Meet Anuja Ganpule-Sheorey | Filmmaker & Showrunner-in-Training

We had the good fortune of connecting with Anuja Ganpule-Sheorey and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Anuja, can you talk to us a bit about the social impact of your business?
I’ve always felt “other-ed.” Whether in school or on vacation or day-to-day life, no matter how hard I’ve tried, I just can’t manage to fit into what people consider “normal.”

I know that I’m not alone. We all have our differences and many people feel underrepresented, stereotyped and “other-ed.” It’s a very frustrating life experience and just as you start to feel comfortable in a given experience – BOOM. Someone points out how alien you are to them.

My life’s goal is to create media and entertainment that recognizes and celebrates individuality while simultaneously reminding everyone that we are all human beings and that our differences are ultimately only skin-deep.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
What sets me apart is persistence, being detail-oriented, and my belief in destiny.

I always trust my gut, ignore the naysayers (but appreciate and respond to constructive criticism), and amaze myself with what I can accomplish when I put my own self-doubt and fear aside.

I believe that I was put on this earth to do what makes my heart sing – which is to SERVE the world (with my own particular set of skills and talents). My first love was science, specifically becoming a biology teacher (I even took the CSET and everything!) but now I want to empower and educate people through art.

Anuja’s tips for artists:

-Choose projects and ideas that excite you and to boldly pursue them to their logical conclusion – because doing something you love and doing something you hate both require the same amount of time and resources.

-Push aside your ego when receiving criticism (especially the constructive kind). Record all of the notes, take time to grieve, and then look at them with fresh eyes. Sometimes the notes you hate the most prove to be the most useful.

-Be brave. Ask yourself what you’ll regret not having tried by the end of your life. The worst that will happen is you’ll fail. Trying and failing is better than never having tried at all (and you’ll learn lots of ways NOT to do something!).

-If you see something missing in the TV/Film landscape, don’t wait for permission to fill the void. Just DO IT! You’ll be amazed at what you can accomplish with persistence and optimism.

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.
Hahaha. I’m kind of an old lady in terms of my tastes, but here we go….

1) Renting & riding bikes between Venice and Santa Monica Pier. Stopping at the Pier, buying unlimited ride wristbands and riding everything we can. Eating funnel cake and ice cream. Stopping by the adult swings on the way back to our bikes and swinging to our hearts’ content, giggling as we people-watch and stare at the crashing waves.

2) Strolling in the Huntington Gardens and improvising fake histories of different areas – pretending a certain cluster of trees used to hide a pirate’s treasure chest, or a lake was once created by an ancient glacier. Taking pictures of flowers and imagining them as ballgowns for fairies.

3) Going to LACMA in the morning and watching the mesmerizing “Metropolis II” – a small-scale “city” with toy cars that zip around it. Afterwards we’d picnic in the park – the LaBrea tarpits actually – and I’d proudly show off the sticky tar that you can actually touch because it’s EVERYWHERE. My friend would probably want to picnic elsewhere – far from the stinky lake of tar.

4) Eating at GOKOKU Vegetarian Ramen & Joe’s Falafel (in Burbank), Chutamas Thai Cuisine (in Reseda), and IXLB DimSum Eats (in LA). Dessert would be at Salt & Straw, Susie Cakes, or Ben & Jerry’s.

5) Seeing a show. I’m not sure what show, but there’s always something happening in LA.

6) Going to a live “experience” – there’s always something new to explore. The Museum of Ice Cream, The Bridgerton Afternoon Tea, SoCal Wonderland, etc.

7) Going to the movies, buying popcorn (with extra butter), and sitting in reclining seats. Grabbing a meal afterwards and discussing the film – what did it do well, what could be improved, and what we liked/didn’t like about it.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to dedicate this shoutout to my husband, my parents, and all of my wonderful friends and family who continue to stand by me on this thrilling adventure!

Website: www.TheCandleAndTheCurse.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anuja.ganpule.sheorey/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/anuja.ganpulesheorey.3

Other: VIMEO: https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/447051492

Image Credits
Smita Ganpule