Like most fathers, founder and CEO Rajeev Mishra was looking for a way to connect with his tech savvy kids and create a memorable occasion for his son’s birthday. In 2012, he set out to create the ultimate karaoke experience set to an American Idol backdrop. Although Rajeev had spent most of his career in technology, it wasn’t easy to figure out how to turn his son’s friends into singing Idols. After a lot of research, he discovered the magic of green screens and rented one from a Hollywood supply company. While the output was impressive, the hardware, software, and setup was not easy.
In 2016, as mobile devices took over his household, Rajeev observed his sons using their cellphones to capture and share homemade videos. His sons binged on content from Twitch and Youtube, which often used DIY green screens. Rajeev envisioned a future where anyone could be a creator, empowered to share their content from anywhere in the world! He knew green screens were key to the creative process, they just needed to be redesigned to be used outside of a studio. With the goal of easy, quality, mobile content creation— Rajeev and his son Shay, decided to build Valera Green Screens.