Episode 18: Rekha Shankar

Our guest this week is Rekha Shankar (she/her)   She is a comedian, writer, actor and filmmaker originally from Philadelphia, now based in Los Angeles, California!   Knowing that she wanted to make people laugh, Rekha forged a path into comedy and film-making while attending NYU. This persistence led her to discover improv, move to LA, and get into all kinds of career defining rooms, including College Humor/Dropout, Animaniacs, Aunty Donna's House of Fun, and NBC's Grand Crew. Throughout her career, she has worked tirelessly to develop her unique voice and perspective, and ultimately hopes to achieve her goal of "being a professional idiot". In this episode, we talk about writing for live improv vs scripted comedy film, integrating your identity and culture into your art, and the Philadelphia community's warmth and hospitality towards those it claims as its own.  You can find/contact Rekha everywhere cited below!  Instagram - @rekha_s Newsletter - buttondown.com/RekhaShankar Patreon - rekha|shankar Website - rekhashankar.com Rekha has just begun shooting her new film, Vidhya's Guide to the Afterlife! This deeply personal, sci-fi buddy comedy following the only two left behind behind the Hindu rapture was written by Rekha and will be directed by fellow DesiQuest cast member Sandeep Parikh! In order to stay in the loop about the film's updates, make sure to follow Rekha everywhere cited above, as well as check out rekhamovie.com!    Make sure to follow Rekha's career/upcoming projects by joining our weekly Newsletter! Sign up TODAY! OR check out our Guest Contact Sheet, which is updated whenever our previous guests have new art to share! Check it Out!   Credits Host - Gideon Caro McDonald Guest - Rekha Shankar Editor - Fern Morehouse Cover Art/Graphic Design - Ella Carter Theme Song - Valerie Barry