Amar Kaleka

Amar Singh Kaleka

Amardeep Kaleka
Personal details
Born (1978-07-12) July 12, 1978
Patiala, Punjab, India
Nationality Indian American
Children 2
Occupation Filmmaker
Religion Sikhism Buddhism
Website www.neverendinglight.com

Amardeep Singh Kaleka (born July 12, 1978) is an award-winning Indian-American film director. He won an Emmy Award for his direction of the short film Jacob's Turn in 2010 and another one for Esperanza (2014). Following his father's death in the Wisconsin Sikh temple shooting in 2012, Kaleka became involved in politics, supporting gun control, progressive economic reform, and the peace agenda. During the summer of 2014, he ran unsuccessfully in the Democratic primary for the United States House of Representatives in Wisconsin's 1st congressional district, losing to Rob Zerban.[1]

Early life

Kaleka was born in Patiala, Punjab, India. His family came to the United States when he was a child.[2] In 1982, as dangerous tension began to mount in the area over the "Khalistan" separatist movement, Amar's father, Satwant Singh Kaleka, decided to leave the country with his wife, Satpal and their two young sons, Pardeep and Amardeep.

At 4 years old   his family and him moved to Germantown, WI to live with their patriarchal uncle ,  Dr. J.S. Kaleka. When the family realized their ability to survive in America was largely dictated by two people working , mother and father, they made a plan. Satpal, the mother, who was a simple farmer like her husband Satwant, was asked to learn English quickly despite her 8th grade education. In order to go to school full-time in the states, Satpal and Satwant made one of the largest sacrifices: their two sons. Amardeep (still 4 at the time) and Pardeep (6), returned to India by themselves to live at the Kaleka family household in the old city of Patiala with their mother aunt, Dr. Jaswinder Kaur Kaleka, Ph.D.

After a year — Satpal passed her Toefl exam and found a union job at Eagle Knitting. Satwant also found a job, at a family run independent gas station, whereby he manned the register and filled the coolers. He did this for more than 12 hours a day to make sure there was enough money to build a life in America. When Satpal left her factory union job, she took the bus to Satwant to help out and give him a break.

When Amardeep and Pardeep came back to the United States for school, their family moved to the North West side of Milwaukee. This area had been termed “Little Beirut” by locals, and came complete with drive-by shootings, armed robberies, and a severe economic depression. Amar grew up very poor, having to accept food from "free lunch programs" while his parents rented apartments from government subsidized housing. His mother, Satpal, worked hard to learn English and found a job in a knitting factory called Eagle Knitting. His father, Satwant, worked double shifts at local gas stations, learning to stock merchandise and run a cash register.[3]

High School Career - Bay View High School

Kaleka attended Bay View High School in the Bay View neighborhood of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, graduating in 1996. While he attended Bay View, he became the student government class president of 1996, as well as ranking 9th in Chess in the state, founding the World Culture’s Club, and playing varsity basketball, soccer, and baseball.[4] He went on to become the Milwaukee High School Baseball Player of the Year, as he went undefeated as a pitcher.[5] He also won a silver medal of merit for perfect attendance through all four years in school. Ultimately, Amardeep was awarded a merit based scholarship to Marquette University - the Presidential Leadership Scholarship.

Undergraduate College Career - Marquette University

Kaleka was accepted into the Marquette University TRIO program - Student Support Services.[6] He also continued to play Baseball and joined the Army ROTC program. After three years in the program, he decided to leave to focus on his academic career. During this time, he was also licensed as a private security person by the state of Wisconsin, working as a second shift supervisor of the newly constructed Midwest Express Center.[7]

Kaleka was also a fixture with the Indian Student Association, choreographing and organizing cultural programs on and off campus.

Kaleka graduated from the College of Arts and Sciences at Marquette University in 2001 with majors in Philosophy, Psychology, and Spanish Literature. He minored in Criminology.

From 1998 through 2001, he worked as a peer counselor for the Marquette University TRIO program, helping first generation incoming freshmen deal with the transition from high school to college.

The Handbook of Therapeutic Imagery Techniques

Before graduation, Kaleka was published by his professor Anees Sheikh in the book entitled, Handbook of Therapeutic Imagery Techniques under the Hypnobehavioral Approaches. Kaleka contributed to the Neurolinguistic Programming portion of the book.[8]

The Handbook of Therapeutic Imagery Techniques consists primarily of a description of a multitude of imagery techniques. These approaches have been loosely grouped into four major categories: hypno-behavioral, cognitive-behavioral, psychodynamic/humanistic and humanistic/transpersonal.[8]

Freedom's Price

In 2000, Amar raised funds from his community to put together his first feature film, Freedom's Price. The film followed the lives of teens living through the struggles of the inner city in the 90s.[9]

Teaching

Kaleka began teaching at NOVA Middle/High School, a charter school with the Milwaukee Public School system. He taught high school English Literature, History, and Health in his first year, while he coached chess, and assisted basketball. He also became the Safe and Sound site coordinator. In his second year, he taught geology and astronomy in the middle school while continuing to coach chess.[10]

Graduate School Career - Savannah College of Art and Design[11]

In September 2004 ,  Amar entered an M.F.A. program at the Savannah College of Art & Design, focusing on film and television production. In addition to his studies,  Amar played flag football and was the founder and first president of the Savannah Film Collective, a student-run film group. Amar directed over twenty short film projects including the following list:

He was the cinematographer and editor of many more films during his time at SCAD including the following list:

Kaleka Directs and Edits 2 short features; “Tulips”and “Dogwalker” and was the cinematographer on 2 others - “Threads” and “Employee of the Month”. Wrote 1 feature screenplay - “Myth Of A Black Lion” and teams up with Lars Jacobson as a writing partner on “Baby Blues”. Professor BJ Sears and Andy Meyer become close collaborators. Sears, the Assistant Editor of Walter Murch (Blink of An Eye), becomes a mentor. Kaleka graduated with a MFA in Film and Television production in 2009 with the submission of his thesis entitled: Crouching India, Hidden China: A Glimpse Into the Global Entertainment Marketplace.

An excerpt of the thesis reads:

For many reasons Hollywood has enjoyed a century of dominance in the worldwide film industry. Though it continues to thrive, trends and technologies are threatening the comfortable position that Hollywood has been accustomed to holding. Production and markets outside of California are continually growing, and studios are beginning to respond to the cultural shift. While Hollywood has organization and experience on its side, international entertainment industries are training their slingshots on the American Goliath.[18]

Professor Annette Haywood-Carter, one of the main directing teachers, arranges an internship at The Gersh Agency in Beverly Hills. TGA repped some very significant feature lit, feature production teams, along with many celebrities like Jamie Foxx and Tobey Macguire (during the “Spider Man” years). Kaleka sits on a desk for Lee Keele as an Assistant while she is in transition from an old assistant to a new one starting in the fall.

SCAD Graduate Program - 3rd year. Starts production on Grass Between My Lips (MFA thesis film). Holds a high grade point average into each of his classes. Also in production of a feature film, Baby Blues - casting, scouting, scheduling, and raising final funds.

Becomes repped by Manuela Ikenze of Luminary Artists as a writer, director, editor, and cinematographer in Los Angeles. Finishes up his production courses. Is one of only four students to have complete access and privileges over all the equipment. Finishes graduate thesis film - Grass Between My Lips - which later wins an award at the Houston Int’l Film Festival.

Alongside a 50-person crew, films his first feature film entitled Baby Blues. Is the co-director, the main camera operator, the producer, and the editor on the film. The budget is $1.1 Million. Won the Panavision Camera Award and is able to film some of the picture in 35mm film.

Edits Baby Blues and continues to take his final courses at SCAD. Also writes Arrow To The Moon - a short screenplay which later wins several contests.

Baby Blues is picture locked, and now it must be sound designed and colored. It is left to Lars Jacobson, Andy Meyer, and Amar to sell the film in Los Angeles as a true independent film. The team sets out to the American Film Market and sells the film to multiple distributors - foreign and domestic.

Kaleka travels to India in order to direct and complete Binding Faith, another documentary short centered on the persecution of the Christians at the hands of Hindu fundamentalists.

Films the first episode of Sex Culture in Paris. Is a creator, director, and editor of the project. Two more episodes are planned, but only one is filmed - Amsterdam.

Baby Blues, also known as Cradle Will Fall (2008)[19]

Before he finished school, he was hired to co-direct his first feature film, Baby Blues, which had a $1.1 Million dollar budget. The executive producer was Andy Meyer from Fried Green Tomatoes and The Breakfast Club. The other director, Lars Jacobson was the writer of the project, while Kaleka edited the film. Both, Kaleka Jacobson produced the project and found distribution.

The summary of Baby Blues is the following:

On a secluded family farm, a mother suffers a psychotic break due to postpartum depression, forcing the eldest son to protect his siblings from the mother they have always known and loved.

The film went on to run for a week in theaters,[20] and then sold on DVD for many years gaining some critical acclaim with horror film fans.[21]

Neverending Light Productions

In 2009, Kaleka founded Neverending Light Productions with partner Jared Bonshire. Originally, the offices ran out of Atlanta, but expanded quickly to Orlando. They began looking at projects to make and incubate. Continuously collaborate with Angel Maynard of Red Pill Productions.

Kaleka moves to Atlanta, GA in order to edit a TV show under Lab 601: Mindful Living Network. Edits 22 x 40 min episodes over the next year on this show. Also joins the Democratic Party of Georgia and volunteers on Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign.

Promoted to video director with the Obama campaign. Completes several pivotal short documentaries as volunteer work. Also travels to Mexico City to edit and help film Mano a Mano, another short narrative, with collaborating partner Jose Barrera.

Becomes a Current TV producer. This is the production company that Al Gore had just created after his 2000 presidential run. In addition, during this time, Red Pill Productions and NEL come together to make another TV Show - Embarrassed, a media submission program for networks like America’s Funniest Home Videos using the strength of social media. Neverending Light Productions also completes Love Letter for the On The Lot TV show that Amar is a finalist on.

Neverending Light Productions completes multiple short feature projects including We The People and works with Current TV on several projects including Guerrilla Tactics Media and TAG Body Spray for Jermaine Dupree.

Kaleka goes to work for a heavy duty agency, BBDO - Atlanta, through another production company Tomorrow Pictures. Edits video on client accounts for Capital One, AT&T, Dave Matthews Band, Pepsi, Kimberly Clark, Kodak, IBM.

During this time, he also worked for the NBA, shooting and editing video through Mike Reckord. Here, along with Producer Dax Addy, develops a TV show called “Phenom” whereby, in a reality show format, they follow a rookie in the NBA through their first year, on and off the court.

Also in 2009, Neverending Light Productions films it’s first music video, Robot Boy with Zoe Meyers. Kaleka directs, films and edits promos for Sustainable Georgia, Morehouse Medical College, and the Indo American Center in Chicago.

Neverending Light Productions creates the opening video for Dr. Sanjay Gupta and his brother, Suneel, on The Kahani Movement, a website that collects immigrant stories. The film is screened at the Indian American Film Festival in Los Angeles, CA and at South by Southwest in Austin, TX.

NEL’s second feature, Wamba, films in Kenya with a full cast and crew. Is the producer, cinematographer, and editor on the project. Travels to Kenya and stays on an extended work visa.

They take a long term contract with Nigerian Gospel singer Pat Akpabio for seven music videos to be filmed and edited over the next 18 months in Nigeria, Atlanta, and South Africa.

Hired by the Flour Mills of Nigeria to film multiple corporate videos to help stem the tide of a revolution rising in the port center of Apapa in Nigeria. Comes on as an editor, cinematographer, and travels to Lagos.

Neverending Light Productions, alongside the Dicks Nanton marketing agency, produce Jacob’s Turn - an Emmy Award Winning documentary on Jacob, a young baseball player with Down’s Syndrome. The small town rallies around as does the film audience. Produces, writes, directs, films, and edits.

Films a set of commercials and marketing videos for Habitat For Humanity assigned by the Morach Agency in Dallas. These videos go on to win a Gold Addy in 2011. Also signs a directing contract for the feature film, Crawlspace.

Finishes editing Wamba, the feature film from Kenya that they filmed in Spring of 2009. The headlining production company takes the film out to seek distribution. Not much happens.

Travels to India in order to direct and film Journey to the Heart, a documentary on the Buddhist scripture, the Heart Sutra. Meets and meditates with his holiness the Dalai Lama in a tantric meditation as the Green Bay Packers were winning Super Bowl XLV on February 6, 2011.

Films a series of McDonald’s commercials that are rugged and rough around the edges to fit the feel of the recession for the Morach Agency.

Takes a contract with Levi’s and The Ebeling Group to film and edit the feature-length documentary Getting Up: The TEMPT ONE Story. Over the next 12 months, will film over 45 days of interviews with a variety of people including the central figure: Tempt One, a legendary graffiti artist who falls to ALS. The film documents the new inventions that Tempt uses to “get back up”… and laser write on the walls outside his hospital room. This film goes on to win the highest audience award at Slamdance in 2013.

Neverending Light Productions and the Dicks Nanton Agency win a Telly award for Jacob’s Turn.

Neverending Light Productions, and the Dicks Nanton Agency, film two more short documentary features entitled “Car Men” and “Speak America”.

Jacob’s Turn wins an Emmy Award after two nominations.

Kaleka then travels back to family in Wisconsin and finishes several screenplays over the summer, “Classified K7150” and the studio comedy “Kick Me”.

Takes on a new client with Yes Equals Yes, and the first job is for UGG in Santa Barbara. Neverending Light films one round of studio commercials.

Kaleka's 1-year-old son, Sahib, is filmed in a Doritos “Crash the Super Bowl” contest. The 30 second spot shows son jumping out of an airplane and catching a Doritos before it hits the ground. After a robust social media campaign, the commercial ends up taking second place in the audience voting portion of the contest, however, it does not win the whole prize.

For most of the first quarter of January 2012, edits Getting Up: The TEMPT ONE Story in Santa Monica. As the head editor and cinematographer, supervises a team of a dozen filmmakers as they brought this film together in a very short amount of time with a $250k budget.

The Sirius documentary, Neverending Light Production’s fourth feature film in four years, begins with a record breaking crowd fund that NEL oversees and controls.

Crowdfund raises over half-a-million dollars to make and distribute the film Sirius. Neverending Light productions begins filming the documentary with trips to Colorado and Washington, DC. The goal is to finish the film within the same year as the crowdfund.

In 2012, Neverending Light Productions announces it’s next feature film, PeaceMakers, formerly called Nursery Crimes. This is a comprehensive documentary on violence in America and what we can do to curb it and create peace. They start crowdfunding and seek out investors. Amar will direct.

In 2013, Kaleka travels to Acapulco, Mexico, to film the short documentary entitled, Mi Casa Hogar. Later, this film will be nominated for an Emmy, but will ultimately not win.

The highly awaited fourth feature film for Neverending Light productions, Sirius, premieres in Los Angeles to two sold-out theaters with over 500 people in attendance. The film goes on to do a 2-week Academy Award run, but because of low ticket sales, ends up doing great numbers on transactional video on demand, and then, eventually DVDs, and subscription VOD.

Neverending Light edits a number of short documentary projects alongside the DNA agency: The I.T. Guy, Coach Pete’s Financial Safari, Life in Balance, Faith Family and Taxes.

Also in 2013, Kaleka is nominated for two more Emmy Awards for Esperanza and Mi Casa Hogar. Wins second Emmy for Esperanza.

Screens the trailer for Peacemakers at the Sundance Film Festival. Campaigns for the seat in congress and documents the process for the Peacemakers film.

In 2014, Neverending Light starts a media literacy course in three different high schools in the Milwaukee Public Schools servicing 9 classrooms and over 220 teenagers. Leads 5 courses every Friday at two different schools - Bay View H.S. (alma mater) and Washington High School, located in the deep inner city.

Neverending Light Productions creates its first Music CD complete with live recording: St. Stephen the Martyr Christmas Choir CD.

Kaleka continues to edit PeaceMakers while working two different jobs at Ripon College (Director of Digital Media) and Milwaukee Public Schools.

In 2015, Kaleka works on multiple film projects as a writer, director, including ETs Among Us (Feature Doc), Disruptive Technology (TV Show), The Gate (Feature Script), and his novel, “On Forgiveness: A Guide Through Loss and Separation”. Also picks up multiple corporate clients in NOVA Gyms, BJJ 4 Change, and the Milwaukee Yoga Movement, as a digital media marketing consultant.

Family Life

Amar is married to Dilpreet Brar Kaleka in 2009. The couple moves to Los Angeles and has two sons—Sahib Kaleka (2009) and Aaris Kaleka (2014). After returning to Wisconsin to be closer to family, they divorce in 2016.

Wisconsin Sikh temple shooting

Kaleka's father, Satwant Kaleka Singh, was president and founder of the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin, located in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. On August 5, 2012, Kaleka's father and five others were killed in a mass shooting at a Sikh temple in Wisconsin.[22] In the aftermath of the shooting, Kaleka became interested in politics, supporting gun control[23] and new legislation to reduce hate crimes.[24] Kaleka criticized President Barack Obama, who visited the sites of other mass shootings, but not the Sikh Temple.[25]

Political Campaign

As a member of the Democratic Party, Kaleka ran for the United States House of Representatives in Wisconsin's 1st congressional district in the 2014 election, challenging incumbent Paul Ryan.[24] He faced Rob Zerban, who lost to Ryan in the 2012 elections and in the 2014 elections, in the Democratic primary. On August 12, 2014, Kaleka lost to Zerban, getting 22% of the vote.[26]

Policy Mic names Kaleka versus Paul Ryan the number one race that should have the GOP “quaking in their boots”.

Community Service

In 2012, Kaleka plays a pivotal role with the Sikh caucus at the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on The Constitution, Civil Rights, and Human Rights: “Hate Crimes and The Threat of Domestic Extremism” in Washington, DC.

He represents his family and community after the Sikh Temple shooting, accepts an award, and is honored at the ADL’s Concert Against Hate at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, hosted by Wolf Blitzer and Jeff Daniels.

Kaleka premieres the We Are Sikhs video poem at the NYC Sikh Film Festival. This is the video that he made after the tragedy that was played all over the nation and which helped raise over $250k for the victims of domestic terrorism.

Calls for and hosts a Heritage Day. Over 30 schools participate in this initiative. Heritage Day is the day before the Thanksgiving Holiday. Each student brings cultural food to share with the class and discusses the heritage. Part of the planning committee on the #BeProud Movement, a $1 million ad spend showcasing the need to be proud of your culture and reject bullying. Alongside a few others, found Serve 2 Unite, an initiative to use art and dialogue to teach cultural sensitivity in the schools.

Helps launch the Demand a Plan media blitz with Mayor Bloomberg in New York City, and the Mayors Against Illegal Guns. Goes on air with Anderson Cooper 360 CNN to discuss the Sandy Hook shooting.

Goes on Piers Morgan CNN to discuss Gun violence in America.

In 2013, Kaleka begins to lobby for gun responsibility and legal reform as a spokesperson and community organizer for a variety of organizations and agencies. Going back and forth to Washington, DC well over a dozen times over the next few months.

Goes on Anderson Cooper’s town hall special on the gun debate. Also takes a middle ground stance on guns and asks the nation to do so as well.

In 2014, Kaleka is named to the National Compassion Fund expert board. The NCF is a national initiative to put together the best and most efficient protocol for giving donations to national tragedies in a safe and secure manner. They follow the model that Kaleka created during the 2012 tragedy.

Unique Speaking Engagements

Amar Kaleka has been on TV with NBC, ABC, CBS, BBC, CNN, MSNBC, FOX, and many local stations. He has also appeared in multiple TV documentaries on History Channel, A&E, Vice, National Geographic, BBC and many local stations. Radio appearances have been with NPR, BBC, KPFK, and many local stations. He has keynoted over two dozen events in media, peace building, and cultural sensitivity in front of audiences as big as 1000.

Film Awards

Emmy Award - Jacob’s Turn

Emmy Award - Esperanza

Gold Addy - Habitat for Humanity

Houston Int’l Remy Award

Slamdance Audience Award - Best Documentary

Sikh Film Festival Visionary Award

Milwaukee Short Film Festival - Diversity Award

4 Silver Tells

3 Bronze Tellys

References

  1. ↑ "Ballotpedia: Amar Kaleka". Retrieved November 12, 2015.
  2. ↑ "Kaleka Formally Announces Congressional Bid Against Ryan". India West. November 5, 2013. Archived from the original on November 10, 2013. Retrieved November 17, 2013.
  3. ↑ "kaleka-for-congress". 2015-02-21. Retrieved 2015-10-28.
  4. ↑ Bay View High School (1996). Bay View Oracle 1996. Milwaukee, WI: Bay View High School Oracle Staff.
  5. ↑ Shinners, Joe (May 19, 1996). "Bay View's Kaleka stays undefeated". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved October 30, 2013. (subscription required)
  6. ↑ "Student Support Services Program". www2.ed.gov. 2015-09-17. Retrieved 2015-10-28.
  7. ↑ "Wisconsin DRL - Credential Lookup - Credential Summary Details". online.drl.wi.gov. Retrieved 2015-10-28.
  8. 1 2 "Handbook of Therapeutic Imagery Techniques". Barnes and Noble.
  9. ↑ "Freedom's Price LLC".
  10. ↑ "NOVA Middle and High School".
  11. ↑ "Savannah College of Art and Design".
  12. ↑ "IMDB - Grass Between My Lips".
  13. ↑ "IMDB - Love Letter".
  14. ↑ "IMDB - We The People".
  15. ↑ "IMDB - Binding Faith".
  16. ↑ "IMDB - Threads (2005)".
  17. ↑ "IMDB - Employee of the Month".
  18. ↑ "Crouching India, Hidden China: A Glimpse Into the Global Entertainment Marketplace". Savannah College of Art and Design.
  19. ↑ "IMDB - Baby Blues Film (2008)".
  20. ↑ "Box Office Numbers for 1 Week Run".
  21. ↑ "Cradle Will Fall (aka Baby Blues, 2008) Movie Review".
  22. ↑ "Son of president, founder of temple killed says father was a hero". FOX6Now.com. August 6, 2012. Retrieved October 30, 2013.
  23. ↑ http://fox6now.com/2014/04/05/amar-kaleka-candidate-for-congress-says-gun-control-issue-is-personal/
  24. 1 2 Schaaf, Mark (October 14, 2013). "Son of Slain Sikh Temple President to Challenge Paul Ryan - Government - Oak Creek, WI Patch". Oakcreek.patch.com. Retrieved October 30, 2013.
  25. ↑ Ramde, Dinesh (October 14, 2013). "Son of slain Sikh to challenge Ryan". Journaltimes.com. Associated Press. Retrieved October 30, 2013.
  26. ↑ http://www.indiawest.com/news/global_indian/amardeep-kaleka-loses-primary-in-wisconsin-congressional-race/article_04a44514-27e6-11e4-89b9-0019bb2963f4.html

External links

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