
ABOUT
OMUSHA
Omusha
Communications is
a New York-based production agency specializing in social documentaries, advocacy videos, consulting, and
post-production.
Its main objective is to create media projects that can be used to frame discussions
around topics relevant to South Asia and its worldwide diaspora. These
include, but are no means limited to, issues such as globalization and its
attendant electronic media cultures, ethnicity and media, race and
gender. Recent work includes The Community I Serve (2008), an educational video on police procedures while dealing with persons with mental illness; Documenting Our Presence (2007), on the stigma of mental illness among minorities and immigrants and Raising Our Voices (2002), which addresses hate-crime
victims and has been screened at the Smithsonian, the Dallas Asian American
Film Festival and over 150 academic institutions and community-based
organizations. Omusha's productions have been screened at film festivals and have won awards at juried competitions. Most recently, Omusha Communications was awarded the Ambassador's award by the NJ Governor's Council on Mental Health Stigma for the sensitive and empathetic portrayal of the stigma of mental illness among minorities.
Aabha
manages the day-to-day running of Omusha Communications and is responsible for
all of the agencies media relations. She has a B.A. in English Literature
and Psychology from St. Xavier's College, Mumbai, an M.A. in Philosophy from
Bombay University, and an M.S. in Radio/TV/Film from Indiana State University.
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Aashish
Kumar is a media
educator and independent media producer whose production portfolio consists of
documentaries, programs for public broadcasting and fundraising videos for
nonprofit organizations. His reviews and research has been published in the
Journal of Film and Video, Journal of Transnational Broadcasting, Feedback, and
the Almanac of the International Council of NATAS.
His
current research and practice is focused on engaging media production students
in community advocacy issues. Towards this enterprise, he is working on setting
up "Media Action Project, Hofstra," a University-based community
media production entity. He recently served as Program Director of Documenting
Diversity, a
summer Documentary Filmmaking workshop for High School kids. Aashish is also
involved in an advisory capacity with the 1st Databazaar South Asian Scholarship Fund.
Aashish
has a B.A. and an M.A. in Sociology from the University of Delhi, an M.S. in
Radio/TV/Film from Indiana State University, and an M.F.A. in Television
Production from the City University of New York, Brooklyn College.
He is currently employed as an Associate Professor at Hofstra University School
of Communication.
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