Where to begin? Sunny Tripathy and I graduated from Foothill High School in 2007. I always remember Sunny possessed a welcoming and notably friendly aura. But as an Indian-American student, he wasn’t always supported in his artistic drive. He was pushed into traditional engineering or medical fields, following cultural norms. Typical bullies made middle school years not as enjoyable as they should have been. A couple of years after middle school, he was jumped walking down a suburban Pleasanton street. I am grateful that Sunny is still here. He tells me the story as he pointed to a scar from the night he was jumped. It was Prom of all nights. As a fellow human, I’m astonished at Sunny’s warm, comical, and cheerful outlook after such an awful experience.
After graduating from UCLA, Sunny started writing in LA.
Fast forward 10 years. (Wow adult life moves fast.)
Sunny is a filmmaker, writer, and maverick in his industry. He has worked with the likes of Will Arnett, Ivan Reitman, Timur Bekmambetov, Lilly Sing, Jay Ellis, and the Executive Producers of Bob’s Burgers. Sunny states that any successful writer should have at least 10 projects going on at one time. Don’t put all your eggs into one story-basket!
Sunny and I made a portrait session bro-date in Downtown Pleasanton. Here are some of my favorites.
After snapping some amazing portraits we sat down and chatted about LA living, his amazing girlfriend, his self-proclaimed addiction to coffee, family life, millennials’ everyday struggles, politics, etc. It was a great experience. His modesty, warmth, and respect for people, the arts, and life will take him places in Hollywood!
You can see what he’s working on at www.SunnyTripathy.com
