Episode 95: Rahul Sabnis BUILDS The Audio Reflection of America
Not many people can say that they are part of building the audio reflection of the ENTIRE country. Rahul Sabnis can.
Rahul is the Chief Creative Officer of iHeartMedia, an American mass media company that currently reaches 9 out of 10 Americans every month. 9 out of 10. Let that sink in.
Rahul explains how the role of Chief Creative Officer not only means being a champion of the audio medium, but also means being the bridge that gives diverse voices a platform. He also breaks down of the iHeartMedia family tree and the amazing new projects they are working on in the Metaverse (which he kindly tried to explain to me).
He recalls the night he called his father to let him know he would no longer be pursuing his engineering degree (one of the many “good Indian boy” career paths), his father’s beautiful advice, and how he now understood why his parents had an inclination to carry some fear on their shoulders as immigrants to this country (like many of our parents).
We talk about what it means to discover that you’re Indian-American, our relationship to both cultures and the fact that we’re definitely NOT confused desis (Indians), his sweet memories of India and packing peanut butter in suitcases, and his epic version of the “big fat Indian wedding”.
We thought of some pretty awesome podcast topics that we could discuss for hours, why dharma (duty) is so important to him, and a potential dance-off the next time I’m in NYC. Although he’s going to pass that baton on to his wife.