The Artrepreneur's Journey - Inspiring stories of artmakers as entrepreneurs.

Juliet Blake is a British-American film, and television producer and serves as Head of Television for TED Talks. Blake executive produced the TED Talks Live TV series for PBS and produces TED Talks India Nayi Soch a TV series on Star Plus in India produced in Hindi, hosted by Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan. The show’s topics include some of the world’s most pressing issues, from climate change and the role of women in India, to pollution solutions and how technology can affect change for the better. The series has just been picked up for the next three years after reaching over 96 million people across India. In 2014, Juliet took a break from TED to join Steven Spielberg and Oprah Winfrey in producing the feature film “The Hundred-Foot Journey,” a film shot entirely in France and India starring Academy Award® winner Helen Mirren and the late Om Puri. Blake is currently developing a new film for Steven Spielberg’s company Amblin Partners: “Stolen Time” a feature film based on the life of Sonia “Sunny” Jacobs, a woman wrongfully convicted of murder who is later freed and starts a center to assist exonerees. In June 2018 she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Savannah College of Art & Design.

Raghava KK is a multidisciplinary artist working at the intersections of art, science, technology, education, and entrepreneurship. A National Geographic Explorer and a multiple-time TED speaker, he has also conducted talks and workshops for visionaries such as Tom Hanks, Jeff Bezos and Oprah Winfrey, to think about the role of creativity in the future. Aside from working with traditional forms, including painting, installation and performance, his art practice involves inventing and employing media to express post-human contemporary realities. In keeping with this, he co-founded 64/1, along with his brother Dr. Karthik Kalyanaraman. A research collective focused on art for the post human age, their debut curatorial project, Gradient Descent, was recognized as the first AI Art exhibition in India. Raghava KK’s projects often work towards disturbing the limits of the social and the perceptual self through the friction between found digital elements. Apart from exemplifying ideas of distributed authorship and authenticity, his work can also be seen as re-evaluating our notions of transcendence and sublimity. Through his unique marrying of art and science, Raghava KK pushes the boundaries of both, compelling viewers to expand and challenge their socially and psychologically settled selves and perceptions. Artistic creativity is a deeply decentred enterprise shared with the users of the artwork for him, as is evident in his numerous collaborations with other artists, technologists, corporations, educationists, scientists and academics.

Apoorva Bakshi is an International EMMY Award-winning producer, spearheading the production of most notably Sundance favorite & NFLX Original DELHI CRIME, National Award-winning films, SHUT UP SONA & LEECHES; NFLX Musical WHAT ARE THE ODDS?; and widely watched Facebook Original HOMESPUN. She serves as a Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Golden Karavan, Awedacious Originals, and Project FUEL carving her niche as one of the youngest producers of prolific South Asian productions. A fierce guardian of independent voices, Apoorva has successfully acquired and distributed over 40+ award-winning independents, notably the Cannes favorites, GANGS OF WASSEYPUR; Golden Globe shortlists FANDRY & SIDDHARTH; IDFA winner PLACEBO and Indian Selection for the Oscars VISARANAI among others. She has also worked at Sony Pictures Entertainment Networks Asia on large-scale format productions AMAZING RACE ASIA, CYRIL SIMPLY MAGIC & INDIA'S MINUTE TO WIN IT.

Utkarshini Vashishtha is a renowned prolific writer and director most known for penning iconic poignant feminist titles like Gangubai Kathiawadi (2020), Tinki (2018), Sarbjit (2016), and Five (2020). She worked as an associate director for movies like Goliyon Ki Rasleela Ram Leela (2013), India's Got Talent (2011), and The X factor India (2011). Sarbjit (film) was an official selection at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival and was shortlisted for the 88th Academy Awards. Gangubai Kathiawadi, starring Alia Bhatt is a celebration of the art and anguish of being a woman.

Actor, director, producer, writer - Vinita Sud Belani is the Founding Artistic Director of US theatre production house EnActe Arts, and a Board member at several non-profits. Her recent directing credits include Go to your room, Mother!, Chaos Theory, The Conference of the Birds, Soundwaves: The Passion of Noor Inayat Khan, Queen and The Case of The Vanishing Firefish, which she co-wrote. Belani is trained in street theatre under the renowned director and playwright Badal Sircar. Belani transitioned to an Arts career after 20+ years in technology in the corporate world. She holds a CS degree from BITS, Pilani and an MBA from HEC, France.