We were lucky to catch up with Nimo Gandhi recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Nimo thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I had uprooted and moved from Indiana to New Jersey to pursue a career in Technology Sales at age 26. One year into my sales job at the start-up technology firm, I was invited by the VP of Sales to sit with him after work. I thought it was a check-in meeting. It was not. It was an exit interview. I was being fired. Though I had been struggling to learn both the technology and how to sell (without a direct manager, with the help of colleagues, and on my own) I was figuring out both and improving. I would even come in to the office on weekends to put in extra time to get better. During that conversation with the VP of Sales (which was to be a 10 minute conversation, he would later admit), when I realized I was being fired, I began to open up and fight for myself. His primary concern was that in meetings with clients and prospects he found my presence lacking. And when I did get involved there was an awkwardness. A lack of “Salesmanship.” Though, we were in very few meetings together, he didn’t see much potential in me for this career. As I continued to present my case: No manager, learning two important aspects of the job at the same time, his limited visibility to my daily work and improvements- he began to come around to the fact that in his words, “You’re actually selling me right now.” 45 minutes into the conversation, he said, “look, I wanna give you a chance as you’ve sold me on your passion and belief in yourself. Have you ever taken an acting class?” I hadn’t. I had attended Purdue University for a BS in Industrial Engineering. That was the only professional schooling I had for anything. He said, “When I was at Drexel University, I got involved in the theater program. “I was studying engineering, but involved in the performing artists community & acting classes, and I’ve always found that experience to have paid off in my sales career. The getting comfortable in my own skin and being ‘present’ in all different types of human interactions- that ultimately make me a better sales person. Do me a favor, NYC is in our backyard. There are all types of acting programs and classes being offered. Take one. And report back on how you’re finding it and how you see it improving your work as a salesperson.” I took him up on it. I signed up for a Thursday night acting class in West Village- taught by a visiting artistic director from an off-off-broadway theater. I enjoyed it. Right away. I remember getting excited about Thursday’s and coming into the city after work. Feeling like an Artist, just in simply taking that class. And it did in fact, help me embrace who I am, believe in myself more, trust myself in communicating with clients and even executives for my sales job. I was eventually invited by that artistic director from the off-off-broadway theater to come join her for classes there. I did that for a few years. I realized at age 31, that I was not being fulfilled in my professional sales career. I was really enjoying being a part of that theater. I had been working lighting and sound there on Saturdays in exchange for free acting lessons from the artistic director. I was performing small roles for productions she was directing. It was exciting. I couldn’t leave my sales job, but eventually this experience, led me to join the William Esper Studio Acting Conservatory, under the direction of an incredible acting teacher Terry Knickerbocker. That would ultimately lead me to make the switch over to a complete pursuit of a professional acting career. I have never looked back.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am first generation South Asian. My folks are both from India. I was born and raised in Indiana. As I shared, my time working and training at an off-off- broadway theater in Manhattan fed my desire to pursue acting professionally. During that time, I also discovered I had the ability to play guitar, write, and sing songs while in the privacy of my Apartment in Succasunna, New Jersey. Any free moment- after work, on the weekends- I worked to develop a craft as a singer-songwriter. I eventually found a producer in New York City that wanted to help me develop 11 of my songs into an album. And help me improve my singing and songwriting through that process. With him, I would eventually complete those songs, put together a band, release the songs, and begin performing locally and then eventually take my work and band on the road. Touring the East coast and Midwest. I have always come back to acting as my main focus. I love it. Getting to play all those different characters! I am so grateful to have a professional team around me (Film TV Agent, Commercial Agent, and Manager) who believe in my work. Casting Directors who believe in my work! My team finds job opportunities for me to compete for by way of the auditions they provide me. I also find opportunities on my own. I am part of the SAG-AFTRA Acting Union. The jobs I work on are Union TV, Feature & Short Film, and National & Regional Commercials. On occasion, I perform in Equity off-broadway theater productions. I’ve worked in guest star and co-star roles on Law & Order SVU, Blacklist, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Fox 911, and Sesame Street! To name a few. And for 2026 release: A new Apple TV series role in ‘Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed’ and a feature film supporting role in a Kal Penn, Ravi Kapoor, Utkarsh Ambudkar acted and produced film called, ‘Patel’. Every one of those projects has been an amazing experience. All that said, one of the best things about this career is the opportunity to bring my unique skill set into the independent film market. I had chance to work with an amazing filmmaker, Jocelyne O’Toole, on a short film currently being introduced to major film festivals around the world. It’s called, “Funny/Not Funny” Jocelyne is also the lead actor in it. She has written a brilliant film here. Heartfelt and so comedic that I buckled over laughing the first time I watched it! I feel so lucky to have played an incredibly unique comedic character in a supporting role for this film. It was the best and most inspiring work I was involved in last year!’ The independent film community has also afforded me opportunities to write, produce, and place songs into a variety of independent film projects. Which also inspires me to continue to share own stories of my unique first generation upbringing by way of being the lead singer-songwriter for the Alternative Rock Band, ‘Lolli Zan.’ I am most proud of discovering my creative abilities later in life and now applying them to an art form. Multiple art forms! And being able to share my skills to serve both other persons projects and my own. To be able to bring my full self to a variety of characters and songs – where I simply serve the story. That’s my job. That’s exciting.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I thought theater acting and film acting were the same thing. They are not. film is a visual storytelling medium. Theater is a language based art form. Though there is overlap, what’s most important in theater- the writer and audience hearing the lines and being inspired by them and the actors delivering them – is very different from actors delivering the life of what’s happening in a TV show or film. Or even a commercial. Acting for film is less about the lines and more about what you see the actors doing (the behaviors) that illuminate the character and the relationships. The story. Watch any film or TV show with the sound off and it’s likely that you will be able to follow the story. When I left my theater training program and dove into pursuing a career in TV and film, I struggled for years until I realized that I was (wrongly) bringing a theater approach to auditioning for TV and film jobs. And that wasn’t serving me and most importantly getting me the jobs! Or even callbacks. I re-trained by diving into the study of film/TV audition technique. A very different type of training! Many of these realizations came by way of an acting colleague, Dave Bobb. An amazing actor and my acting coach. He has helped me transition into being a very competitive TV/film/commercial actor. I’ve realized over time that not everyone in the profession can find someone who supports their work so insightfully and fully. He has helped me grow so much as not only an actor, but as an artist. Inspiring even what I do as a singer-songwriter. And as far as the rubber meeting the road, he has helped me book 18 acting jobs. Several are National TV and film credits. I continue to be part of an amazing and supportive acting community as I’m part of Dave’s ongoing On-Camera Audition Class.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I have hit a wall at many iterations of my acting journey. Many times it’s been about my having to confront an aspect of my psychology. Some part of myself that I’ve just closed off and do not want to visit or revisit. We all have psychological wounds. Maybe, conditions. That if not addressed can become obstacles as we pursue growth in our area of interest. You can tell yourself- “Well just toughen up.” But it’s not always as easy as that. During one bout of not being able to take my Acting work to the next level. To not even be able to take a simple direction on stage. I was lucky enough to have an Acting teacher that cared enough to ask me (after class) what was going on for me. Not just in class, but in my life. Where the issues may be coming from. He shared what his perceptions were. And ultimately illuminated for me specifically what aspect of a psychological hurdle I may be facing. In that particular case, it was not being able to confront and utilize a deep anger and rage that lay within me. Without that access, he pointed out that there would be challenges sharing aspects of myself and therefore playing certain characters. That led to a conversation about something he does that helps him grow through his own psychological challenges. He introduced me to the concept of Psychoanalysis. And ultimately introduced me to one of the top Psychoanalysts in the field of Psychotherapy. He opened the door to an opportunity to join one of the founders of the Group Therapy Experience. I was invited to join a group on Tuesday’s at 11:30am. That group and that regular weekly meeting and that Analyst opened me up to so much more about myself. How the world relates to me and me them. The core reality of it. Through that process, I realized just how terrified I was about living. Really living. How terrified I was of people. I had been living a lie to some extent. I smiled and could be the most engaging and entertaining person in a room. But my underlying truth was much more complex than that. The resilience to face that and apply myself to this new form of training – and to struggle and grow from it- is such an important aspect of my journey. Life journey. Artist journey. I continue to attend Group Therapy to this day. It’s an amazing parallel training to the work I do to continue growing and improving as an actor. There’s a connection between my psychology and my work as an actor that I continue to discover and rediscover that makes me a better person and actor.

Contact Info:

• Website: nimogandhi.com
• Instagram: nimogandhi
• Facebook: nimogandhi
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nimo-gandhi-9844711/
• Twitter: nimogandhi
• Youtube: nimogandhi
• SoundCloud: nimogandhi
• Other: Lollizan.com (Singer-songwriter and Band)

Image Credits
Ted Ely