Damayanti Wallace

You were the first Collaborative Arts student to embark on a semester away at the NYU Los Angeles program. What drew you to this, and how was your experience?

Throughout my time in Collaborative Arts, I have come to love filmmaking, leading me to the path toward becoming a writer/director/producer. LA has always been a place I’ve loved from afar, wanted to visit, and potentially live in. The NYU LA program gave me invaluable insight into my future.

A requirement of the NYU LA program is an experiential learning internship. Where did you work?

I worked with Aggregate Films (Jason Bateman’s Company!) doing coverage. Interns got to read new scripts and books and write summaries and commentsl. As a writer, it was a great experience reading multiple scripts and books every week. When the work became difficult to manage the company was graceful in allowing me to finish my work at a comfortable pace.

You’ve used the Gallatin School of Individualized study to complete many of your General Education requirements. Can you tell us about one class you really enjoyed? How have these courses informed your artistic work in the Collaborative Arts program?

Sybil Cooksey’s “[Black]/Human” opened me up creatively and intellectually. I want to make films that move people. In this course, I was able to talk about my identity as a Black queer woman which is what I explore in my writing.

Many Tisch students end up in New York or LA after graduation. Do you know where you might see yourself after studying in both locations? Or, is there somewhere else?

After spending the semester in LA, I am sure that’s where I’ll end up. The city was beautiful and skipping winter wasn’t too bad. LA made me feel creative– like a real writer–which feels necessary as I move to this next chapter in my life.

You’ll be graduating next year. What are your plans after NYU?

I would love to participate in a fellowship with any of the major companies in Hollywood. I have my sights set on HBO because I connect to their content–but not before taking a much-needed break in the woods somewhere. I’ve always loved writing and “to live is to write”; after graduation, I want to live.