Uma and Devan, Namaste! Original IP

Client: Sharmaji Productions

Production Company: Bunko Studios Inc.

The Challenge: Develop a preschool children's show centered around a family living in the US, highlighting their rich multicultural background. Specifically, it was a show focused on an Indian American girl and her younger brother, showcasing their everyday life as they grow up in the United States while embracing their strong cultural heritage. This was my first full directorial debut where I had full control of talent, style, and edit,

First, I assembled the Dream Team:

Clark Stubbs, a seasoned head writer for Nickelodeon. Aram Song, Art Director from Little Einsteins and Character Designer of Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood (animated relaunch). Frank Suarez: Seasoned veteran of Animation Directing. The talented and patient, Michael Plowman for original composition of the theme song as well as the overall score of the pilot. Great VO cast: Leah Shaffer (Uma/ theme recording artist), Will Shaffer (Devan), Ramesh Mahtani (Grandfather), BJ Sahffer (Dad), Kim Handysides (Mom), Catherine Michaels (Teacher), Cassie Glow (Classmate 1), Sabrina Glow (Classmate 2), Aiden Shaffer (Classmate 3). Scott Martin as the Lead Animator working with other animators: Elyssa Hilton, Arpit Dubey, Sukanta Roy, Subrata Pramanik, Sudipto Koley, and Abhishek Nadi. *

Then, it was full sailing forward!

After collaborating with our team, the client was equipped with a fully animated teaser pilot and a pitch book that detailed character development, a show overview, outlines for future episodes, as well as design guidelines for the series.

Armed with these materials, the creators successfully secured Uma and Devan Namaste! for production with Toonz Media Group, resulting in the creation of the show's first season consisting of 26 episodes. Currently, the series can be streamed on Peacock and Amazon Prime.

*disclaimer: the episodes produced by Toonz replaced the VO cast and theme song from the original pilot.