Niki Iyer
Niki Iyer is an aspiring film and television executive from the SF Bay Area, California. A former national-level track and field athlete and a bioengineer, she’s on her third life as a storyteller. Raised in the cutthroat Silicon Valley by Indian immigrants, she hopes to expand upon the action, thriller, and adventure genres that she was exposed to at a young age. After graduating from UC Berkeley’s film program in Spring 2021 and in an attempt to bridge the gap between executive leadership and creative insight, Niki joined UCLA’s MFA Screenwriting with an emphasis in producing program in Fall 2022. She graduated from the program in Spring 2024, with both writing and leadership accolades to her name, including the Alfred P. Sloan Screenwriting Grant for her television pilot about Indian aeronautics researcher turned president, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, and having co-led the prestigious UCLA Screenwriting Showcase as the Head of Industry. Apart from her educational background, Niki has had experience in development at companies such as FilmNation Entertainment, Perfect Storm Entertainment, and Proximity Media. Prior to her time at UCLA, she worked as an executive assistant supporting CEO Franklin Leonard at The Black List, where she founded and led the inaugural Desi List. Niki hopes to parlay her past, present, and future experiences into becoming a creative-centric, filmmaker first executive.