Redefining ABCD

In this episode of Brown Art Network, Sneha and Keerthi invite Urwa Zubair - a South Asian producer and filmmaker based in Los Angeles to this segment. Urwa has produced 50 digital commercials and her clientele includes United Airlines, Haleon brands like Flonase & Voltaren, Target, State Farm, WB & Paramount. Most recently, she is the producer of an upcoming feature film in development, BANI, a coming-of-age comedy-drama on the misunderstood cultural practices of South Asian countries. They discuss the differences between Pakistan's movie industry and Hollywood, how she got started as a producer, the unique contributions to the creative process she has as a producer, and all the developments and themes seen in her current feature film. As they discuss her career and experiences, they also discuss the recent/ongoing strike and dive into AI's impact on the creative industry. Finally, they wrap up the conversation with Urwa advising up-and-coming producers and entertainers looking to get investors for their scripts and work.

In this episode of Larger Than Us, Keerthi and Sneha talk with Hani Anis - founder and CEO of Kahani Digital, a full-service digital marketing agency uplifting and supporting South Asian American brands and clients. They talk with Hani to learn more about how she initially started Kahani Digital and her experiences working as an investment banker to her pivot to becoming an entrepreneur. As they learn about her background - they dive into issues with Corporate Culture and how to navigate the workplace as a woman of color, setting boundaries with work and life, and how Hani breaks the terrible culture she experienced in the past as she shapes Kahani Digital's vision and company values. They conclude the episode with how to break the stereotypical culture in the corporate world through specific leadership values and advice to individuals looking to become a founder and start their own businesses.

In this episode of Brown Art Network, Sneha and Keerthi interview ROYAL - a Bengali-American multi-instrumentalist, singer, aCappella arranger, and Neo Desi music producer. During the day, he is pursuing his residency in general surgery, and by night, is hustling in the music industry. In this episode, they talk about the genre he coined as "neo-desi music" and how it symbolizes the blend of various cultures, how he derives his sound, his debut album shaunak, his efforts in mixing music for the desi dance network, and the behind-the-scenes process of developing his album. While they discuss all things music related, just like his dual identity, they also dive into a new way of defining careers by pursuing multiple passions at once. They conclude the episode with ROYAL sharing advice on how to get started making music and how to grow your passions into your brand/persona.

In this episode of Larger Than Us, Keerthi and Sneha interview Anjali Badrinath - a recent graduate from the College of New Jersey in clinical mental health counseling. They dive into aspects of generation trauma - what that may look like, how the conversations occur with different relationships (elders, younger family members, etc.), and how first-generation/second-generation South Asian Americans can start finding ways of breaking that generational cycle. While they discuss different mental health issues, they also talk about the available resources and what clinical mental health counseling is so people can differentiate the different types of professionals and resources based on their needs. As they conclude the episode, Anjali, Sneha, and Keerthi talk about their personal experiences in an effort to open up the dialogue about mental health concerns within their own families and advice for others to try and do the same.

South Asian Mental Health Resources Recommended by Anjali:

In this episode of Brown Art Network, Sneha and Keerthi talk with Krishma, author of From Ash to Ashes. This coming-of-age story follows Mira and her immigrant family as they grapple with the stark differences between their traditional Sikh faith and the changing culture of the world around them. As they talk about the various themes in the book, they dive into Krishma's background and how she used her book to grieve the loss of her firstborn. They talk about how culture affects the way we process grief, address mental health concerns, and modernize parenting techniques as we go into the future with dual identities becoming more common than before. They wrap the episode with Krishma's writing career and what she hopes readers take away when reading her book.

Welcome to Season 4! We start this season with a Larger Than Us episode in time for Valentine's day/month - love languages. Keerthi & Sneha guess each other's love languages and talk about how love languages affect different scenarios & dynamics in relationships, friendships, and work/corporate life. As they discuss different experiences and considerations of how love languages, they also discuss how each category is defined based on societal biases (gender roles and expectations within different environments). 

In this episode of Brown Art Network, Sneha and Keerthi talk with Veena Murali - a 22 year-old solo female traveler who’s traveled to a total of  55+ countries and recently went on a ‘Journey Around the World in 180 Days’ solo trip. They talk with her to learn more about her passion for travel and how she became a solo traveler. While they learn about her personal experiences with the countries she's visited, they also talk about the perception different cultural identities have around the world and how to push past what the media shares of those countries to expand your own perspective. Not only do they touch upon the perceptions of traveling in terms of identity, but they also talk about the beauty of traveling solo, the stigmas of traveling alone (especially as a desi woman), and how to travel on a budget. As they conclude their conversation, Veena provides advice from her experiences to those who look to break out of their comfort zone and travel by themselves, especially as a desi woman.

In this episode of Brown Art Network, Sneha and Keerthi talk with Poonam Rahman - Founder and CEO of two international nonprofit organizations, Virtue Mental and Shattering Bias in S.T.E.A.M., both, designed to provide free resources to historically marginalized communities. In their conversation they discuss non-profit organizations and their larger social impact. While they discuss her background in non-profit work, they also discuss the importance of inclusivity in the workplace and ways in which non-profits can stand-out and make an impact. Poonam concludes the episode with advice she would give to others looking to pursue their own career in social justice or non-profit work, as well as some ways in which viewers can contribute and support their local non-profits. To learn more about Virtue Mental and Shattering Bias in S.T.E.A.M. and how you can help out with the organizations, click here: 

In this episode of Larger Than Us, Keerthi and Sneha make it a little special. They invite their siblings to talk about being the youngest, reflecting on their childhood years, and how being the youngest affected them in a South Asian household. Sneha and Keerthi take this time to reflect with their siblings on growing up and looking towards the future as they face different life challenges. While they have fun asking each other questions about fond memories, they also ask questions about the pressures of being the youngest and how older siblings can support them. They wrap the episode with the advice they would give to help strengthen sibling relationships in general, to those looking to tighten the bond between their siblings and the memories they all have reflected from.

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**SPOILER ALERT - We do touch on a few moments within the movie so please go watch Definition Please on Netflix first if you don't want spoilers! **

In this episode of Brown Art Network, Sneha and Keerthi talk about the effect social media has on the creative industry. They talk about their personal uses of social media with their creative efforts, how technology has changed, the types of creatives on social media, and how they are affected by society's issues propogated on all the social media apps. While they talk about social media and all the issues around it, they talk about how it gives everyone a platform to speak on and discuss the various ways social media has been a positive influence. They conclude the episode with some lasting thoughts they have on how to handle social media based on how they see it influence society.

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In this episode of Larger Than Us, Keerthi and Sneha talk about what it means to be vulnerable in this day and age and how the concept of vulnerability affects the way they see different types of relationships. As they discuss the importance of a meaningful relationship, they also talk about how the South Asian community views vulnerability in the hopes to see how we could potentially change the mindset it carries with us. Finally, they wrap up the episode with advice on how they feel opening up can be integrated into new and daily relationships.

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In the first episode of season 3, Keerthi and Sneha kick it off with a Larger Than Us episode! They dive into how people perceive the US and India as an outsider to those countries and how it can affect the way you carry your identity as an Indian American, hyphenated identity, and their parents as immigrants. As they discuss how the stereotypes for people living in both countries can sometimes be deceiving, they touch on ways we can dismantle those stigmas or perceptions to ensure we can change the way the relationship is seen of "the grass is always greener on the other side". They wrap the episode with thoughts of the future - how the next generation in their families will perceive both countries and how they feel about that.

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In this episode, Keerthi and Sneha take a look at what they have done in the past few months, how our segments are changing, and what to expect in season 3. 

In this special collaboration, Keerthi and Sneha sit down with Ara Ehamparam, co-founder of TamilCulture and myTamilDate, co-host of The Tamil Creator, and his other startup ventures in the tech space. They discuss why TamilCulture was created, how the idea of their organization came to be, and his other startup ventures he has created through his entrepreneurial spirit. While they talk about his experience, they also dive into what mindset entrepreneurs should have and advice for people looking to be founders of their own projects and startups.

In this episode of Brown Art Network, Sneha and Keerthi interview Krithika Rajkumar, Lawyer, and Bharatanatyam Dancer. Krithika dives into how she got started into Bharthanatyam, her experiences she took from her Arangetram, and how she views dance now and continues to grow herself as a talented artist. While she goes into her dance journey, she also gives advice to prospective dancers on how to get started in the field of expressing ideas and choreographing various dance pieces. In addition to dancing, Krithika is the Head of Legal and Compliance for a nonprofit organization called CAREspaces which aims to create safer workspaces in the Indian Arts Community. 

In this episode of Brown Art Network, Keerthi and Sneha talk with Tara Ashraf, creator of inbetweenamerican - a blog dedicated to talking about the various ups and downs of being a hyphenated identity. Tara uses her identity as a Pakistani American to navigate through various topics on her blog. Keerthi and Sneha ask Tara about her experiences finding that balance in her identity, ways she navigates being a blogger and communications/media professional, and advice for everyone trying to figure out how to balance all their interests and set goals in their career/life.