We Speak Filmmakers
A3 ARTISTS AGENCY SIGNS VETERAN TELEVISION PRODUCER RI-KARLO HANDY
Handy arrives at the agency with over 25 years of experience producing and editing scripted and unscripted original content; and a two-year journey that has seen his non-profit organization The Handy Foundation forge the kind of high profile partnerships needed to create sustainable pathways to Hollywood careers for people of color.
LOS ANGELES – Veteran film and television executive and equity advocate Ri-Karlo Handy has joined A3 Artists Agency for representation in their ever-expanding Alternative Programming, Digital Media, Licensing & Branding Division. Handy arrives at the agency with over 25 years of experience producing and editing scripted and unscripted original content, and a two-year journey that has seen his non-profit organization, The Handy Foundation, forge the kind of high-profile partnerships needed to create sustainable pathways to Hollywood careers for people of color.
Handy currently serves as the showrunner for NBC’s Harlem Globetrotters: Play It Forward. His company, Sunwise Media, for which he serves as CEO, is also responsible for all content for fintech firm Greenwood Bank including their branded iHeart Podcast Money Moves: Powered By Greenwood, which is sponsored by MasterCard. The multi-platform media company has also established a number of bold creative partnerships, through which it is currently developing several projects that are both culturally relevant and socially responsible.
“I’m excited to be represented by A3 and to know that my efforts and goals are backed by a team who not only believe in the creative impact we aim to make as a company, but who are in lockstep with our vision of parity in Hollywood,” says Handy.
“Ri-Karlo Handy’s incredibly diverse track record of success, as well as his ability to initiate substantive change across the industry through The Handy Foundation, is exactly the type of person we welcome at A3. We look forward to further collaborating with Ri-Karlo as he continues to grow his brand,” said Robert Attermann, CEO of A3 Artists Agency.
Prior to launching Sunwise Media in 2018, Handy had already amassed a multitude of impressive film and TV credits as a producer, editor and showrunner, including creating Bounce TV’s hit drama Saints & Sinners, which was recently added to Hulu. He has also helmed reality and documentary projects for BET, MTV, and OWN, and has earned a Prism Award as well as an NAACP Image Award nomination for his work on Keyshia Cole: The Way It Is. In addition to his experience as a creative in production, Handy has spent several years in the boardroom developing television programming and building a network from the ground up. As the SVP of original programming at Bounce TV, Handy oversaw the entire original programming budget, development and schedule, growing the network to number 2 in the ratings for the AA market.
After sparking a viral conversation in 2020 regarding the need for more Black editors in Hollywood, Ri-Karlo founded non-profit organization The Handy Foundation. Its mission is to connect below-the-line workers to job opportunities in Hollywood and provide professional development, while helping studios and networks meet diversity and inclusion goals. To date, The Handy Foundation has partnered with Lionsgate, ITV, IPC, Warner Horizon, Bunim-Murray, Netflix, Urban League, NAACP, California Department of Education, and most recently, the California Film Commission. Since mid-2022, Ri-Karlo has led efforts to expand the foundation’s assistant editor program across all film and TV tradecraft, and is set to launch its next apprenticeship vertical.
To learn more about The Handy Foundation, apply for programs, donate, or get involved, call 818-235-3456 or visit online at www.handyfoundation.com. For interviews with Ri-Karlo Handy, please contact Tosha Whitten at 202-246-7875.
| ABOUT A3 ARTISTS AGENCY |
| A3 Artists Agency is a leading talent and literary agency known for fostering careers and building the personal brands of some of today’s most notable actors, writers, content creators and producers across a broad spectrum of the media industry. Visit A3ArtistsAgency.com and follow on social media @A3ArtistsAgency. |
| ABOUT SUNWISE MEDIA |
| Sunwise Media company’s principals have over 50+ years of combined production and advertising sales, focused on the African American Consumer Market. Sunwise Media, Inc. is a Certified Minority Business Enterprise founded in 2018 by Ri-Karlo Handy, who had been Senior VP of Original Programming at Bounce TV before the digital broadcast network was acquired by E.W. Scripps Co., and Elverage Allen, previously Bounce’s Executive VP of Advertising. We are a multi-platform media company focused on today’s diverse multicultural market. Through bold creative partnerships, Sunwise bridges the intersection of content and branding. Sunwise is well positioned to capitalize on today’s demand for socially responsible and culturally relevant content. Our objective is to become recognized as a leading content creator for the new majority multicultural market by funding and producing evergreen multi-generational content and events distributed across all media platforms. |
| ABOUT THE HANDY FOUNDATION |
| The Handy Foundation, founded by Ri-Karlo Handy, CEO of Sunwise Media, is dedicated to giving members access to expert career advice through digital workshops, live panel discussions, and virtual mentorship. Through partnerships with organizations such as The Urban League, unions, networks and studios, The Handy Foundation works to foster programs that focus on training and career advancement for below the line positions. Additionally, we continue to expand on our efforts to foster mentorship with the goal to create a bridge between education and training organizations and companies that can hire them. For more information on programs and the organization, visit: http://www.handyfoundation.org/ |
We Speak Filmmakers
Malhar Talwalkar Releases Award-Winning Short Film Pink Trees, Exploring Addiction, Recovery and Survival in Los Angeles
Director and cinematographer Malhar Talwalkar presents Pink Trees, a compelling short film that takes an intimate and unflinching look at addiction, recovery, poverty, and survival in Los Angeles. Through the story of a recovering addict struggling to stay clean while living in a temporary housing motel, Talwalkar explores the difficult realities faced by individuals attempting to rebuild their lives in challenging circumstances.
Pink Trees follows Matthew “Job” Smith, a recovering addict battling for survival while living in a temporary housing motel surrounded by the harsh realities of urban poverty and crime. His journey reflects the instability and uncertainty that can accompany addiction recovery, particularly when individuals are attempting to overcome substance abuse without the security of stable housing and a supportive environment.
Rather than portraying recovery as a straightforward journey, Pink Trees examines the complicated circumstances that can influence an individual’s ability to remain sober. The film asks important questions about personal responsibility, environment, social institutions, and the systems that surround people struggling with addiction.
“With this film I tried to tackle the shaky and uncertain road of addiction recovery,” says Talwalkar. “My personal history with substance abuse and addiction made me keen to analyze how various individuals, based on their circumstances, deal with addiction and recovery and how much role institutions play in one’s goal to stay clean.”
Talwalkar’s personal connection to the subject matter brings an added layer of authenticity to Pink Trees. Instead of reducing addiction to a single cause or experience, the film considers the different circumstances that can shape an individual’s recovery and the challenges that can make staying clean an ongoing battle.
The short film has already earned recognition across the independent film festival circuit, receiving awards and honors from Indie Short Fest, Indie X Film Fest, LA Indies, New York International Film Awards™ (NYIFA), San Diego Movie Awards, Chicago Shorts, Latitude Film Awards, Independent Shorts Awards International Film Festival, Hollywood International Indie Film & Screenplay Awards, and Los Angeles Film Awards.
These accolades highlight the film’s growing impact within the independent filmmaking community and its ability to connect with festival audiences and industry professionals through its emotionally grounded storytelling.
At the center of Pink Trees is a question that extends beyond addiction itself: What does it really take for someone to stay clean when the circumstances around them make recovery so difficult? By placing Matthew “Job” Smith within an environment shaped by poverty, crime, and instability, Talwalkar invites audiences to look beyond stereotypes and consider the human and institutional factors that influence recovery.
Talwalkar is a Director and Cinematographer who graduated in the MFA Filmmaking Program at the New York Film Academy in Burbank, California. His work reflects a passion for telling meaningful stories that explore complex human experiences and socially relevant issues.
With Pink Trees, Talwalkar delivers more than a story about addiction. He creates a portrait of a person fighting to survive, recover, and find a path forward in an environment where simply staying clean can become a daily struggle.
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