark on the digital landscape. Currently, he is doing freelance content consulting under his own brand, gauravpant.in.
Early Life and Education
Hailing from Raebareli, Uttar Pradesh, Gaurav’s academic journey led him to IIT Delhi from 2008 to 2012, majoring in Electrical Engineering. He spent nearly 4 years as a full-stack developer and data analyst, honing his skills in PHP, Javascript, and content AB testing during his tenure at Amazon.ae.
While analytical insights fascinated him, Gaurav felt a creative void that he sought to fill. Around 2016, he transitioned to content creation, eventually finding his passion in motion graphics and animation.
Gaurav Pant’s Creative Journey
In the early stages of his creative career, Gaurav delved into scriptwriting and short film production, earning recognition in competitions like India Mobile short film festival and Cinestaan led by notable figures like Sanjay Gadhvi, Amir Khan and Juhi Chaturvedi. His creative ventures led him to The Timeliners channel of TVF, where he crafted the channel’s first million-view video, “The Timeline Of Engineering.” His stint at Rentomojo as Art Director sparked his love for animation and motion design.
Recognizing the potential in animation for businesses, Gaurav, along with his IIT Delhi batchmate Sagnik, founded the animation studio CatoFilm in Bangalore around 2018. The studio quickly gained prominence, working with global startups and notable brands like Ernst & Young, Central Square Foundation, Pocket Aces, and Paytm.
In 2021, CatoFilm merged with the 3D animation studio MoGraphix to form a 2D-3D hybrid animation studio, SquareBagel. Gaurav managed projects for brands like Dabur but had to part ways in the post-COVID landscape.
2021-22: A Shift to Content Business
In a move toward content creation, Gaurav initiated the “Desi Despo” animation channel on Instagram, targeting young adult Indians. The channel gathered almost 19k followers, setting the stage for his next venture.
Teaming up with his batchmate Umang Srivastava, Gaurav pitched an adult comedy animated show, gaining interest from a few networks. The future holds the promise of exciting developments.
Freelancing and Beyond
By the end of 2022, Gaurav embraced freelancing, leveraging his expertise to assist small and medium businesses in growing their online presence organically. His clientele includes businesses like Khatabook, EatSure, and Sumtracker.
Gaurav Pant’s Skills and Expertise
Gaurav’s core strength lies in storytelling. Whether through motion design, copywriting, or animation principles, he views these as mediums to express ideas and evoke emotional responses. He applies this expertise to understand user experience and design websites, recognizing that a website is essentially a narrative that must captivate users while delivering value.
Beyond technical skills, Gaurav excels as a project manager and team builder. He effectively collaborates with clients, ensuring projects are delivered on time and within budget.
Future Plans and Goals set by Gaurav Pant
Gaurav is relishing his role as a freelance consultant, passionate about aiding businesses in brand growth and audience expansion. Some key areas he looks forward to exploring in the future include:
- Integrating AI into Brand Strategy: Gaurav envisions the seamless integration of AI into brand strategy without compromising humanity’s essence. He emphasizes that, while AI is omnipresent, human expertise remains crucial for creating valuable and innovative content.
- Vector-Based Web Animation: Staying on the cutting edge, Gaurav is experimenting with vector-based web animations (Lottie files) to enhance a brand’s online reputation and user experience.
- Value-Based Social Media Publishing: Gaurav stresses the importance of providing genuine value in social media content. In a world where audiences are adept at filtering out ‘fluff,’ he believes that staying relevant means consistently delivering value.
Gaurav Pant’s journey reflects a perfect blend of creativity, technical prowess, and a deep understanding of storytelling. As he ventures into the future, his commitment to innovation and dedication to providing value remain unwavering.
