Meet writer/actor Tapan Sharma from the Twin Cities by way of Canada! Learn all about his dream collaborators, his original career track and his famous salsa partner!
Where are you from, where are you based?
I was born in Canada but moved to the far warmer Minnesota. I’m based in the Twin Cities but like to think I’m *based* wherever I go.
What project are you currently working on? What is your role in the project?
My last project was The 48 Hour Film Project as a writer. I’m working to get shorts and sketches made in Minnesota.
Do you have a favorite hat under the “creator” umbrella?
Writer (screenplays, teleplays, shorts, sketches, stand-up, rap, poetry)
What were your earliest inspirations? How did you get started as a creator?
Terminator 2 and Moulin Rouge. Both thrilled me, both inspired me, both made me cry.
I dropped out of medical school and moved to LA, firing off dendrites like a new neuron: acting, writing, stand-up and even dancing (I got to salsa with Zach Galifianakis for a music video featuring Feist!). In the pandemic, I shifted completely into writing, finishing and revising four features, six pilots, and a slew of shorts, sketches, and poems.
Whose work do you admire? Who are your dream collaborators?
Dream collaborators whose works I admire include Adam McKay, Jordan Peele, and Alex Garland, who all deliver creative social commentary through various genres.
What’s your proudest moment as an artist so far?
I published and performed a rap poem, Old School, nominated for The Pushcart Prize 2022.
Is there another job in the industry that you’d like to try?
I’d like to complement my writing with performance, getting back into acting and doing stand-up more regularly.
If you had to give one piece of career advice to your younger self, what would it be?
I would tell myself to just start.
What’s your creative superpower?
Wordplay
What’s your future memoir title?
Memoirs of a Model Minority Demolished
What’s your must-read/must-watch book/show or movie?
Andor
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