Business / SRC Partners Tells Us How They Are Bridging Cultural Gaps In The Entertainment Industry

SRC Partners Tells Us How They Are Bridging Cultural Gaps In The Entertainment Industry

Business Jan 14, 2021

by Devika Goberdhan | Features Editor - Fashion

We chat with Sandhya Jain-Patel and Rohi Mirza Pandya co-founders of Sandhya Rohi Culture Partners aka SRC Partners about their unique focus on bridging the entertainment industry’s notorious cultural gaps and blindspots.

Meet The Co-Founders of SRC Partners:

Sandhya Jain-Patel and Rohi Mirza Pandya are the masterminds behind SRC Partners, which seeks to offer cultural advisory and expertise to producers and creators across the media landscape. SRC Partners officially launched on October 7, 2020 with its headquarters in Brooklyn, New York, U.S.A. although, according to Jain-Patel and Pandya, they were “officially incorporated on 15 August 2020″ coincidentally also being India/Pakistan Independence Days.

SRC Partners Tells Us How They Are Bridging Cultural Gaps In The Entertainment Industry: After the events of the past year (and more, let’s be honest), where there has been a greater focus on understanding and respecting other cultures (as there should be), the work SRC Partners is engaging in seems more relevant than ever! Photo Credit: www.src-partners.com

These Brooklyn-based women are of South Asian heritage (with Pandya also sharing Filipina heritage) have been running in the “same circles since the early 2000s. Each of us has always been a strong, independent-minded, and ambitious woman, with shared ideas and opinions about community and society overall. Our overlapping interests created overlapping circles of friends and experiences. We have remained friends throughout. We also found ways to collaborate, so when it came time to consider this partnership, it was an easy ‘yes,’” explains Jain-Patel and Pandya.

Jain-Patel and Pandya are no strangers to the entertainment or diversity, equity, and inclusion industry.

“As a Producing Director of Desipina & Co., a theatre company I founded with my sister to forefront underrepresented communities on the stage, I produced the popular and award-winning Seven.11 series from 2002-2009,” Pandya notes. “We made sure to create opportunities for cast and crew members from underrepresented groups, and are proud that our team empowered BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ communities (women, South Asians, East Asians, plus hyphenated people, and more).”

“For the past eight years, I have been working in the DEI space (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) with my children’s schools and helping to get diverse books into the classrooms,” Pandya continues. “Diversity, equity and inclusion are tightly interwoven into the fabric of my life. I’m proud to have received my DEI Certification from Cornell, and I continue to learn and grow in this space. Being in PR for films for the past 20 years, I have seen studios have a disconnect to their audiences over the years and the time for cultural producers is now. I strongly believe that SRC is doing important work that will make a difference and shift the narrative — to everyone’s benefit and success.”

SRC Partners Tells Us How They Are Bridging Cultural Gaps In The Entertainment Industry: Pandya brings such a vast resume of experience to SRC Partners that we have no doubt will contribute to the firm’s success! Photo Credit: www.linkedin.com

Meanwhile, Jain-Patel explains that her background in show business inspired her to pursue co-founding SRC Partners.“From the minute I walked onto a movie set, I was bitten by the movie magic bug,” she adds. “I knew I wanted to be a part of this, but, when I looked around, I didn’t see anyone who looked like me. It wasn’t the first time I was the only person of colour in a room, but it was hard to see where I could fit in this room. Fortunately, I had some great experiences where the producers and directors, not only welcomed my feedback, but committed financial resources to put them into effect. This demonstrated that my expertise was powerful and meaningful to them and to their efforts. Since then, I’ve been able to work on many projects who have welcomed that kind of collaboration. So, I’m excited that SRC Partners is here to help.”

Launching this business together was a no-brainer, and so “when Sandhya brought up this idea of a cultural production firm to [me], it was a natural fit. Our strengths complement each other, and our partnership evolved naturally from there,” explains Rohi.

Why What Is SRC Partners Doing Is So Impactful:

The fact is, as Jain-Patel and Pandya both describe, “that many times — and this is still happening — an unintentional misrepresentation alienates the audience, costing the producers their reputation and a ton of money. We don’t want to see that happen. It hurts the producers, all the people who worked so hard on the project and, of course, the misrepresented community. Instead, we want the audience to love the content.”

Enter a new (and powerful, might I add) voice at the table: a Cultural Producer!

“As Cultural Producers, we provide insight and guidance on diversity, inclusivity, and authenticity to all types of creatives, at any and every step of the process.” Jain-Patel and Pandya both explain.

The Benefits Of Having A Cultural Producer:

If you’re not already nodding along profusely about why a Cultural Producer is needed for all projects going forward, Jain-Patel and Pandya share the benefits of having one on your team:

Narrative freedom: Create with confidence.
Wider audience: Understanding your audience means reaching more people.
Greater engagement: When audiences feel heard, they want to hear more.
Positive recognition: Be known for your success in diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Financial success: Using cultural production services early in production can boost return on investment.

SRC Partners’ Additional Areas Of Expertise:

SRC Partners is currently a two-woman show, though Jain-Patel and Pandya will call in additional resources to partner on projects as needed. Their work includes the following:

Script analysis.
Advising writers on resources for creating diverse and inclusive 360-degree characters.
Watching rough cuts for inclusive 360-degree character depictions.
Provide strategic support and produce panels.

To date, explains Jain-Patel and Pandya, SRC Partners share their talents “…across any/all industries who are producing one-way content for their audiences, meaning, they’re putting out a message or product for which will not get direct feedback on how it lands, such as:

Production companies who want to revisit their content libraries with an eye towards improved DEI sensibilities.
Marketing, advertising, and branding.
Media and entertainment studios, including creators, directors, and producers.
Theatre producers who want to make a change post-pandemic.
Non-profits who want to expand their audience and do so in a resource-wise fashion.”

Despite launching their firm a few short months ago, SRC Partners has an outstanding list of projects already under their belt, having worked with companies such as Amazon Studios, Bleecker Street, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, and more, which demonstrates that there is clearly a need for Cultural Producers!

What’s even more special about SRC Partners is that they “uniquely positioned at the crossroads of East and West to help translate culture in both directions,” gushes Jain-Patel and Pandya.

**SRC Partners Tells Us How They Are Bridging Cultural Gaps In The Entertainment Industry: Fact!** Photo Credit: www.facebook.com/SRCPartners

What’s Next for SRC Partners?

This month, SRC Partners are producing eight panels for The Non-Obvious Beyond Diversity Summit! Speakers include Deniese Davis, Meera Menon, Maulik Pancholy, Leela Ladnier, and many more! The panels are scheduled to take place virtually from January 26-29, 2021.

To check out what else is on the horizon for SRC Partners or to learn more about their work, please be sure to follow them on social media (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn) — I promise, you won’t regret it!

Main Image Photo Credit: www.deadline.com

Devika Goberdhan | Features Editor - Fashion

Author

Devika (@goberdhan.devika) is an MA graduate who specialized in Political Science at York University. Her passion and research throughout her graduate studies pushed her to learn about and unpack hot button issues. Thus, since starting at ANOKHI in 2016, she has written extensively about many challe...

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SRC Partners Tells Us How They Are Bridging Cultural Gaps In The Entertainment Industry

by Devika Goberdhan | Features Editor - Fashion

Devika Goberdhan | Features Editor - Fashion

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