It takes quite an effort and courage to make one’s dream as a profession. But for 27-year-old Yeshi Lhendup, he did not dream and wait for it to happen. He went for what he believed he could and paved his own path. And today he runs his own audiovisual production house. Drawing the brand name from his own name, Yesh Lhendup Films today is the highest viewed entertainment account in the country.
Yeshi Lhendup who is most of the times behind the camera is the brainchild behind Yeshi Lhendup Films. He graduated from Sherubtse College in 2015 with no background on film making, editing or photography. But it was his passion and interest that led him to what he is now, a self-employed entrepreneur.
“It started back at college when I was in the final year,we started making films and short videos. So my friends started encouraging me to pursue this as a profession. Right after graduating, I worked in one of the private companies where it was related to audiovisual. So working there and learning new things, I started practising. So from that, I decided that I won’t appear for RCSC exam. Most parents encourage their children to appear for the exam. Even I was pressured by my parents to do that exam but after a few months, I convinced them that I can do a better job pursuing film making rather than doing a government job.”
With over 30,000 subscribers and followers on his YouTube channel, Instagram and Facebook, Yeshi Lhendup Films has become very popular especially among the youth. The music videos are popular and successful because of photography and visual quality. Through his films and music videos, viewers are also introduced with young talents. But his popularity did not come easy. Like any other starters, he was confronted with challenges in his journey.
“At first it was very difficult to convince people that I do such kind of work. It was hard to get clients like to attract more people to hire us. So at first, I had to have my own offline presence and online presence whereby I can show them that I do film making. So to have more content, I had to hire equipment from hiring agencies. And it was very difficult to get equipment at a lower price,” he added.
Taking a loan from Loden Foundation, he bought his own equipment and began his journey of filmmaking. Since then he hasn’t looked back. He dropped his first official music video in 2017 and has made about 72 videos till date. Yeshi feels that he is fortunate to have started his filmmaking journey at a time when social media is growing. People have started recognising his works and he gets offers from clients without having to go look for one.
“Because of social media, marketing is taken care of. I try to create an account on all the social media platforms. There are many users category in different social media. So if they are on Facebook, they are not on Instagram. It has helped a lot.”
At a time when many young people complain about the growing unemployment problem in the country, Yeshi says, nothing is going to come to a person by sitting around and waiting for it.
“I have seen a few of my friends who just wait, they wait for the vacancy announcements and they just wait for the exam and all. I think we shouldn’t wait, we should go forward, we should ask and we should always look for other options rather than just waiting.”
Yeshi’s dream doesn’t end here, he wants to direct a film one day. While Yeshi might not have followed the ordinary way of employing himself, he is an example of how a person can make dreams come true if one takes the risk and embraces the opportunities.
Sonam Pem
