Rashmi is a passionate filmmaker devoted to producing films that drive social change. Her self-financed, award-winning SAG film Unborn casts a spotlight on the issue of female feticide and is available for streaming on Amazon Prime. Her latest project, Designed By Preeti, tackles domestic violence and aims to uplift survivors. Completed filming in January 2024, it’s currently undergoing post-production. Rashmi brought together a skilled team, secured filming sites, and arranged funding. She’s now focused on gathering resources for post-production, with many friends and family rallying around her cause. In essence, Rashmi leverages her filmmaking talents to confront and raise awareness of vital social challenges, proving her to be a significant influence within the film industry. Her unwavering commitment to telling stories that matter underscores her role as an impactful force for change.

Gayatri Everitt Bajpai is a Canadian director with roots in New Delhi and Vancouver. She weaves her multiethnic heritage into her storytelling, exploring themes of transition, identity, and belonging. Gayatri holds an MFA in Film Production from UCLA’s School of Theater, Film and Television, where she earned Directors’ Spotlight Awards for her short films, produced a documentary on Francis Ford Coppola’s “Live Cinema” project, and directed a segment of the anthology feature “Rio” (2017), executive-produced by James Franco. Her film “Halwa”, co-directed by Nirav Bhakta, won HBO’s 2019 APA Visionaries Competition and was later licensed by HBO and Disney Plus, screening at over 100 festivals and garnering awards worldwide. Gayatri made “The Call” as a top 8 finalist at Vancouver Asian Film Festival’s MAMM in 2021, and her music video for “Innocent” by Swim Team earned features in Exclaim! and on Cups’n’Cakes Network in 2022. She directed “Yatra: The Journey” (2023), a fantasy short that earned her Best Director at the Mumbai Indian Cine Film Festival. Gayatri’s most recent project is the feature film Designed by Preeti, which is beginning its festival run.

Arati Brings 20 years of experience in the Entertainment, Tech, Education & lifestyle business. Her expertise includes Feature films, TV, product sales & startups. She has worked with Sony Pictures, Fox, Netflix, Paramount, and Apple, to name a few. Arati has worked in theatrical distribution operations for several studios, including Sony, Fox, Warner Brothers, Paramount, Universal Pictures, and the NFL. Arati produced a podcast for diverse women and sold it to Warner Music India. She has judged for various international film festivals and is currently a Juror for the Hungarian Film Festival of Los Angeles. Her extensive experience with Silicon Valley startups was a great training ground, as she worked alongside product managers from Google, Apple, and many other individuals in the tech world. Her experience chairing Women in Film, LA, has allowed her to hone in on her passion for mentoring and giving voice to countless women worldwide. She received recognition from President Obama.

Priyanka Paranjape was born and raised in Mumbai, India, and now is a San Francisco local. After receiving her M.A. in Communication and Journalism from the University of Mumbai, she kickstarted her career with television. Her first big project was the Indian version of the popular quiz show ‘Who Wants to be a Millionaire,’ where she worked as a content creator and researcher. She worked on multiple seasons as well as regional versions of the show. While working on digital content and television, she focused on production and was an OTT crime series executive producer. Priyanka got her second M.A. in Broadcast and Electronic Communication from San Francisco State University and started working as a producer for feature and short films. In 2022, one of her projects was nominated at the IndieX Film Festival, winning Best Male Director and Best Child/Young Actress of 2023. She aspires to bring the same level of finesse to big and small productions and is particularly interested in bringing South East Asian stories to the screen.

Wendy’s screenwriting journey took flight after her fascination with the OC Roller Girls inspired her to write the feature Derby Queen which placed her as a finalist in Launch Pad and Screencraft Comedy Feature Competitions and was recently optioned by Iris Indie. Her specialty is feature-length dramedies and pilots that feature comically flawed protagonists with a heart. Wendy is an LA Emmy award-winning producer and a finalist in Page International Screenwriting Competition, BlueCat, and Screencraft Family Friendly Screenwriting Competition.

Lokesh Babu Akula is a visionary cinematographer with an unwavering commitment to the art of visual storytelling. Raised in Hyderabad, India, he holds a Diploma in Cinematography from the Recording Radio Film Connection & Casa School (2019) based in Las Angeles. He is known for his ability to transform any genre into a mesmerizing cinematic experience. With an innate understanding of light and composition, he crafts captivating visuals that enhance the emotional depth of the project. Notable works include “Capture” (2022) which is showcased on Amazon Prime and “Ghosted” (2023) which promises to be a testament to Lokesh’s craft and is a pivotal element in the success of this gripping crime thriller.

Tanya Momi, an inspirational artist known for her diverse work in realism, cubism, abstract, social realism, and spiritual art, draws deeply from her life experiences. Born in India and a Fine Arts graduate from Chandigarh, Tanya moved to the U.S. after marriage. Surviving over nine years of marital abuse, she divorced and focused on raising her children and building a business in Silicon Valley, pausing her painting for 22 years. Encouraged by friends, she resumed her art, turning her painful journey into a source of inspiration. Her series on the suffering of a single, divorced woman features impactful pieces like “When Friends Turn Their Backs” and “Beaten but not Broken.” Tanya’s work, which also explores the theme of women’s suffering globally, has led her to speak on women’s empowerment and leadership at prestigious venues worldwide, including the White House. Her story is one of resilience, empowerment, and the transformative power of art.

Shivani Rustagi is a performer and singer in Los Angeles who recorded our theme song, “Point of View.” Shivani grew up on stage, starting at her local children’s theater and continuing throughout high school. She majored in music and opera in college and competed with the acappella group Cloud 9. After graduating, she moved to Los Angeles, where she collaborated with artists on stage and screen, notably for The Secret Garden with Broadway at Music Circus in Sacramento, CA, and with artist/activist MILCK as a background recording vocalist and performer. Shivani teaches piano, sings with The Silver Lake Chorus, and writes with her friends.

Yashna Malhotra is a LA/Mumbai-based screenwriter and graduate of the UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television, where she earned her MFA in Screenwriting. BAFTA, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Film Independent, and the Museum of the Moving Image have recognized her writing. Yashna writes character-driven stories, both series and features, to tell authentic South Asian stories for a global audience.

Amira Wachelka is a marketing specialist and undergraduate at NYU, majoring in Media Studies and Economics. She has a passion for movie marketing and worked for the distribution company Women Make Movies as an Acquisitions and Outreach intern. She has supplemented her movie marketing career by conducting months-long research on film genre trends with a creative executive from Feigco Entertainment.

Brian Feeney is an accomplished editor. After graduating from USC’s Film and TV school, he began working in Hollywood as an assistant editor before going on to cut a large number of “Behind the Scenes” documentaries for several major Hollywood releases, including “Night at the Museum,” “Memories of a Geisha,” and “Resident Evil: Afterlife.” In 2015, Feeney moved to Washington, DC, where he began editing training videos for various government organizations, including the U.S. Army’s SHARP program. While in DC, he co-edited the Spanish-U.S.A. co-production “Alex’s Strip” with feature filmmaker Irene Zoe Alameda. The film won many international awards, including a Best Editing Award at the North Film Festival in Stockholm, Sweden. In the horror genre, Feeney is known for having co-written, edited, and directed “The Echo Game.”

Alex Zajicek, born and based in the San Francisco Bay Area, has always been interested in telling stories. Ever since he got his first video camera, he has been making short films, and when he got his first computer, he quickly taught himself to animate. He attended California College of the Arts, earning a BFA in Film (with a minor in Writing & Literature). Shortly thereafter, he began his career as a freelance filmmaker in the SF Bay Area film industry, where he has been ever since. As a filmmaker, he loves animation and film and tries to play with and poke the edges of both mediums in his work, often in meta ways. His feature film, Sorry, We’re Dead, is on the film festival circuit

Simón Wilson is the composer of our theme song, ‘Never Be the Same’, sung by Shivani Rustagi. He is an award-winning Los Angeles-based film and television composer. After studying with Theodore Shapiro and working on major studio productions, he has gone on to score documentaries such as Rhino Man and Momentum, write additional music for Netflix’s Delhi Crime and Disney’s The Mysterious Benedict Society, and score the NBC special Celebrity Escape Room. Most recently, he joined composer Craig Wedren (Yellowjackets) in co-scoring the short documentary Alok, which premiered at Sundance in 2024. Simón’s latest music can be heard in National Geographic’s UFO’s Investigating The Unknown, Paramount’s reality show The Family Stallone, and Hans Zimmer’s Bleeding Fingers and Extreme Music catalog. Simón is a multi-instrumentalist and classically trained singer. His compositions draw on a broad palette of musical influences—from cinematic orchestral music to psychedelic electronic scores to guitar-driven funky jams. His gift of precision, tied to a relentless work ethic, ascends his love for music into an elaborate and eccentric career. The end goal is to always tell a story with compelling, evocative, and original.

Mark Thomas Rhodes, known professionally as MTStreets, is an American singer-songwriter, pop artist, and record producer. He makes pop music for people in pain and is known for his introspective songwriting and raw, thought-provoking vocal style. He blends pop, hip-hop, R&B, rap, and trap genres. His music embodies a mix of Post Malone vibes and Charlie Puth-like melodies, striking a chord with listeners. MTStreets rose to prominence in 2020, drawing attention after the passing of his younger brother Beanie in December 2019. He debuted with the poignant single “White Roses.” MTStreets’ first album, Open Thoughts (2020), succeeded commercially. Its twelve songs captured the tumultuous ride of 2019. Featuring hits like “Who Started It” and “Places,” the album also included “Bop,” a heartfelt collaboration with Beanie. After the success of Open Thoughts, MTStreets released the reflective single “Bourbon Street,” exploring themes of struggle and self-destructive behaviors. His second album, #COLD4LIFE, further solidified his position in the music scene, with the song “Mirror” dominating the charts. In 2022, MTStreets’ hit single “Highway To Hell” achieved RIAA-certified gold status and peaked at #19 on the Billboard Top 100 for Pop/R&B singles. This success came as he continued his musical journey with a series of singles, leading up to the release of his third album, Scratched, a collaboration with Nova Blisto. Beyond his solo work, MTStreets has collaborated with industry heavyweights, including Dua Lipa, and co-produced “Love Me More” by Trippie Redd with Nick Mira, a close friend. He has also produced and audio-engineered for artists like Lil Baby, Jay Fizzle, Rich The Kid, A$AP Ferg, and Yo Gotti.

Ric Markmann is an accomplished musician, Emmy Award-winning composer (2013), producer, bass performer, and co-founder of Matter Music LA. He has worked with some of the biggest names in the music industry, including Chris Cornell, Heart, and Belinda Carlisle. Markmann co-founded Matter Music in 1996, a music production company specializing in creating music for visual media and recorded content. His work has spanned across NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX, Netflix, Disney, and Warner Bros. He achieved an Emmy Award as a composer and music director for his work on the Nickelodeon show The Fresh Beat Band in 2013.

Moksh Chitkara is an accomplished industry professional with a strong background in Finishing at Company 3, Light Iron, and Amazon Studios. Since graduating from UT Austin, he has honed his skills and expertise in various aspects of the industry. With a diverse range of experience as a producer, artist, and technical expert, Moksh has become a versatile and valuable asset in the field. His comprehensive knowledge and hands-on experience make him a one-stop shop for any project, capable of seamlessly blending creative vision with technical proficiency to deliver outstanding results.

Elyssia Tingley, our outstanding Production Assistant, holds a theater degree from San Jose State and has film training with Just For Actors/SJSU. She enjoys everything from acting to stage managing to hair and makeup. She is also an award-winning director and award-winning professional Chinese harpist.

With over 25 years dedicated to improving health and well-being in diverse communities worldwide, Aparna is passionate about addressing the root causes of social issues. Equipped with degrees in Economics, Community Social Work, and Cultural Anthropology, she focuses on prevention and sustainable solutions, particularly for complex problems like intimate partner violence.

Currently a public health and social impact consultant, Aparna collaborates with nonprofits, community organizations, foundations, and government programs. She believes change begins with ourselves and our communities, which inspired her to support Designed by Preeti in amplifying its powerful message.