Experienced Media & Entertainment Professional-Sriram Emani

Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in entertainment but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Sriram Emani, actor, singer, and dancer based in Boston, MA, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

I'm an actor-singer-dancer in the United States which makes me an entrepreneur in many ways. My 'customers' in this case would be casting agents and film directors at the first level and then ultimately audiences of the films, commercials, and plays that I am cast in.

If I were to look at what I offer as a business, it would be my craft - in this case, it is both my art and my business. Every actor or a creative person needs to think of both these dimensions if they want to make this their profession.

Sometimes I think of customers as everyone who comes in touch with what I do, whether as an audience or a production staff member, whether they willingly sign up to attend a screening or just come across it as a 5-second advert on YouTube. As an actor, you have the ability to leave an impression no matter where one encounters you, and I prefer thinking of every such opportunity as a way to imprint your brand and build recall.

Tell us about yourself

I was born and raised in Mumbai, India, where I spent over 12 years training in raga music, participating in debates, and being creative in as many ways as I could. I pursued engineering as my undergrad, and that gives me a unique comfort and ability with technical material today, and then I worked in management consulting for a few years, which has given me a very interesting corporate background. Then I founded a creative venture called IndianRaga to support young, aspiring classical musicians and dancers from the global South Asian community. It wasn't until a few years ago that I chose to become an actor myself.

The journey into acting came about serendipitously. It was always a pipe dream; I wasn't quite sure how or where to start. But once I stopped making excuses and got into it, every step took me higher than where I was before, and I've been growing as an actor ever since.

Acting gives you the ability to experience a taste of many different lives and worlds and put yourself into the mind and shoes of someone who you might never be or, in some cases, want to be. Having this multiplicity and variety in one single life is fascinating to me and motivates me to wake up every day wanting to audition for that next role or put 150% into the one I'll be playing that day. Even if it's just a short commercial where fast-moving clips just use a second or two of each reaction you have, I love crafting a compelling backstory to that moment that lets me live and breathe that action genuinely and not 'act' it. I've played a villainous ICE agent, an over-optimistic nurse, and a South Asian Bob Cratchit in Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol - roles I couldn't imagine ever playing in real life!

Acting also makes you more mindful. I recently did a product display video series for Wayfair where the movements were simple, daily life motions. They were choreographed very specifically, however, and had to be done in a smooth fashion while not feeling mechanical.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Booking a national television commercial gig before ever signing up with an agency is probably my biggest accomplishment. It gave me the confidence that I was doing something right and that having representation could catalyze my growth but wasn't a crutch to lean on. The acting tends to be 99% auditioning and 1% booking gigs, so it's natural to find yourself questioning your abilities from time to time if you aren't booking some of those dream roles. Having an early achievement like this gave me the confidence to keep going without beating myself up too much. Operating from a place of strength and optimism makes this journey better.

Not to mention that this national TVC also reinforced confidence amongst family and friends that I was on to something. Building positive energy not only within yourself but amongst those around you is critical, in my view, to have a healthy career in something as hit-or-miss as acting.

What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?

Knowing what to do next! Professions like acting do not have a traditional pathway like a corporate career where you may have other established journeys to emulate. Especially as an actor of color in the States, the narrative is changing so fast and fortunately for the better, so being able to focus on your priorities and figure out how to be present in spaces and forums where your next opportunity might present itself is something to ponder about constantly. Sometimes you may want just to go all out and audition for every role, sign up for every networking event, and take a ton of classes. Sometimes you may just want to step back, reassess, and change directions. There is no one formula.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

1. Break the journey down into achievable milestones to make it less daunting. What's the next role or commercial or agent that will take you to the next level? What's the next skill or two that you need to refine to get that next role? Focus on that and dig in, while of course not losing sight of the big picture. Being in the here and now and thinking of the next step with clarity is the best way to keep going and keep growing.
2. Keep constantly upskilling yourself. You never know when a rare skill might come in handy and distinguish you from all other auditions. I started taking ballroom and Latin dance lessons and got cast in a role where they needed 'some' dancing skill, and I'm pretty sure there were several others who were equally good for the role, but the dance skill, no matter how basic, helped me make that next shortlist.
3. Make room for serendipity. There were times when I took on roles with just a few lines and no pay and wondered if I was just being too desperate. But that inner voice asked me to do it for some reason. Lo and behold, another cast member reached out a few months later and invited me to audition for my biggest-ever theater project in the United States. I not only booked it but have since been featured in reviews by theater critics, learned how to take a classic role and reimagine it for a modern-day reality, added on singing and dancing experience in a professional theater production, and built a ton of credibility! All because I decided to listen to that inner voice and spend 2 hours on a lazy afternoon to say a few lines in a delightful little low-budget production. Sometimes, you just never know!

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.sriramemani.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sriram.emani1/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sriramemani/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sriramemani
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sriramemani/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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