Ritesh Mehta occupies a hybrid identity at the intersection of the film/TV industry and academia. He got his PhD in Communication from USC in 2015, where he wrote a book-length thesis on professionalization in LA’s film schools. He has since worked in film/TV development at Sundance, Rough Diamond Productions, and Valhalla Entertainment. Currently, Ritesh is an Adjunct Professor at Woodbury Univerisity, a Contributor to MovieMaker Magazine, a Reader for Sundance, does screening work for several film festivals including AFI Fest and most recently was a Programmer for the LA Greek Film Festival. He grew up in Mumbai, got his MA in Philosophy from UM St Louis and his Bachelors in Marketing and Management from University of Pennsylvania.