ABOUT
About:
Sonali Sundararaj is a Los Angeles-based producer and production manager from Chennai, India. She produced over 100 episodes of television for Star Vijay TV before making the move to Hollywood where she has worked on production teams for shows like Ryan Murphy’s Emmy-Winning American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace, Mayans M.C. for FX, For All Mankind for AppleTV+ and the all-star cast musical The Prom for Netflix. She most recently coordinated production for Chris Pine’s directorial debut feature film Poolman, which made its premiere at TIFF and Associate Produced the documentary feature When Houston Had The Blues.
In addition to feature film and television work, Sonali has produced several short films that have been screened at festivals like the Indian Film Festival of LA, Tasveer South Asian Film Festival, Santa Fe International Film Festival, Chicago South Asian Film Festival, Houston Comedy Film Festival, Festigious International Film Festival, California Women’s Film Festival, and the Miami Independent Film Festival. Her most recent short film Mirage, was selected for the NALIP Women of Color incubator, sponsored by Netflix.
Sonali’s experience in production also extends into the live events space, where she has overseen production for festivals like the L.A. Greek Film Festival (2022) and the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (since 2017). Sonali also manages the television nominations process for The Independent Spirit Awards for Film Independent where she was brought on to the team when the television categories were introduced in 2020. She is currently producing independently and developing projects that are focused on the experiences of under-represented and marginalized communities.
Her Story
A former national medal-winning sprinter and Olympic aspirant, Sonali spent ten years training through high school and college, until a sports injury stopped her in her tracks. She did her bachelors in Computer Applications, but soon realised she didn't want to sit behind a desk and code all day. While on bedrest, in a cast, Sonali found her calling as she binged on countless shows, although it was Breaking Bad that opened her eyes to the tremendous power of storytelling.
This led her to a Masters in Broadcast Communication from M.O.P Vaishnav College in Chennai, and a full-time position producing shows for Star Vijay Television Network before she had received her degree. Sonali eventually produced over 100 episodes of television content in this role ranging from dramas and game shows to award and reality shows for over a year before deciding to head to Hollywood.
In 2015, Sonali moved to Los Angeles where she earned her Certificate in Producing from U.C.L.A. Extension, and began her Hollywood journey. She produced several student shorts at this time - one of her productions, Music Therapy, was chosen to screen at the UCLAx Film Festival. After graduation, she landed the opportunity to work on the production team for Ryan Murphy’s American Crime Story which launched her into the world of Hollywood TV.
PROJECTS
The Upside to the End
