E54: Building Your Brand and Never Losing Hope: An Entrepreneur's Journey with Hollywood Film Producer Sweta Rai

Jim: Remote Start Nation, on today's episode, we are going to be discussing building a brand for yourself, then building a startup, and talking to one entrepreneur on her story of Never Losing Hope. I'm Jim Doyon, your host, and today we're gonna be talking with Sweta Rai, Hollywood film producer, director, writer, and entrepreneur who focuses on creating meaningful cinema. Her latest documentary feature film, A Pandemic Away from the Motherland, was shortlisted for the Oscar race. She is the founder and CEO of Indo Holly Films and Diverse Cinema. Both, she started after producing her feature films so she could help bridge the gap between underrepresented communities around the world and Hollywood. I'm looking forward to sharing her story of how she was born and brought up in India, and how she created a personal brand that took her to Hollywood to where she's making a difference with her business today. Without further ado, Sweta, welcome to the Remote Start Podcast, I'm very happy to have you.

Sweta: Thank you, Jim. Thank you for having me on the show. And I'll start talking about, where it all started, about my journey, and as you mentioned, I started from India, so I grew up in a tiny little town of India, which was not even on the Google Maps for a very long time, I think up until recently. And from there, back in the days especially in the smallest cities or the third world countries, it was a taboo to, talk about arts or filmmaking because in India everybody was trying to be the national profession of India, which is software engineering and so everybody was either the doctor, liar or the engineer. And suddenly, if you tell your parents that, Hey, I want to be a filmmaker, and they'll be like, you know how you're gonna earn your bread and butter? So it was very difficult, back in the days, and just like any other obedient Indian kid, I also went to an engineering college, and I'll just be honest about it. I did pursued my software engineering degree only for six months. Started begging my parents that this is not, what I want to do in the long run, because even while growing up I was doing some sort of, plays or dramas or always associated in some of the other part of art music. And I learned Indian classical singing, so some part of the art, I just didn't have a direction because, just like many other kids from the third world countries, we don't have a direction, that this is what I want to do or the kids like here in America, they learn about filmmaking from childhood. They're making short films, so I was impressed, I wish we had something like that. Back then, yeah, our exposure to movies was only the dub version of Jumanji or, Titanic, and that two like super edited versions where they would call a dinosaur would be called a lizard. So we didn't know that, what dinosaur was, because we used to think it is a lizard, things like that. We grew up here, like that. So without any exposure to Hollywood cinema, and then from there on somehow it just happened that I went for an audition of a TV newscaster which was happening in my city, surprisingly, without telling my parents went for this audition and somehow got the job. I don't know how I read that bulletin, that was my first time facing the multi prompter, and when I got the job, something changed, my parents are like, okay, you have to finish your studies, but at the same time, you can be a newscaster, and then my journey started. So I started being a news newscaster on television, worked for multiple channels, went to New Delhi, which was which is a capital offender. So now I'm in the city, reading news bulletins also started liking the behind the scenes, I started producing news bulletins and from there on, it all started, and my love for camera being on the camera, behind camera, it's, it started from there and went to Bombay, which is a Bollywood capital. Again, started producing some television shows there on, and then with the twists and turns of life, I had an opportunity to work for the Discovery Channel in Singapore, and at Discovery I learned a lot, because there I got to work with Emmy Award-winning producers who were making documentaries like me after the mega storm. And so I was working in the production. Sorry, you have a question?

Jim: I wanted to stop you for a second. I want to go back to the point because this is Pivotal and I think a lot of, younger people that might listen to this show, and want to hear this journey and your parents had said, at first no. And then, okay, you've, you got this role, okay, you can do it, but you have to finish your schooling. How did that conversation go when you said, okay I'm gonna go and pursue this and this is my dream?

Sweta: Yeah, it was very awkward actually, you because I was the first one actually in my small town who was, trying to do something related to the media or arts. So it was a difficult conversation, it took me some time to even figure it out, whether studies is the only way, like getting your degrees, versus, trying to follow your passion, which years later, when I moved to the US I realized there are so many people who only have high school degrees or even their undergrad degrees and they are doing so well, and because they're following their passion and it takes experiences that taught them, and just to bring that con like one particular incidence when I was receiving my MFA degree, which was actually my third master's degree at a f i and the same day Quintin Tarantino was receiving his PhD for doing what he did, over the years, and we are so blessed with this cinema. And while receiving his degree, he said that, oh, I am standing right in front of the master's degree, and I'm not even high school, so that's when I realized that he's Tarantino and what he has built, I wish I knew as a kid, or a lot of parents in the smaller remote cities know that it's not important to finish that degree as long as you are, finishing the real life school and by experiences. And look what he did by not even passing the high school degree. And we were sitting right in front of him and we were like, we only wish, we could ever make even a single movie like what he did. So I think that was a very hard conversation and I did continued with my studies and it was very challenging because, in the morning you have to get up, you go read a news bulletin, then, to school because as I was still a teenager when I started working and then go to college after, I entered in the college. So it was very difficult and challenging, I was like constantly on the run trying to, go to college and then also to follow my passion. So it is very difficult. I hope, it changes and it has been changing in other parts of the world, but as a kid it becomes very difficult when you know you are forced to study, but at the same time, you want to follow your passion.

Jim: So would your advice be for those listening to follow your passion?

Sweta: Absolutely, follow your passion. I do understand degrees are important because ours is a very uncertain field, so I won't say that doing an MBA, which I did, and MFA is a waste. Of course, I learned so much during the process and it has only helped me, as some people say, it is your backup plan always, but it's not necessary. Also, like I see a lot of athletes, lot of entertainers not even going to high school and they're doing so well in their profession. So if you are really passionate about something, I don't think degrees do matter.

Jim: I love that and, did your parents, after you got your degree, did they say, okay, go and finish and do what you want, pursue your dream?

Sweta: Yeah. So absolutely after so I still ended up doing, I left my engineering, but I did my undergrad in computers and mathematics, I had to. So I did that and I was good. I was a good student. But then after that, I think something changed because by the time I already was a newscaster, an established one. And then my parents said, okay, now you can pursue your degrees in the field that you are in. So my first master's was actually in broadcast journalism because, I was a journalist in a way a newscaster. So then I started pursuing degrees, which were related to my passion, which also I would recommend, as parents and if at all you think degrees are important, then let them do a degree in the same field. They are passionate about because it would be so interesting. So for example, if I was doing my MFA introducing at a, it was so interesting every day, even though it was such a rigorous program. But it was so interesting every day to get up and get to make a movie because this is what I was passionate about.

Jim: And it helps too when you're passionate about something that if there's challenges, you're gonna overcome them because, you're passionate about it, you're not gonna give up, you're gonna want to keep going forward. And you experienced that firsthand.

Sweta: Absolutely. I think that's what is important because that's what keeps you going, that you are so passionate about it that I recently read a code that, whether even you're passionate about something, it doesn't matter. It's whether it's Monday morning or a Friday morning, it's all the same because every morning you get up and you are like so enthusiastic to work on your passion rather than something that, I see. Software engineers because I'm in Silicon Valley right now and meet with them, then they're like super singers or they play instruments and they all regret. I see that regret somewhere. They, I wish I would have done that, but nothing wrong with it, because they chose their a certain profession as my parents would say, it's a salaried and certain profession, but there is always a risk, with the losing your passion versus following.

Jim: That's great, I thank you for sharing that. Let's go back to, I had stopped you cause I really wanted to hit on that conversation, but you had, so you'd left and you were at Discovery and what happened from there?

Sweta: So at Discovery, I was also their production program financing distribution executive. So I was distributing discovery shows to a lot of production houses and channels in Asia Pacific. So this helped me to travel around Asia Pacific and understand the markets over there, but again, because I was passionate about the production side of it. So I started helping an executive producer. And he happened to be an Emmy Award-winning producer, and he helped me understand the basics of, how a documentary is made and especially discovery documentaries, which are known to be great, worldwide. So I started learning the process and while in the process I made a short film separate from my regular work and the short film was about, when children leave their. Because in Singapore, there is no poverty or anything, but the main pro issue is that the children, actually leave their parents even when they are like in their like early fifties or sixties.

Jim: Oh wow.

Sweta: So they just let them go to an old age home. So I interacted with a lady, so it was like a live. Documentary that I made with them, and that went to a lot of film festivals, it was, and I was surprised. It was just a short film with a very good message, and after that I figured, because, till then I was a newscaster, a television producer doing all sorts of things. I also acted in couple of Bollywood daily super prepares. And so after all of this, I finally figured that telling a story and narrative story form. Is what, where my passion lies, because all this while through my journey, it's the story in itself. And that's when I when that film did pretty well, I knew what I want to learn and that's when I started applying to a lot of film schools and I thought that's I want to learn it from the Masters in Hollywood. So I applied to this one and finally got into it. And I made a move from discovery in Singapore to Hollywood, which again, was not the best of the decisions because, in the beginning, anyone would say you're leaving your glamorous job. By the time I was also the Global Diversity Ambassador, so I was promoting diversity in Singapore doing lot of campaigns for Singapore, mini Ministry of Defense and interracial, so was an advocator for a diversity there. And now I'm leaving everything to become a student and it's not it's very expensive to be a student in the us, but again, following your passion, no matter how difficult it is. So I thought that it has to be there, I have to do this to learn the craft from the masters in Hollywood and then pursue it.

Jim: I love that, that's such a good story. And the fact that you realize that in telling a story got you seen and got you recognized for the video or the movie you put out, and then to say I wanna learn further. I want to keep going with this and I'm gonna give up everything that I've already grown to where most people would say you've made it.

Sweta: Yeah, absolutely, absolutely. And not that it was easy, it was challenging to be a student, now you're suddenly in the US you are getting your visa fixed and everything, and at the same time. So I had to work, I had no choice, I'm from a middle class family, left a job, so I had to work. I was working like two jobs, also with one was with an internship with the Morgan Freeman's company and other one was assisting a producer. So it was like between the two jobs and college for two years.

Jim: Yeah, wow. And so from there, Did you continue to work? So you were learning, you're working multiple jobs, were you able to produce or act in any other films?

Sweta: Yeah so the AFIS program is like very hands-on where they teach you to make movies, like you are not like going through the regular examination, your exam is a movie. So every semester you make a movie. So I made movies while in college, we formed a small production company and we made like a proper thesis film, which also went to a lot of film festivals. And it is, it was called Oscar and the Short Film. So I think, we manifested it for us in a way, so then that short film. And while I was still in the college, in my second year, I got a job with crystal Sky Pictures. They're the makers of Ghost and Michelle, and got to work with John White, who as an actor. So got to work with their company and I already started working while I was still in college, I think it was meant to be like that all my life, that was my first break, I'd say, because now it, I started as a line producer, went made my way up to a co-producer and co-produced at least like 10 feature firms with them. So all like full length feature firms, we sold to Amazon Prime, Hulu, Showtime and movies are still running on all these, platforms have made a couple of features for Hallmark Channel. So I think that was my first break, and there I got to work with James Kahn from The Godfather, late James Kahn, I think he passed away two years back. So got to work with all these Hollywood legends, which not many, Indians I would say have worked with or an immigrant like me would get a chance to work, and sometimes I would be like the kind of this production manager co-producer of let's say 300 to 500 people on set. So I'm managing the team of the production designers or cinematographers and the whole team on set. I think I grew my way up and that's what I got to do within that job.

Jim: And I think a lot of people would say, again, you've reached the top, like you're there, like you're right in line, but now you're starting your own businesses.

Sweta: Exactly. So same thing happened, you're absolutely right. So now at the top of my game, my life is settled. I'm, getting to work with a big production house, they have already made it feature films in their PR with their production company, and already working with the Hollywood Legends. Now, again, I made it, there is this wheel, in view that I think that drives us, people like us. And no matter how challenging the path is, we never lose hope. So I think the, I one of those people and I actually ended up setting, my production company, which is called Indo Holly Films, because I realized that I'm making these movies, which the script is not mine, and I am getting to manage the whole show, but it's not the storytelling, it's not something that I wanted to tell, not that those stories are bad, those are amazing movies, but not this, the kind of, the meaningful cinema that we talked about in the beginning that I wanted to tell. So that's when the idea of Indo Holly Films generated and the idea was already the back of my mind for a very long time. And I thought it's the right age agent time that I have to take the plunge again, and I did it and sat in my company in the most, unprecedented times, which is 2019, I start my own company, leaving my job, a glamorous job, I'd say, and then the pandemic happened.

Jim: So you jumped two feet in, this wasn't even something that you were, you had laid out like it was like, I'm going in, I'm all in.

Sweta: Absolutely, absolutely yeah. And the good thing is, my previous company, they said that our doors will always be open, we just go and try your own thing. And that's what a lot of producers do, so they of knew the process. So I started my company 2019, 2020 pandemic happened. The first movie that I wanted to do was about skin complexion biases that a lot of women face in India, Nigeria, and a lot of the other parts of the world, DACA wants to become fairer and fairer wants to be tanned, it's such an irony, it's that movie I wanted to make. But because of pandemic, I stopped the production and started shooting a movie about the doctors. So these Indian doctors who are in the US because I'm not even a doctor, I would call my parents and they were so worried because they were in. And I thought if my family is sober, worried, what is happening to the healthcare workers. So we started shooting very early on, somewhere in the, early March, 2020. So the first I think female filmmaker who actually got to shoot the entire movie remotely from my apartment in downtown LA. And I think Oscar recognized it, and we were shortlisted for the race. So we were in the race in May 2020. And it just tells the story of these healthcare workers and what they felt. And we also shot with their families back in India, so the complete emotion at the time of the absolute lockdown from the early days of the pandemic. So ended up making that movie through my production company.

Jim: Wow, that's so cool. And from there, so you have this first business, and then you've also created a second business at the same time?

Sweta: No, not at the same time. After this movie happened we were still shooting the second movie, which is Shades the Skin Complexion Biases. Now, it also became timely with George Floyd's death because I saw that it is happening around the world. So we have to put this in, and so combined the whole Black Lives Matter movement in the film, which is yet to be released, we are still working on it. And then the challenges that were associated with actually trying to sell this movies like the, my own independent movies to the Biggies or the big streaming platforms, I thought that if I am al I've already made the so many movies. If I'm having so much difficulty in trying to, monetize from my movies and trying to sell it to the platforms, imagine some, filmmakers sitting in this remote city just like me, sitting in a remote city in India or Asia somewhere, or maybe you know Kenya, how are they going to ever tell their stories? So that's when Diverse cinema, my streaming platform came in picture and I thought, I have to give this platform to these remote, underrepresented content creators around the world, so they cannot, they shouldn't go through what I went through, different journeys and different, jobs and education. So they should know that this is one platform where I will just write to them. I'll send my trailer and, they'll put my movie on and the world will get to see it. And not just that, I thought that these communities don't even have a chance to show it to the Hollywood fraternity or industry. So I also started connecting them with a lot of the industry makers and investors and financiers through our newsletters.

Jim: That's huge. So what, both your businesses, what stage of business would you say that they in?

Sweta: So Indo Holly Films is like a movie based, every project we try to fund and raise funds for our next project. So in Indo Holly Films I thought feature film, which is called From Bollywood to Hollywood, it is an Indian dancer story, which is a story, of, not just my story, but a lot of the story of women, who have gone through, certain challenges to move from Bollywood to Hollywood. That's one of the movies that we are raising finances for diverse cinema. We are in thee round and we are yet to raise around, and so far we've been running the show, I think this is the most un unprecedented times again, because of the economic turmoil in the company in the country. I think it's the most challenging times to raise funds, but then I think it has always been like that, yeah, there is no time to say that, it's challenging that challenges are always going to be there, and we are hopeful that someday, somebody will un understand the idea and will buy it.

Jim: That's great. Being a young company and being in Silicon Valley and trying to produce what you're doing, what do you see are some of the biggest challenges that you're faced with? Not from the economy and, but more from being a young business owner and trying to raise money.

Sweta: I think being a young business owner and especially being like this like single female entrepreneur, whenever you go out for the meetings, sometimes I have been even told, who are there some older people in your team? And I'm like, it's, the age is not, a factor to be to gauge the value of a company. And so I think I'm already facing the challenges right from the beginning, and I think the other bigger challenges for a company like this is, of course there is a huge competition. So trying to convey that, it is not in the competition with, the bigger streaming platforms or anything, it has its own niche where, you're trying to bring the independent content, which is not being shown and not even getting a chance to go out there. So I think the, just the con conveying message about this independent content is the, is has been a challenge because mostly in Silicon Valley they take it as an entertainment company. And then in LA the thing, it's a tech company, so we are also like, because it is tech entertainment, at the end of the day it's a software and not just the streaming, we are not only going to stream movies or TV shows, we're trying to develop it into more diverse categories, like we are going to sell books, which are diverse books. And then we are also adding like a casting platform because I think it's very important to bring like diverse cast to Hollywood and to the other industries for sure. So we are adding multiple layers to this diverse, so it's not only going to be like diverse cinema and a streaming platform, but there you can also, sell your books, which are related to movies or maybe you want to make a movie one day based on the book or you want, we are looking for this actor, let's say a Hispanic actor, and then you can go to diverse cinema and you can even find the actors, all the, because we already have a database of directors, producers, and content creators, so they can easily gauge. So we are trying to add lot of features, and that's where the challenge is because we cannot develop it until we are fundraised.

Jim: So I've noticed a repetition in what you've done, you've always tried to give back and try to represent individuals that would not be re represented otherwise, and that's it's what you did when you were on your work path up and it's what you're doing now, I respect that so much.

Sweta: Thank you so much. I think it is very important at the end of the day to give back to the society in whatever form, because when I see my journey, it took me such a long time, to be here and I know now the technicalities of it and you know how you can do it. So I don't want any other kid, any other dreamer to be sitting out there and just dreaming that, oh, I have to three masters to get there. No, you don't have to, you just have to be follow the right approach and you can be there because if it took me such a long time, the only thing that I can give back is to let other content creators give this platform where it won't take them so much time. They can just put their movies out there and we have such kind of movies, there is a found footage film in like in one of the Indian dialects and it was just there in India, we got it and it's playing as an exclusive in our channel, and after that he got to put it on a lot of other channels like Amazon Prime, because we already promoted it and got connected with a lot of financiers and investors, where now his second movie is funded. So, I get very happy, when I see someone benefiting from us because this is the whole idea at the end of the day.

Jim: Five years from now, if you were to look back and have the biggest smile on your face and feel like, Hey, I've I'm finally at a point where I am so happy in what I've done, and looking at your business, where, what would that be? What would be that milestone or that change in even an individual that you've created throughout your business? What would that look like?

Sweta: Five years from now, one, I think it's very important from my journey for people to learn about, not losing hope at any point in their lives. I know it is very challenging, it gets very challenging. There are times when people just want to quit, and that's where it all starts. The moment you think of leaving it that's when you have to not lose hope. So five years from now, if I can see lot of these content creators, lot of these and not just content creators, as I said, we are giving a platform to everyone from the underrepresented community where they can go and find things that they would like to do. So when everyone of them who are like somewhere sitting in a remotes of the city or town in some part of the world, they are able to put their content out there, and if their stories are being told, because there are a lot of these unheard stories, back in Singapore there was a maid that I had and she had a very unique story and every time I'd hear her, I'd cry and I was like, this has to be put into a movie. See those kind of stories, yeah, where when these are out, and I think I'll be very happy, whether it's five years or 10 years down the line, if I could see that these stories are being told now to our platform and these people are being able to monetize, nothing like it. So I think that would be my giveaway.

Jim: I love it, you're on such a beautiful mission and I'm behind you, anything I can do to help, I'm here. I absolutely, hearing your story and just listening to this is, it's incredible. So congratulations to where you've already come and really look forward to seeing how far you take this.

Sweta: Thank you so much for that.

Jim: Absolutely. So before, I've got one more question for you, but before our time comes to an end, where can the Remote Start Nation find you?

Sweta: To find me as an…

Jim: Where can they, where should they go to find your business to learn more about you, if there's someone that wants to connect where would they, where would you send them?

Sweta: Sure, absolutely. So I think if somebody wants to connect I think social media is the best platform to connect with me, and they're on Instagram with my names Sweta Rai. And apart from that, I think our websites, because every website, if a content creator wants to send their content on our website diversecinema.com, there is a form for content creators where they can just send their trailers or their movie scripts and we'll take a look at it and we'll see if it meets all the criteria and we can put it on our platform. So there are two places, and to personally connect with me, I think that's the best way to write a note and just get connected. And probably, because we keep constantly, keep posting a lot about updates about our business, my personal journey, and what's going on in life and also the entrepreneurship. So I think that's a best platform to connect.

Jim: Thank you. What's the biggest takeaway that you can leave with the Remote Start Nation today?

Sweta: I think the biggest takeaway right now is that the times are challenging, and I think for every entrepreneur who are probably you guys are going to interview or maybe, who are going to listen to this podcast, I think one should not lose hope during these challenging times and just keep going and keep doing what they're doing and they're passionate about. And try to not miss out on the, the technicalities of what you're trying to do, of course, it is also important that passion is one thing, but it's also important to the thorough research on the market and try to learn more about what's going on in what's the scenario like in your particular industry. Just a good balance of both the things I think will lead these guys somewhere.

Jim: Excellent. Thank you so much for that, and thank you for coming on the Remote Start Nation today, I appreciate it.

Sweta: Thank you so much for having me, it is a pleasure.

Jim: Absolutely. Remote Start Nation, I hope you learned as much as I did today and could put some of what Sweta told us and to work for you. Thank you all for joining us on this journey. Remember, leave a comment, subscribe and share this episode with your community who you think could learn from what you. Until next time, go start something, start today and go build the lifestyle you desire by taking action.