ABOUT

Tricha Kumar is an LA-based filmmaker, choreographer, and cultural activist.
Her work reveals untold perspectives of the stories we think we already know.

Career
Community
Coaching

CAREER

At 6 years old, Tricha Kumar began her dance training in Bharatanatyam under Guru Jyothi Venkatachalam of the Abhyasa School of Dance. She completed her Arangetram (a 2-hour debut solo performance) in 2007, and over the years, broadened her competencies to include 9 forms of dance. She has trained in traditional, folk, and modern dance across Indian, Afro-Latin, and Commercial backgrounds.

She began taking on commissioned choreography in 2006 and continued performing, choreographing, and directing productions throughout the next decade, ultimately joining the Bollywood film industry in 2017. She has worked on movies, music videos, awards shows, commercials, multinational productions, and celebrity weddings. Her credits include Yash Raj Films, the IIFA Awards (Bollywood Oscars), and the Association of National Olympic Committees. She was a resident instructor for Shakti Mohan’s Nritya Shakti dance academy, and later partnered with Madhuri Dixit’s Dance with Madhuri platform to offer the first widely accessible online Bhangra training for India’s dance community.

Tricha earned her MFA from the USC Peter Stark Producing Program. She received the prestigious Stark Special Production Grant, and had placements with Shondaland and UTA before joining CAA’s Production Department where she supported over 300 commercials and music videos. She is an inaugural participant of MBS Studios’ Illumination Training Program. Her credits include Disney, Super Bowl commercials, and an Oscar-qualifying short film.

Programs, Grants, & Sponsorships

Tricha has received professional and financial support for her emerging talent and developing work.

  • Brown Girls Doc Mafia MafiaMind Mentorship Program (2025)

  • AZN AMERICANA Mentorship Program (2025)

  • Start with 8 Mentorship Program (2024)

  • Stark Student Support Award (2021, 2022, 2023)

  • Unlock Her Potential Mentorship Program (2023)

  • Stark Special Production Grant (2022)

  • MBS Equipment and Prop Sponsorship (2022)

  • Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s NewFilmmaker Sponsorship (2022)

  • MBS’s Illumination Training Program (2021)

COMMUNITY

Tricha is actively involved with giving back to the community. As part of her personal mission to encourage young artists and offer guidance, she volunteers with film and dance competitions across the Unites States and India. She has judged over 15 competitions at collegiate, regional, and national levels.

In 2020 she founded the TKP Creative Mentorship Program to guide early South Asian talent on how to build sustainable infrastructure around their own creative careers. This intensive, experiential program provides the practical guidance that Tricha wished she had when she first started her creative career. Currently on its 5th cohort, TKP celebrates alumni success stories with Academy Gold, the College TV Awards, and Drunk Bollywood Live, to name a few. In addition to running TKP, Tricha is also the Program Manager for AZN AMERICANA, a mentorship program that empowers Asian women and femmes to succeed on their own terms.

In response to stereotyped images in meme search engines, Tricha pioneered TrichGIFs, the first GIFs to accurately depict South Asian culture, clothing, and dance. TrichGIFs are available on all major social media platforms, amassing 350M+ views and sparking a wave of South Asian representation online.

As a founding member of the Choreographer’s Guild, she volunteers her time in helping to develop copyright protections, labor standards, and economic security for choreographers in the film, TV, and media industries.

Memberships

  • Choreographer’s Guild

  • Women in Film

  • Brown Girls Doc Mafia

  • Asians in Animation

  • Women of Color Unite

  • The Screenwriter’s Association (India)

COACHING & EDUCATION

As an educator, Tricha’s approach builds real skills that serve students looking for genuine transformation. She has previously taught on: public speaking and debate, broadcast journalism, entertainment, and performance arts. Her teaching credits include Georgetown University, Pepperdine University, St. Xavier’s College, DC Public Schools, Global Classrooms, and more.

Tricha designs classes to address knowledge or skill gaps that she’s identified in the field. Current offering include:

  • Commercial and Music Video Production: In stark contrast to traditional production, the CMV world operates with its own rules and procedures. This course breaks down how ad spots and music videos are made from inception through air date, including ad agency involvement, the bidding process, production schedules, and union and talent negotiations.

  • Public Speaking+: Designed for real world applications, this performance based, confidence building course covers practical communication in formal and informal contexts. Students learn to speak with authenticity, discernment, clarity, and presence in spaces and formats where it will matter the most for them today.

  • Practical Arts: The business of being an artist involves building a sustainable infrastructure around one’s creative or freelance career. Beyond artistic technique, aspiring creatives must learn to maintain their own project management systems, network purposefully and effectively, and leverage new opportunities within today’s rapidly changing world.

These topics are available as coaching sessions, workshops, or full courses.

Bring these courses to you