Aadip Desai is a writer, comedian, music supervisor, drummer, trumpeter, and podcast producer. He’s tired just thinking about it.

Aadip grew up all over the country (NJ, TX, NY, CA, WA), the son of two Indian-born, Air Force Physicians. As a teenager, Aadip read Hero of A Thousand Faces and wrote a heroic one-act play about the New York Philharmonic, but received a “B” because he used the word b*tch. As a college intern at Sony Music under Randy “The Emperor” Jackson, he worked with Will Smith, Destiny’s Child, Mariah Carey, and went on to other prominent writing assignments, including transcribing album lyrics for the Good Morning America teleprompter. He also worked as a Production/Operations Intern for two NPR-affiliates in Sacramento, CA.

While working at Muzak, trying to figure out what a cinnamon roll sounds like, he attempted his first screenplay. Fate intervened by losing his 20-page treatment, thus saving the world from another passive protagonist. For several years, Aadip worked on PRI’s Jazz After Hours, recording over 40 live jazz recordings and as an International Account Executive, managed a $5 million account, ensuring that every Starbucks in the world received its background music. He finished a spec of LAW AND ORDER on his lunch break. It died with Jerry Orbach, but was a semi-finalist in the American Accolades TV Competition. He also wrote, produced, cast, drove the van, craftied, and music supervised a music video for the band, Leuko. He wrote another music video for the Helio Sequence, wrote a short-for-hire called BOXES, and finished another short, KISS AT THE ZOO, which placed in the top 20% of the American Gem Short Competition and made it to the 2nd round of Slamdance.

Aadip worked as a 1st AD on VOCAL HELP NOW, featuring Debra Byrd, vocal coach of American Idol and went on to create soundtracks for two plays, six extreme sports videos for Ally Distribution/Champion Visions, and a feature film, UNSUNG, which was a Selection at the Seattle True Indie Film Fest, Movie Pick of the Week by the Seattle Weekly, and featured music by The Decemberists, the Murder City Devils, and many more. He has also created 11 original reality television series and has written several comedy sketches. In 2007, Aadip co-wrote a comedy feature called HAPPY ACCIDENT with Jen Peel (MFA from NYU), which was a Second Rounder at the Austin Film Festival.

As President of the Northwest Screenwriters Guild from 2007-2009, Aadip organized over 30 events and workshops and interviewed top script consultants, working screenwriters, actors, TV writers, managers, and production company executives. He managed a Board of 12 members and grew the organization from 40 members in 2007 to 165 members by 2009.

He has also been a panelist and moderated panels at the Austin Film Festival, Pacific Northwest Writers Association Conference, Screenwriters Salon in Seattle, and The Great American PitchFest. Aadip has also been a reader, judge, and director of the Washington State Screenplay Competition, the Northwest Screenwriting Competition, and PNWA Literary Contest, as well as a Volunteer Coordinator for the Great American PitchFest.

Pilar Alessandra recently interviewed Aadip for her On The Page podcast, which turned into a job as producer for her top 50 of podcasts on iTunes. He has spent the last 2+ years on the Final Draft 8 Product Team and giving feedback on Adobe’s upcoming Story application.

He matriculated from the University of Puget Sound (it’s a real school) and studied supply and demand (Econ) while learning how to triple-tongue (on a trumpet, you sicko). He was a featured jazz trumpet soloist and ska horn section player, while also playing the drums in Tacoma/Seattle punk rock and indie rock bands. In his lifetime he has played over 1,000 gigs.

He’s augmented his liberal arts experience with screenwriting workshops/classes at Screenwriters Expo, Austin Film Festival, University of Washington Extension, UCLA Extension, and The Northwest Screenwriters Guild. Teachers have included: Blake Snyder, Pilar Alessandra, Barney Lichtenstein, Marilyn Atlas, Catherine Ann Jones, Walter Dalton, Michael Hauge, Ellen Sandler, Robert McKee, and Victoria Wisdom.

Aadip is currently assistant to comedian, Judy Carter and completed her Stand-Up Comedy Workshop, culminating in a performance at the Hollywood Improv, followed by performances at The Comedy Store.

His crowning achievement was being fired by a middle manager at Microsoft for “being too creative” and “thinking too out of the box.” Seriously.

Aadip lives in Palms, the oldest neighborhood in Los Angeles that most people have never heard of, with his wife and Maltese. He spends his free time surfing, playing Beatles Rock Band, and doing crossword puzzles. Yeah, exciting.