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

Hi Anjali, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
At first I thought each of my business ventures were things I started to provide myself with more agency over my creative life as an actor, producer, and writer, but it wasn’t long before I realized that the real driving force was to remove that same pain point for the incredible artists I know, both through work and our personal lives. I don’t have a ton of free time to spend with my friends these days so I’ve carefully crafted a career and life where I get to work with the people that I want to work with for 16 hours and still hang out with afterwards. And a big part of that is providing the space – both literally and figuratively – for my fellow artists to create with me without having to worry about the particular pain points that might be stopping them from creating. You want to write a book but you don’t know how to deal with the nitty gritty of publishing? I’ve got you through Road nto Ithaka Press. You want to do a podcast or live gameplay series but don’t know the first thing about audio or video production? My husband and I have got you at SLAP Studios and Bad Auntie Entertainment. It’s been a wonderful and prolific experience getting to be with the people I love, meet new people I want to work and play with, and completely skipping over any moments of “here’s why we can’t” and going straight to “here’s how we’re gonna do it.”

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?

Looking back, I think the biggest factor in my success has always been saying yes and finding more people to work with who do the same. Not in a blanket positivity sense, but in the sense of grabbing every chance to be a storyteller, to be of service, to learn new ways to do things, and most importantly, not discount myself before someone else says “no.” There were definitely challenges, and continue to be, like learning to live with disappointment or long periods of waiting followed by periods of being wildly overwhelmed by work. I would say my biggest challenges have come from my own mind – it took me a long time to really trust that being myself, for better or for worse, was the biggest asset I had in auditions, at work, and in life because not only was I enough but also because I am the only version of me there is in the world, which means no one can do whatever I’m doing quite the same way as I do. It’s not necessarily better or worse, but it IS unique. And unique is where the most creative fulfillment lies for me. It’s also been challenging bucking social norms through the years, whether because of my cultural background or just tropes that people are told as an artist that are just not true. I’ve actually been coaching actors in dispelling these tropes and myths through my Hungry Artist coaching and keynotes for years. So when people have tried to tell me “oh it’s so hard” as if it would discourage me, I’ve usually thought “well, SOMEONE is doing it, so it might as well be me.” And something being hard doesn’t scare me…it just means it’s a bigger challenge to solve. That’s what I mean about not discounting myself – I’m never going to turn down an opportunity because I think I’m not good enough at something, that’s not my place. My place is to do my best, make the artistic offering, and move on knowing that whatever I did in that moment is mine and unique and enough whether it was what the audience or casting room wanted or not.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
We’d start the day with a sunrise hike – we live very close to Runyon Canyon, but it could be there or Griffith Park or if we were feeling like waking up a little earlier, heading out to Temescal Canyon. or if we weren’t feeling like being too athletic, a lovely walk around Lake Hollywood would work too!

Then, it would be off to Aeirloom Bakery in Toluca Lake for breakfast/brunch – it’s my favorite daytime spot and the owner, Bentin, is the absolute sweetest. In the afternoon we could either do some shopping in Larchmont Village or on Melrose, depending on whether my friend wanted a more chill vibe or a more hip, thrifting situation. If shopping wasn’t their jam, I love doing the drive along Mulholland from the east end all the way to the west.

For dinner, I’m a sucker for the view and food at Yamashiro in Hollywood. It’s just about the most perfect view of all of Los Angeles, especially at Sunset. And if we wanted to do after dinner drinks, depending on the vibe we were looking for, I’d take them either to the Roosevelt for a little “old Hollywood” vibe or No Vacancy which has one of the coolest vibes (and most interesting entrances) in Hollywood.

(Yeah, that’s a fully zig-zag itinerary, but hey, time in the car means time together, so there ya go!)

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
First and foremost, my family – my mother and father taught me such a strong work ethic but also that you can apply that work ethic to things other people say are impossible and prove them wrong. My brother taught me the importance of being myself and following my own joy instead of listening to what other people wanted me to do or trying to do what I saw others doing. My husband, Rick Barrio Dill, who is the most extraordinary person I’ve ever met, has always encouraged me to swing big and trust that I can handle whatever comes at me because I am more powerful than I know (his words). Then there is the entire online gaming community that has been instrumental in my creating more ways to be of service because of how supportive and artistically generous they have been to me. They inspired me to create the series that then inspired my book. I Am Fun Size and So Are YOU!, as a love letter to that community. My mentor, Cat Stone, who has been a constant force of nature since I met her, helping me to keep my head in the clouds to dream and my feet on the ground to put those dreams into action. And then the entire team at Critical Role Studios, who lead by examples as individuals and as a whole – they are so driven to make the world a better place through what they create that it shine through everything they do. They’ve been my North Star on my own journey as a creator and producer – especially Matthew Mercer and Marisha Ray (Marisha even wrote the foreword to my book, for which I’m eternally grateful).

Website: www.AnjaliBhimani.com

Instagram: @sweeetanj

Linkedin: @sweeetanj

Twitter: @sweeetanj

Facebook: @anjalibhimani

Youtube: @sweeetanj

Image Credits
First image (in denim shirt and black pants): Matthew Kenneth Photography All the rest of the images are my own.

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.