Varun Lella- Black Nerd

This week we welcome someone from an industry we don’t often associate with South Asians. We have explored that we are becoming well entrenched (Akaash would say too entrenched) in the entertainment industry; but there is an important sector of that industry where we are still developing our presence: agents. Varun Lella is an Literary and digital agent at Paradigm Talent Agent. We bring him on the show to talk about what exactly he does as an agent and his distinction as the first Indian crossover agent. Of course, the best laid plans of mice and men get effed up…so we ended up talking mostly about how he was raised in Tyler, Texas and how he navigated being one of the only Indians in a small town. That story became harrowing during his freshman year after 9/11 occurred and he was thrust into a role of being the cultural spokesperson for a community he knew little about. Be sure to send us your comments so we can include you in our discussion episode in a few days, and keep spreading the word!