He has also worked alongside industry veterans such as Golden Globe nominee Ryan Reynolds, Emmy nominee Rob McElhenney, and Emmy-winner Sheila Sitomer. He played a vital role in producing the two-time Critics Choice nominated and widely popular second season of ‘Welcome to Wrexham’.
A few years ago, he produced ‘Diversity on Demand!’, a satirical comedy that comments on India stereotypes in Hollywood. Diversity on Demand! follows the story of an Indian actor who offers ‘Diversity services’ to Hollywood in order to help them meet their minimum quotas. The film conveys a poignant message about South Asian representation.
The film received accolades at the London Worldwide Comedy Short Film Festival, Portland Comedy Film Festival, Houston Comedy Film Festival, Phoenix International Monthly Short Film Awards, GELOS Comedy Film Festival, Independent Shorts Awards, and the Denver Monthly Film Awards. It continues to make its presence felt in the festival circuit globally.
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What sparked the idea for ‘Diversity on Demand!’?
‘Diversity on Demand!’ was inspired by my personal frustrations with the industry’s performative approach to diversity. It began as a joke in conversations with my friends—'Hey, I'll be your diversity guy!' Then, as more jokes came to mind, I realized I needed to turn it into a short film.
Did you have any inspirations when making it?
While there weren’t specific inspirations for the subject matter, I drew from many of my comedy influences in terms of style. These include satirical late-night shows like The Daily Show or the Colbert Report, which share a similar format. However, I was equally, if not more, inspired by shows like Arrested Development and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Lastly, I continue to be inspired by everything that Bo Burnham has done.
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What are your goals with the film?
Our key goal for ‘Diversity on Demand!’ was to touch on an important social issue in a light-hearted and fresh comedic manner. I’m really happy with the success it’s had and continues to have. In terms of goals for the future, we’re in post-production for a series based on this style but applied to other social issues. We don’t want to repeat ourselves, so we make each video into a new format.
Have you worked on any other socially conscious projects?
I’ve recently worked with the National Alliance of Mental Illness, America’s largest grassroots mental health organization, on a campaign for their popular NAMI Walks event. Before that, I wrote and story produced ‘Frontline Fashion 4’, which was focused on bringing awareness to sustainable fashion. I was really proud of that project. We even got recognized at the Asian Creative Academy Awards.
What are you currently working on?
I’ve currently got a few projects in the pipeline. I’m developing a TV pilot based on a script I wrote that got attention at the Austin Film Festival, Golden Script Competition, and the Los Angeles Screenplay Awards. It’s a much darker comedy to ‘Diversity on Demand!’, but it retains a similar satirical tone.
I’m also working on a few projects with a prominent Asian-American YouTube channel. Then, finally, I’m starting work soon on season 3 of Welcome to Wrexham, the six-time Emmy nominated series.
