Aadip Desai is a Los Angeles based new dad, sideburns enthusiast, comedy writer, producer/co-host of the On The Page screenwriting podcast, and drummer for The Spanglers, a comedy musical act.
He will be a recruit on the fourth season of the popular Food Network reality show, The Worst Cooks In America.
His writing has appeared on The Conversation with Amanda de Cadenet, in City Arts Tacoma Magazine, Geekweek, Los Angeles Or Bust, and he blogged as President of the Northwest Screenwriters Guild. His produced work includes an award-winning romantic short, a Get Out The South Asian Vote PSA, and a math rock music video starring Leuko. As a stand-up comedian, Aadip has performed at The Improv, The Comedy Store, Flappers, Red Rock, and Elderberries. He also performed musical comedy at the Improv Lab, Upright Citizens Brigade, Steve Allen Theater, and SF Sketchfest.
Aadip has also interviewed/moderated panels featuring EMMY and OSCAR-winning filmmakers at The Northwest Screenwriters Guild, Austin Film Festival, and Pacific Northwest Writers Conference.
In the music business, Aadip music supervised several action sports films for Ally, a feature film called Unsung, and several commercials. He has interned for Randy Jackson at Sony Music, Capital Public Radio (NPR), and assisted Jim Wilke at Jazz After Hours (PRI). He managed the $5m global music account for Starbucks Coffee Company and programmed music at Muzak.
As a trumpet player, he has performed with Ramsey Lewis, T.S. Monk, Pancho Sanchez, Stanley Turrentine, Arturo Sandoval, Cleo Laine/John Dankworth, Jack Sheldon, Reggie Watts, Easy Big Fella, toured with The Diablotones supporting The Voodoo Glow Skulls (Epitaph Records), and recorded on Gardener’s New Dawning Time on Sub Pop Records.
As a drummer, Aadip has recorded, performed, and/or toured as a member of several bands, including The Far West, Juhu Beach, Martian Memo To God, and Pint O’Guinness.
Aadip’s training includes classes and workshops at The Groundlings, Upright Citizens Brigade, Writers Homicide School, UCLA Ext. and UW Ext. He’s also taken courses from Robert McKee, Steve Kaplan, Ellen Sandler, Blake Snyder, Pilar Alessandra, Jen Grisanti, Michael Hauge, Marilyn Atlas, and Walter Dalton.
He holds a BA in Economics and a Minor in Music from The University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, WA
Aadip lives in Los Angeles with his universally adored wife, his sassy newborn daughter, and two reactive Malteses. He melts when animals who are natural enemies become friends, enjoys a good TV slap fight, and marvels at the plethora of items that can be stuffed into a pizza crust.
Here's a glossary I've written in an attempt to help get your head around the terminology often used in screenwriting, TV writing, and the film industry writ large. It is by no means comprehensive, and there is much debate about what some of the terms may mean. But, it's a start. Enjoy. Above The Line: Expenditures/costs negotiated/spent before filming begins, including source material rights (for adaptations) and salaries ...
2013 TV Writing Fellowships/Programs: CBS Writers Mentoring Program: http://diversity.cbscorporation.com/page.php?id=23 Submission Period: March 1, 2013-May 1, 2013 Disney/ABC Television Writing Program: http://www.abctalentdevelopment.com/programs/programs_writings_fellowship.html Submission Period: Spring (TBA) Fox Writer's Intensive (FWI): http://www.fox.com/audiencestrategy/foxwritersintensive/ Submission Period: November? (TBA) National Latino Media Council/National Hispanic Media Coalition Television Writers Program: http://www.nhmc.org/writersprogram Submission Period: Summer (...
I just got back from my "Save The Cat" Writing Group, comprised of all Guild members, except for one, K8. She'll join soon, I just know it. Anyway, we had a good session where they broke down the first 20 pp of my next feature and read some awesome beats from Van's new feature project. Got home and watched some NBC finales off the DVR, specifically The Office and ER. I ...
Past guest and buddy of mine, Sanjay Shah (Story Editor at King of the Hill) is pleased to announce that an episode he wrote, called "Pour Some Sugar on Kahn" will air tomorrow, Sunday March 30th at 8:30PM. He says it no longer has anything to do with the very great Def Leppard song by the (almost) same name because the script changed a lot from the first draft because ...
I was happy to see Stephen Colbert welcome back his writers one by one on camera, awarding them with a pencil and well, their jobs. There was only one suspect writer, namely the ubiquitous Kevin Bacon. Colbert did continually make fun of the strike throughout, but it's a comedy show. Hey Oregonians - The Oregon Writers Colony asked us to let you know that Christopher Vogler, who wrote The Writers ...
Link to Variety article Well, let the buying frenzy begin. I'm glad to see that many of our past guest speakers can get back to work and pay their mortgages. Some 92.5% of the 3,775 ballots cast were in favor of ending the 100-day strike, with 3,492 members voting yes and 283 die-hards ready to tilt at the windmill of continuing the work stoppage that began Nov. 5. FYI, the SAG-AFTRA contract on feature films ...
Just so everybody out there knows, you MUST watch Battlestar Gallactica (the new series).I got to it late, 'cause I don't have cable. Even if you don't like Sci Fi, it has all the elements of a great series - great acting (performance, chemistry, credibility, looks), constantly increasing drama/conflict, tight writing, fascinating and complex characters, and cool fight scenes.Watch the series in this order...it's a little ...
Greetings again from Southern California, namely Los Angeles. I just spent the last few hours at an LA Kings hockey game (what do southlanders know about hockey? nothing), where the Kings got their a**es handed to them by Texans (Dallas Stars). The highlight was seeing a bunch of little kid hockey players tear it up between periods. The crowd awoke whenever the kids would deal a crushing body check ...
Tonight I quit my band of several years, Juhu Beach.It was a good run, but I am ready to move on to other pursuits, most especially writing screenplays. There is a certain satisfaction in not relying on others to complete creative projects. Let's not forget the pursuit of creative control as another motivating force.So I'm putting the kit in the basement for recording purposes and living with my ...