BENGALURU: For many, it's a dream come true to get the opportunity to work in Hollywood. And for 26-year-old Argya Sadan from Bengaluru, this dream came true. The city girl, who completed her degree in architecture at MS Ramaiah School of Architecture, has made her mark in Hollywood as a set designer for a Fox TV show called 9-1-1. Working as a production designer, Argya is now working on season 2.
“I started around May on season 2. I worked as an assistant in the art department on season 1 last year, from August to December. And they brought me back to work on season 2,” says Argya, who did her Masters in Production Design at the American Film Institute. Before starting her Masters, Argya had worked at an architecture firm in Cape Town.
“I initially connected with designer Jeffrey Mossa, who designed for another hit Ryan Murphy shows like American Horror Story and People vs OJ Simpson. I emailed him my portfolio and résumé. He was starting on his new series, and hired me,” she says.
She is grateful to have the privilege of being connected with Hollywood set designers, calling it “a good start.” “My most memorable moments were when I got to meet and interact with award-winning production designers like David Wasco, Jack Fisk and Laurence Bennett. Wasco was designer for La La Land and Pulp Fiction, and it was surreal sitting with him to talk about his upcoming projects. I also discussed my work with him,” she says.
One of the challenges she faced was getting hired on bigger projects, although, she says, she did have the experience and skill set. “It’s all about networking, maintaining professional relationships with those you want to work with when. It involved many months of hustling before I finally got people to recognise my skills and trust me to be part of projects,” she says, pointing out that being a part of the union — the Art Directors Guild, opened up new avenues, allowing her to be part of larger projects.
Her goal, at the moment, is to work with the designers and directors she had connected with over the past year. “It would be amazing to collaborate with strong professionals and to bring those projects to life,” says a hopeful Argya.