Pooja Gupta

Pooja Gupta serves as a Visiting Professor of Producing & Screenwriting at the School of Filmmaking, University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA). With over a decade of industry experience, she has collaborated with prominent professionals including Veena Sud ("The Killing") and Declan de Barra ("The Witcher: Blood Origin"), creating content for networks like Hulu, Netflix, and HBO while producing non-fiction programming for MGM Television, ABC, MTV, and BRAVO.

Her academic credentials include:

• M.F.A. in Film Directing from California Institute of the Arts
• B.A. in Art History and Film Theory from Hampshire College

Gupta's creative practice centers on innovative storytelling across narrative films, experimental installations, and reality television, with recurring exploration of identity politics and personal narrative. She challenges conventional media boundaries through works like "Thanks for Sharing" and "I Have Not Yet Confessed," exhibited at REDCAT and Kristi Engle Gallery, emphasizing storytelling as a tool for empathy and cross-cultural connection.

Professional recognition includes:

• Diversity Scholar at The Impro Theater / IMPRO STUDIO

As an educator, Gupta cultivates collaborative learning environments where students develop technical skills and critical perspectives through hands-on filmmaking. Her industry experience directly informs mentorship, preparing students for evolving production landscapes while encouraging authentic voice development. Gupta maintains active industry representation through ABRAMS ARTIST AGENCY and Writers Guild of America West membership.

Her international practice spans Los Angeles, London, and Bangalore, currently co-authoring a feature film with Academy Award-winning producer Nicola Giuliano. Gupta's theatrical training at Shakespeare & Company, RADA, and The Actors' Gang Theater Company deeply influences her interdisciplinary approach to visual storytelling.