EXCLUSIVE: Camelback Productions, the independent film production and investment company founded by Anita Verma-Lallian, has appointed Rohan Shah as President of its Board, which has also added actor, comedian and filmmaker Kumail Nanjiani and tech executive Lata Krishnan as members.
Bridging the gap between Silicon Valley and Hollywood, Camelback has thus formed what is believed to be the first all-South Asian board of a theatrical film production company in Hollywood.
Said Verma-Lallian, “This isn’t about representation on screen, it’s about who sits at the table where decisions are made. We’re bringing a new model of film financing that draws on expertise from industries that have historically operated far outside Hollywood’s traditional structures.”
Shah, the Co-Founder and Chief Revenue Officer of technology-first insurance and payments platform Extend, added, “Tech founders have spent the last decades rethinking how consumers discover, pay for, and experience products. Entertainment is undergoing that same transformation, and the investors who understand platform economics and direct-to-consumer relationships are uniquely positioned to identify where this industry is headed before the traditional players do.”
Based in Arizona, and dedicated to amplifying underrepresented voices for the next generation of moviegoers, Camelback Productions’ board also includes Supriya Rao, with Smita Mehta, MD and Jennifer Verma as partners in the company. News of Shah’s appointment comes amid distribution negotiations for two Camelback projects he has championed: Scott Waugh’s Runner, starring Alan Ritchson and Owen Wilson, and Derrick Borte’s Bear Country, starring Russell Crowe.
Camelback’s debut film, Doin’ It, premiered at the 2024 SXSW Film Festival and was released theatrically last September. Other projects on their 2026 slate include Patel, a reimagining of Macbeth led by Kal Penn, and Academy Award nominee Cynthia Erivo’s drama, Prima Facie.
Shah’s platform Extend is currently valued at $1.6 billion. A Stanford graduate and Forbes “30 Under 30” honoree, he previously built businesses with Fortune 500 companies at BCG Digital Ventures, and also serves on the West Coast Board of the American India Foundation.
Krishnan served as Chief Financial Officer of Smart Global Holdings from its founding through IPO, spent a decade on the Silicon Valley Bank board, and currently sits on the Stanford Healthcare Board. As Founder and Co-Chair of the American India Foundation, she has shaped one of the largest U.S. nonprofits focused on India. Through the Krishnan-Shah Family Office, she maintains active investments across technology, medical device, energy, real estate, and social impact.
Recently earning a Golden Globe nomination for his Hulu stand-up special Night Thoughts, Nanjiani is coming off the Sundance premiere of the film See You When I See You from Jay Duplass, having also recently appeared on Prime Video’s Fallout. His upcoming slate also includes TriStar’s The Breadwinner, Neon’s The Wrong Girls and the series Sex Criminals for Prime Video.