Tirusha Dave: A Woman of All Trades

When I heard about Tirusha Dave through my actor/comedian friend, Harvin Sethi, I was blown away at what this woman has accomplished. Tirusha Dave, in my eyes, has not only helped make a name for the South Asian musicians, producers, comedians, and actors she manages under her “one-woman show” management firm, Bravura Artist Management, but she has, unknowingly, done the same for herself. Since getting Bravura Artist Management started in 2006, Tirusha Dave’s name has been madly circulating throughout the South Asian-American community and it’s, without any doubt, because of the endless talent, apparent passion, and hard work that she has put forth. What is more amazing is, according to Tirusha, she didn’t have any intentions of getting herself involved in this line of business – “ it actually started with just a conversation with a friend.

“I was hanging out with an artist friend of mine, Raja Wilco, and we started to talk about the “scene,” said the New York resident. “I was going all crazy saying how I want to do this and I want to do that and he was like, “Then take the initiative and help me with my PR.’ I was still a little hesitant about it because I knew nothing about this field except for the fact that being in PR is cut-throat because you have to sell yourself in order to sell an artist or producer you’re working with. I didn’t know the first thing about doing that!”

Although Tirusha had no prior experience, she slowly began to become comfortable with her new found duty as a publicist and “pushed” herself to learn as much as she could about the industry she was in and what it took to be in PR. And, as previously mentioned, in 2006, Dave founded Bravura Artist Management, making it a side job to her daytime occupation working in the Sales and Marketing division of a pharmaceutical company.

“I initially started off working with artists, such as singers and MCs,” stated the 23-year-old. “From there I became more involved with the other side of music: the producers. Now I can add to my list, actors and comedians.”

Some individuals she is currently working with include urban South Asian production crews like Xplicit Desi Vibes, emcees like Ajaxxx, Nivla, and Raja Wilco, producers like RVM Sounds (Raj Makhija), Sureet Sandhu, and Kami K, and other entertainers like actor/comedian, Harvin Sethi – “ just to name a few.

Recently, one of the artists she publicizes, Soul Tap Record’s Nivla and P. Oberoi, were one of the top three finalists in the 2007 Doritos Crash the Superbowl contest, which was a collaboration with Myspace.com to have the public pick who they thought was the best musical artist based on the submission of the artist’s music video. Out of more than 400 submitted videos, Nivla and P. Oberoi had made it all the way to the top three, with the great support of the public – “ and of course with their undeniable talent and Tirusha’s PR skills.

However, Tirusha’s role in the South Asian-American entertainment industry doesn’t end there. Stemming from a childhood dream, Tirusha, along with her “partner in crime,” Abhi Nerukar, recently started an online South Asian entertainment, lifestyle and fashion magazine, Bravura, to further promote South Asians both here in the U.S. and abroad. However, don’t mistake Bravura to be just another Desi magazine out there.

“I wanted to create a ‘portal’ where I could reflect the identity and interests of South Asians across the world,” Tirusha said, talking about why she started Bravura. Bravura isn’t your typical ‘Desi’ (a term we use to refer to a fellow South Asian) magazine. There are the requisite vogue, beauty and entertainment stories within Bravura. There will also be features related to politics, trends in the South Asian community, profiles of prominent South Asians and introspective pieces about what it means to have an identity that is both South Asian and American. The term “bravura” means ‘exceptional’ in the most artistic way possible and that is what I wanted to create…something exceptional.”

“Exceptional” describes not only Tirusha’s work – “ it also describes her as an individual. Tirusha is a prime example of a genuinely hard working publicist who goes above and beyond what is required of her, with her reward being the satisfaction of being able to show the public the true identity of who the individuals she manages are.

“When I work with someone, I want to get to know them as a person and see what really makes the artist that they propose themselves to be,” said Tirusha. “For example, I worked with this one artist from Florida for almost a year, and I met him for the first time in August [2007].”

“We spoke a lot before that on the phone and communicated through Gmail chat a lot (Ah, you have to love technology). And when I met him for the first time, he was exactly the way I put him out to the public, a fierce MC but at the same time, a down-to-earth person. And I think that’s what people need to realize: even though the personalities I work with are in the entertainment scene, at the end of the day, they still face the same struggles that we did to get the position we’re in today and I think that helps the listener relate to the artist on a more personal note.”

Having accomplished so much in such a short time, when asked what move Tirusha would be making next in her career, she had this to say:

“I wish I had a crystal ball in front of me right now so I can see the future – “ but life is full of surprises, so only time shall tell!”

For more information on Tirusha Dave and Bravura Artist Management, please visit www.myspace.com/bravuraartist.