Sachin Kumar Launches Prema Creative Co. With Vertical Comedy Series 'Typecast'
L.A.-based creator Sachin Kumar, known as SCKACHI, has launched his own production company, Prema Creative Co., and its first project is a 14-part vertical comedy series called Typecast, rolling out two episodes weekly from September 7 on the company's channel. (Deadline)
Vertical video — short-form content shot in a portrait format, the way you hold your phone — has moved from social-media novelty to a format traditional distributors are taking seriously. Kumar says TV and film companies increasingly treat it as a primary storytelling medium rather than an afterthought. (Deadline)
Typecast follows a fictionalized version of Kumar, an Indian-American actor navigating Hollywood while confronting typecasting, ambition and identity. He wanted to make Indian characters who are fully realised people — no accents played for laughs, no shorthand of taxi drivers, tech support and convenience store clerks. "Just people," he said, "with no accents, no stereotypes and no punchlines." (Deadline)
The cast brings names from both the indie and streaming worlds. Venk Potula (Four Samosas) plays Rafi, the protagonist's manager and lifelong hype man. Tara Joshi (Schitt's Creek) plays Tiff, a PR friend who can fix brands but not her own life. The ensemble also features creators Chelsie Sik, Michelle Park, Karan Menon and Jonathan Gaurano. (Deadline)
Behind the camera, Grayson Shapiro makes his directorial debut on the series. He previously served as first assistant director on the indie horror film Obsession, which grossed more than $225 million domestically and nearly $500 million globally after Focus Features acquired it at the Toronto International Film Festival. (Deadline)
Kumar first introduced the cast on his Instagram account @sckachi on July 15, announcing the September 7 availability. (Instagram)
Prema Creative Co. is positioned as a studio built to tell and distribute BIPOC stories — that is, stories by and about Black, Indigenous and people of colour communities. It is also part of a broader pattern in Hollywood: actors and creatives choosing to produce and distribute their own series so they own and control the rights, rather than handing intellectual property to an established studio. (Deadline)
The timing lines up with wider industry momentum. Microdramas and YouTube content have become a bigger priority for distributors, with Kane Parsons' Backrooms dominating headlines and scoring big at the box office in recent months. (Deadline)
Kumar frames Typecast as a bridge between two worlds: the slow, traditional machinery of Hollywood and the fast, modern creator economy. For the crew and cast involved, September 7 is when the work meets an audience.
