Neil Thekdi is a film and content producer based out of Los Angeles, CA. After graduating from NYU Tisch, Neil moved back to California to be closer to family and begin his career. Neil is currently the Founder/CEO of his production company, Loveland Pictures, through which he produces short-form content ranging from corporate and commercial work to narrative and documentary projects. The films that Neil has produced have been selected for Vimeo Staff Picks, LA Shorts, Aesthetica, Big Sky, and LAIFFA, amongst dozens of other film festivals across the globe.

Priya Kiran is an independent writer, director, and actor based in New York City. Upon moving from her small-town in Iowa, she found and focused her craft at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts and has since been creating art dedicated to uplifting underrepresented communities. Priya’s films have been selected for the Interrobang Film Festival, IFFSA, the Goa Short Film Festival, amongst many others. Currently she works in development at The J’s while also producing a children animated series called Casey the Frog. Inspired by Desi cinema and her Midwestern upbringing her artwork strives to emphasize authenticity and empathy through a peculiarly natural, yet whimsical lens. During her off hours, you can find Priya watching reruns of Shark Week or competing on the ballroom dance floor!

Jaie is a writer-producer based in Los Angeles. He studied at UCLA and had internships at The Producers Guild, STARZ, Focus Features, and USA/SYFY. Jaie has completed Sundance Co//ab’s TV Writing program with Angela LeManna & Directing course with Rebecca Murga. In addition to serving as VP at Rickshaw, Jaie works at WalkGood Productions and is the events producer at WalkGood LA, a social justice & wellness nonprofit. His stories and unique voice is rooted in the identity, history, & culture of his family's lives & journey from Gujarat to Uganda to London to LA.

Sruchi Patel is a writer/director finishing up her last year at UCLA’s film school. Upon graduation, she’s looking forward to following the comedy TV writing route. In the Rickshaw Writers room, she wrote her first 1/2 hour comedy pilot, Mock’d. She's passionate about telling authentic South Asian American narratives through a comedy/dramedy lens while normalizing the post-diaspora generation’s perspective in film and television. She just directed her thesis film titled, Ladke and can’t wait to show the world what she has coming up!

Akshay Ravi is a director and producer based in LA. He graduated from USC's Zoom School of Cinematic Arts in 2020 and has since been independently producing and directing (in addition to his VFX day job). Akshay is passionate about telling stories that challenge your views and hopefully also warm your heart, and his films have screened at various film festivals around the world. When he's not working, you can find Akshay in a kitchen, reading, coming up with his next bit, playing PS5, or learning to firebend (progress is slow here).

Jaspreet (Justin) Sidhu is a multidisciplinary artist from the San Francisco Bay Area. Jaspreet has released music reviews, essays and poetry independently and through various platforms. He believes the stories that comprise our lives and our world are best understood through our art — his greatest passion is creating, sharing, and experiencing these narratives. Jaspreet is currently pursuing music, writing, and fashion while working full-time. He is currently based in Washington, DC.

Raised in Northern California, Mekhla has established herself as a digital marketer and owner of a successful social media agency. With a drive to empower clients to optimize their online presence and maximize business growth, she brings a fresh perspective and innovative strategies to the table. An avid lover of pop culture and self-proclaimed foodie, Mekhla is constantly exploring new horizons and seeking out the hottest restaurants at the moment.

Mira Thekdi is a Los Angeles-based art director + graphic designer currently working at Who What Wear. She also freelances for a multitude of clients, and her one true love is end-to-end brand design. Her work is type-driven, message-driven, and always intentional; she’s heavily inspired by design history, which she enjoys learning about in her spare time. Mira also loves family, friends, Renoir, International Klein Blue, romance films, helping others, passionfruit, talking, stress cleaning, and taking zoomed-in photos of disco balls.

Hi! My name is Rohan Reddy Palla. My film education is a hybrid of studying Film & TV Production at the USC School of Cinematic Arts, and assistant directing in the Telugu film industry. I produced the short film “Man Brows” which won Best Short at the South Asian Film Festival of America. As an aspiring feature film director and producer, my vision is to ensure that South Asian-centric films achieve the same level of financial success and recognition as their Hollywood counterparts in the international box office.

Arhana Singhania is a first generation Indian-American immigrant. She was born Delhi and spent her formative years in Chicago and Southern California. She is interested in telling stories emanating from the south Asian diaspora. Her role models include Mira Nair and Satyajit Ray. She currently attends NYU Tisch majoring in Film and Television.