Snarky ElePHANT PRESS

June 18, 2026 - New York, NY - Snarky Elephant Productions (SEP), the independent production company whose work has centered LGBTQ+ stories and underrepresented artists since its founding in 2018, today announced the appointment of Toby Shorter as Chief Legal Officer, a forthcoming expansion of its board of directors, and the transition of founder Vishaal Reddy from his role as Chief Executive Officer. The company has begun a formal CEO search.

When I first created Insomnia, I wanted to tell a story I was not seeing on screen. The series follows a queer escort navigating fear, family, identity, intimacy, and sex work through a darkly comedic lens. At its core, Insomnia was born from a desire to create a South Asian character who was bold, flawed, assertive, complicated, funny, vulnerable, and unapologetically himself.

Independent filmmaking is basically a masterclass in doing the impossible with half the budget, three favors, and an alarming amount of hope. Section 181 helps shift that dynamic. It gives filmmakers, including the ones right here in our herd, a new way to approach financing.