From the quiet streets of Dubuque to the bright lights of Hollywood, Rajendra “Raj” Thakurathi (’12) has traveled an inspiring journey fueled by his passion for storytelling and filmmaking. Today, the Loras alum juggles the roles of writer, director, and producer for film, television, and digital projects in Los Angeles.
Raj’s path found its spark at Loras, where he discovered a love for visual arts after initially planning to study physics. Experimenting with photography, making videos, and writing and editing for the college’s newspaper allowed Raj to gain confidence in pursuing creative media professionally.
While the classrooms provided a foundation, Raj credits the full Loras experience for shaping his leadership, communication abilities, work ethic, and integrity that propel his career today. Among his proudest moments was working for the student newspaper, eventually running it as a co-executive editor his senior year.
Since graduating, Raj has contributed to major releases like Disney Pixar’s ‘Onward,’ and worked on studio films. He is especially proud to have produced ‘The World’s Happiest Man’ featuring two-time Oscar nominee Bruce Dern, which is coming out later this year. No matter how bright his Hollywood star shines, Raj remains grounded in his Loras roots.
