We had the good fortune of connecting with Vishal Munsif and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Vishal, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
The idea was simple – I wanted to create content that I was passionate about. I did not want to get into the hierarchy system where ideas were shut down only because they were not the flavor of the month.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Running a business is always tough. And it is tougher when it comes to media and entertainment. There is always someone who can do things better and cheaper. It has been a tough road. We are a small, independent production house and our projects are mostly social message driven – documentaries per se. Pithing a documentary to streaming services is almost impossible. So most the projects have to funded internally and through investors. But we have managed ourselves well and are moving in the right direction. We are working on multiple projects currently.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
LA is an exciting place. Lots to do. Brunch in Manhattan Beach, drinks in Malibu, night out on Wilshire and dinner in Beverly Hills. A couple of days in Vegas. Spend some time visiting studios, Academy Museum of Motion Pictures etc. Southern California vineyards is an experience.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My ideas for my projects are based on what I see around me. The environment, the people, geo-political issues etc. I derive motivation from the person behind the person that is doing the real work. Over the course of my filming, I have come across brilliant minds in the science world that want to help save the humanity from climatic issues as well a migrant kid whose entire aim in life is to provide for his ailing parents. But my biggest mentor or rather a motivator is my wife, Meghna, who has been right by me helping me run my business even when things were tough.

Website: www.tdrla.com

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.