Biography
Shashi Balooja is an award-winning actor, filmmaker, writer, director, and producer. With extensive experience in stage, television, and film, he produced, co-wrote, co-directed, and starred in the 27-minute short film "Ariana," which garnered several awards, including Best Story and Best Screenplay at the Italian Short Film Festival "Arrivano i Corti." He co-produced and acted in the Warner Bros. film "And Then Came Love," written by Caytha Jentis and starring Vanessa Williams and Eartha Kitt. Shashi serves as executive producer, co-director, and lead actor of the feature film "Exposed," which won Best Feature Film and Best Feature Thriller at the New York International Film Festival (NYIFF) and was recently released.
His recent film roles include "Gametime" and "Sweet Pea," while television credits feature "Law and Order SVU," "Third Rock," "As the World Turns," and the Amazon Prime #1 hit "The Other F Word."
Over the past decade, Mr. Balooja has starred in numerous main stage productions and staged readings at the John Drew Theater at Guild Hall in East Hampton, New York, playing a vital role in the East End Theater community. His notable performances include "Equus" (directed by Tony Walton) alongside Alec Baldwin, "Moby Dick" with Peter Boyle (also directed by Tony Walton), and the lead role in "Julius Caesar" (directed by Josh Gladstone). He co-produced and starred in the off-Broadway production of August Strindberg's "Miss Julie" at The Blue Heron Theater and most recently produced and starred in Tennessee Williams' "In the Bar of a Tokyo Hotel" at New World Stages.
Mr. Balooja is the founder and Executive Producer of Media at Large (http://www.mediaatlarge.com), formerly ABC Film & Video, LLC. The company has produced numerous films, television content, commercials, industrials, documentaries, theatrical shows, and music videos from its 4,500 sq. ft. studio on 5th Avenue in midtown Manhattan. ABC Film & Video was recognized by a panel of 200 angel investors and venture capitalists from the Funding Post as one of the top emerging companies under Shashi Balooja’s leadership and was featured on the Reuters Jumbotron in Times Square.
Shashi actively participates in philanthropic and fundraising initiatives, maintaining strong relationships with organizations such as the Brooklyn Philharmonic, MTEAF (Maria Torres Emerging Artist Fund), The Public Theater, The All Stars Project, and The John Drew Theater at Guild Hall. He serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors for the arts organization Dorill Productions.
He is an alumnus of NBC Universal’s and Outfest’s invitation-only Fusion & Access LA Festival, which features symposiums on programming and executive-level conferences at NBCU for emerging diversity-focused content creators, performers, directors, and producers. Shashi was a celebrity host at the Antigua Film Festival, where he led workshops for aspiring local actors, filmmakers, producers, and designers. His corporate experience includes heading industrial projects at Microsoft and Pfizer, serving as a spokesperson for Lexus, and providing consulting, workshops, teaching, and mentorship in both corporate and performing arts sectors. Recent engagements include "Jumby Bay," a Rosewood 5-Star Resort project on a private island, designed for top executives and management teams based on Stephen Covey’s "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People."
Mr. Balooja holds a Bachelor of Commerce in International Business and Marketing from St. Mary's University and a Bachelor of Science from Marymount Manhattan College (NYC), with concentrations in Theatre, Critical Thinking, and Management. He also studied Film and Video Production as well as Humanities (French and Spanish) at NYU.
The DVD "shortsatlarge," a compilation of five films produced by Media at Large and starring Shashi Balooja, is scheduled for release in January 2017.
Upcoming projects include theatrical and film premieres of "Out" by business partner Rain Pryor. Shashi was a lead producer of the acclaimed NYC off-Broadway world premiere of "Fried Chicken and Latkes" by Rain Pryor at the National Black Theatre, which received a Lortel Nomination and was a two-time honoree at The National Black Theatre Conference.
He completed his first Canadian film, "Subject 1," through his Toronto-based company. A sci-fi TV series based on the film is currently in development.
Shashi was selected to attend and is an alumnus of the Caribbean Tales Incubator (Toronto), where he developed "Ariana" into the feature film "Mama Grace," which he successfully pitched at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). He is the executive producer and one of the lead actors in the Canadian/Antiguan/US/Caribbean co-production of "Mama Grace," which began pre-production in February 2017.
