Che Kothari

While the world knows Chetan Kothari as a celebrity photographer, director, producer and an artist, he’s a diver at heart. “Che” is a PADI Advanced Open Water Diver who gains inspiration from the underwater world. He believes everyone will gain a deeper reverence for life and our beautiful, fragile ecosystems by learning to dive. Among his career highlights are intimate portrait sessions with Damian and Ziggy Marley, Nat, Erykah Badu, Ashanti, Ice Cube of NWA, Chuck D of Public Enemy, Common, Cypress Hill and many others, Che is building an award-winning, non-profit organization known as Manifesto Community Projects to unite, inspire and empower diverse groups of young people through arts and culture. He currently lives in Los Angeles, CA.

• Over 100 photographic exhibitions worldwide including Canada, USA, India, Jamaica and Japan
• Founded one of the largest hip hop festivals in Canada, endowing artists with over 2 million dollars and providing thousands of internships and volunteer opportunities
• Co-founded the BeautifulCity.ca Movement and chaired it's mobilization committee, whose actions raised approximately $18 million per year for public youth arts initiatives in marginalized communities
• Reshaped the community arts action plan while serving on the City of Toronto’s planning committee and the Toronto Arts Council Advocacy advisory. Was 1 of 7 people chosen for the Mayor’s Blue-ribbon panel for the Creative Capital Gains Advisory, which developed a 10-year plan for Toronto’s cultural division
• Member of ArtReach Toronto Steering Committee, Regent Park Arts & Cultural Centre Programming Advisory, 2015 Pan Am Games Cultural Advisory and Daniel’s Spectrum (voted best new Cultural Centre/Venue in Canada)
• Winner of the Mayor’s Arts Award for Cultural Leadership in Toronto
• Produced concerts that sold out Barclays Center, NY
• Music Committee Co-Chair for Sadhguru’s Conscious Planet - Save Soil movement; worked with Machel Montano to secure 6 countries’ MoU signatures to mitigate soil extinction in the world