Even after 40 years of living in the US, Sudhir Vaishnav remains steadfast in bringing quality entertainment from India to home-sick Indian Americans.

“I came to America as a teenager, at a time when there was no real awareness of Indian movies or artists in this country,” he quips. “South Asian cinema lacked proper exposure in the US and I felt it had to be brought to the forefront.”

In hindsight, Vaishnav laughs at memories of being able to show an Indian movie in cinemascope format for the first time in the US. Presently, as CEO and president of GloboSat Entertainment, a premiere global entertainment and broadcasting company based in New York, it is hardly surprising that with Vaishnav at the helm, the group has grown to become one of the strongest players in the South Asian media industry in North America.

GloboSat brings popular Indian TV and radio channels such as Sahara One, Filmy, Sahara Samay, ABP Majha, ABP Ananda and Radio City to the US, UK and Canada, airing it on satellite, cable and IPTV. With over 35 years of varied corporate management experience in the US, Vaishnav has built a strong background in sales and marketing, working with Fortune 500 companies. He has long been involved with numerous organizations, from professional to non-profit, and has interacted with some of the greatest names in South Asian music and cinema. In the 1970s, Vaishnav became one of the very first to bring South Asian entertainment into the US, hosting shows with artists, from classic legends such as Lata Mangeshkar, Kishore Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan, Mohammed Rafi and Talat Mahmood, Asha Bhosle, RD Burman to newer maestros such as AR Rahman. In 1974, he founded the Indo-American Friendship Society in Philadelphia; the first Indian organization to receive an Ethnic Heritage Affairs grant for the historical US Bicentennial celebrations. Several years later, in 2004, he became the first Indian producer in the 130-year history of New York City’s Broadway to present a South Asian production: Andrew Lloyd Weber’s Bombay Dreams, boasting AR Rahman as the composer. He also co-produced an off-Broadway production, India Awaiting, while working with Sony Music Classics to promote Rahman’s international album, Between Heaven and Earth, in North America

Vaishnav’s newest passion is to find meaningful ways to merge South Asian media and entertainment with the American mainstream. He feels that the second generation is better prepared to deal with their roots and culture. “Bollywood is the only thing that links the Desi American to the motherland,” he says. Born and raised in Mumbai, Vaishnav speaks with an understanding of America where he has lived since he was 19. Vaishnav has always held the fundamental belief that giving back to the community should be an integral part of every Indian American’s life. He practices what he preaches, having deeply integrated himself in philanthropic organizations as a leader, facilitator and a fund-raiser.

Vaishnav has been actively involved with the NRI community in the US for over three decades and has served on the board of advisors with various leading community and non-profit organizations. His unwavering support and involvement with organizations such as the Share and Care Foundation, the Association of Indians in America (AIA), Federation of Indian Associations (FIA), the America India Foundation (AIF), Child Rights & You (CRY), Pratham, Nargis Dutt Foundation and Children’s Hope India, has cemented his position as a pillar of the Indian American community.

Vaishnav has also been an integral part of the world renowned Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, since its inception 30 years ago, as well as the Gujarati Samaj of New York. Even as the CEO of a diverse entertainment and media company, he is known to deftly juggle his time between work, travel, family, and the community.

Vaishnav lives on Long Island, New York, with his wife Swati, who is also actively involved with the South Asian community. The couple has a daughter, Siddhi and a son, Shivang