Rishi Rajani (he/him) California

CEO of Hillman Grad Rishi Rajani co-founded the company alongside actor, producer and Emmy®-winning writer Lena Waithe in order to empower and provide industry access to underrepresented artists and amplify the stories of diverse, historically marginalized communities across all industries. Rajani oversees all divisions across Hillman Grad, guiding strategic direction and developing new business partnership deals for the company. Under the Hillman Grad Productions banner, he has produced a myriad of projects including: The Chi; Twenties; Boomerang; The Forty Year-Old Version; A Thousand And One, which received the Grand Jury Prize in the U.S. Dramatic Competition at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival Awards; Kokomo City, which received the NEXT Audience Award and NEXT Innovator Award at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival; Disney+’s Emmy nominated Chang Can Dunk; and Emmy nominated doc Being Mary Tyler Moore. Rajani also originated the company’s Rising Voices director fellowship with Indeed, serves as an Executive Mentor for the Hillman Grad Mentorship Lab, and launched a South Asian mentorship program under “The Salon.”