Zoe Malhotra

Never Overnight

This show is a conversation that focuses on the struggle, the success, and the story in between.

In today’s episode, I talk with Zoe Malhotra. She is an Indian-American documentary director. In both her commercial and narrative work she focuses on projects of cultural exploration primarily through the lens of women of color and families. She has directed impact-driven commercials for Walmart, eBay, Doordash, Six Flags, and more. Her short documentary, God Bless the Cook, about a mother-daughter pair of chefs, has screened at almost 20 film festivals worldwide. Zoe always aims to create high-impact, emerging content on intersectional identity and cultural celebration, connecting brands, concepts, and stories to multicultural audiences.

I first took note of Zoe’s directing work via the Kids of Immigrants Fall 2022 campaign. As a child of immigrants myself, I connected deeply with the theme of that campaign titled: “We are our parent's wildest dreams.” What struck me more was how the campaign was creatively promoted and directed, which included Zoe and her father’s story. It inspired me so much, it led to having today’s conversation with her.

We talk about her childhood, her love of filmmaking, her perceptions of the industry and so much more in the podcast. Zoe has experienced struggle and success, and this is her story!

What We Discuss:

Intro

1:33 - How her dad played part in who she became

6:46 - How her upbringing brought her to who she is today

8:45 - Avatar

9:18 - Carrying the torch for her dad

10:38 - When she realized she could succeed in the film industry

12:00 - God Bless The Cook

14:05 - The Film Festival market

14:47 - Setting yourself apart

16:06 - Having moments of self-doubt

18:28 - Representation of South Asians in film

20:08 - Dream collaboration

21:13 - What would Zoe tell her younger self now

22:39 - If the Director game is still a man's game

23:59 - Focusing on women of color and families

25:25 - Kids Of Immigrants

28:48 - Advice for others

30:01 - Outro

If you enjoy today's conversation, feel free to subscribe to the channel by searching Never Overnight on wherever you stream your podcasts from!

Episode Resources:

• [e-mail]
• Zoe Malhotra
• Zoe Malhotra | Instagram
• Zoe Malhotra | IMDb
• Never Overnight | Instagram
• Binoj Jacob | Instagram
• Binoj Jacob | Tik Tok
• Binoj Jacob | Twitter