Creative Acharya
Our Guru. Our Mentor.
Guiding every step, in art, in discipline, and in life.
The Gurukul way
Living and learning
A Gurukul for the 21st century.
At Creative Hut, learning follows the timeless Gurukul way, a place where students live and learn with their mentors under one roof. Yet it is also a Gurukul for a modern age, blending new technology, a structured syllabus, and dedicated faculty who are present day and night.
Our mentors do more than teach photography, cinematography, filmmaking, or communication design. They shape character. They believe that if you become a good person, you will naturally become a better cinematographer, designer, or storyteller. Through discipline, values, and one to one guidance, they nurture not only technical mastery but the human qualities that define a true creative professional.
Residential mentorshipOne to one guidanceAvailable day and night
The lead gurus
Those who light the lamp
Two mentors who live the Gurukul life alongside every batch, holding the standard for craft and for character.
Founder and Director
Lead Guru
Abin Alex
Master In Design (M.Des) · MBA (Design Management) · M.Sc Visual Communication · Honorary Doctorate in Photography
Director · Rising Embers, the world’s first AI feature film
Filmmaker. Photojournalist. Educator. The guru who built the Gurukul.
Abin Alex founded and directs Creative Hut Academy in Kottayam, Kerala, and pioneered its residential Gurukul model of film education. He designed the Professional Diploma in the Art of Photography and Cinematography in 2007 and the Professional Diploma in AI Filmmaking and Digital Cinematography, and helped shape the KGTE curriculum in Photography in 2017. He directed Rising Embers, the world’s first AI feature film made inside a film school, crewed by twenty students. He has directed more than ten documentaries and musical stories, mentored over a hundred productions, guided a portfolio of more than 520 works, and taught over a thousand students. He served as an official Canon Photo Mentor for eight years and is founding chairman of the National Education and Research Foundation.
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Tradition and technology, togetherResidential mentorship where timeless values meet AI era tools.
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Portfolio first, alwaysReal shoots, real edits, real industry workflows.
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Cross disciplinary masteryPhotography, cinematography, design, editing, and AI content creation under one roof.
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Structured growth pathFrom ideation to shoot to edit to deliver, every stage reviewed, every skill sharpened.
Become a good person, and you will become a good Visual Communicator.
Associate Director
Partner Guru
Anu Joseph
B.Sc (PCM) · Master In Design (M.Des) · M.A Journalism and Mass Communication
Associate Director · Rising Embers, the world’s first AI feature film
Mentor. Visual educator. A communication guide for a modern creative life.
Anu Joseph brings both academic depth and hands on mentorship to Creative Hut’s Gurukul life, with 16 years in visual media education. With a foundation in Science, Design, and Communication, she helps students bridge logic with creativity, making learning both structured and inspiring. She served as Associate Director on Rising Embers, guiding students through a full feature production. Her teaching blends storytelling, journalism, and visual design so learners think clearly, design meaningfully, and communicate with impact. Beyond tools and techniques, she nurtures discipline, empathy, and professionalism, shaping thoughtful creators.
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Guided by designStructured learning rooted in both creative and analytical thinking.
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Communication at the coreFrom journalism to design, shaping voices that inform and inspire.
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Holistic mentorshipDay and night guidance in a true residential learning community.
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Values into skillsBuilding not only professionals, but responsible human beings.
Clarity, discipline, and empathy turn creativity into lifelong craft.
Skills grow where values lead.
The Gurukul principle
The visiting acharyas
Masters who join the circle
Photographers, cinematographers, writers, and conservationists, each bringing a craft mastered over years. Several are Creative Hut alumni who returned to guide the next generation.
Fashion and Commercial Photography
Prithesh Rao
Canon EOS Maestro · Photo media educator
A prominent Indian professional photographer with over three decades in the industry, who moved from electronic engineering to elite commercial photography. An award winning graduate of Sir J.J. School of Art, he runs a commercial studio across fashion, corporate, and commissioned work, and serves as Academic Head for photography at Pearl Academy Mumbai and the Lemark Institute of Art and Design. He was the youngest Photo Mentor for Kodak India during the film era and has since guided amateurs and professionals for more than twenty five years.
30+ yearsCanon EOS Maestro
Wildlife Photography
Sagar Gosavi
Canon EOS Maestro · Conservationist
A celebrated Indian wildlife photographer, cinematographer, and conservationist, renowned for documenting rare species and natural history in remote terrain such as the Trans Himalayas and Arunachal Pradesh. A former network engineer who turned a childhood fascination with birds into twenty years of field practice, he has photographed more than eight hundred species of birds and captured rare footage of snow leopards in the Spiti Valley. His work has earned honours including recognition from WWF and Sanctuary Asia. He founded SGP Photo Tours and Expeditions and has spoken at TEDx.
20 yearsCanon EOS Maestro800+ bird species
Lyrics, Script and Sound
Fr. Joseph Thekkummattathil, OCD
Lyricist · Scriptwriter
An acclaimed Malayalam lyricist and scriptwriter, Media Commission Director for the OCD Malabar Province and Assistant Manager of St. Joseph’s Press. He has written more than twenty songs, including the Good Friday visual narrative Kandu Njan, Mattakkara Nadu sung by Sithara Krishnakumar, Rakshakan Piranna Rave, and June Maasa Pulariyil. He wrote the lyrics for all eight songs in the Rising Embers AI feature film, and mentors students in lyric writing, scriptwriting, and cinema sound design.
6 years20+ songs8 songs, Rising Embers
Advertising Cinematography
Rahul Rao
Creative Producer · Product Photographer
A creative producer and photographer with over eight years of industry experience across visual storytelling, product photography, filmmaking, and digital content. At Zwende he has created more than twenty five thousand product visuals, collaborated with over five hundred suppliers, and helped scale the brand’s social following from four thousand to more than three hundred thousand. He is co founder of Hush Hues Studio, a premium newborn and maternity photography brand, and brings a practical, contemporary perspective to creative production.
8+ years25,000+ product visualsCreative Hut Alumni
Newborn and Maternity Photography
Punnia Jones
Newborn Photographer · Former NICU Nurse
A newborn photographer with over eight years of experience in newborn and maternity work. A former NICU nurse, she brings rare expertise in newborn safety, comfort, and handling to every session. She has worked with leading healthcare institutions including Apollo, Manipal, Cloudnine, Rainbow Children’s, and Motherhood Hospitals, and has photographed more than four thousand newborn babies. She combines her healthcare knowledge with artistic vision, and currently heads Hush Hues Studio.
8+ years4,000+ newbornsFormer NICU nurseCreative Hut Alumni
Automotive and Wedding Film
Ahamed Shaheen S
Commercial Cinematographer · Founder, Scene Six Studios
An automotive filmmaker and commercial cinematographer, founder of Scene Six Studios, known for high end automotive and wedding work. A Creative Hut alumnus who returned as visiting faculty, he mentors students in cinematography, gimbal work, and editing, with five years of professional experience behind him.
5 yearsScene Six StudiosCreative Hut Alumni
Architecture and Interior Photography
Amith Kumar
Architecture and Interior Photographer
Bio pending. Placeholder copy: architecture and interior photographer specialising in commercial space imaging, true verticals, natural and strobe blends, and publication ready visuals.
Awaiting credentialsCreative Hut Alumni
Learn beside the gurus.
Live and learn under one roof with mentors who guide you day and night. Admissions for the 2027 batch are open.