BIO

As a kid, Pia wanted to be many different things including a foreign diplomat, a human rights lawyer, and a chef. Born in New Jersey, Pia moved to Bombay, India, at the age of five. There she attended the Bombay Scottish School, a strict Catholic school known for a strong work ethic. Pia studied Bharatnatyam (a traditional Indian dance) as well as ballet, acting, elocution and horseback riding. She also studied the harmonium and violin. As a young girl, she was full of drama and mischief: vivacious and up for adventure, yet sensitive and serious at times. She often spent hours by herself curled up with her books or listening to music and exploring the world of fantasy. Pia traveled extensively at a young age, trekking in the Himalayan foothills and traveling around Europe, Asia and North America, seeing many different ways of life. At 10 she returned to New Jersey, where she exchanged a fast-paced urban life for a quiet suburban one.

Upon graduating from Chatham High School, Pia studied International Studies at the Johns Hopkins University where she befriended people from all walks of life and from around the world, studying abroad one summer in China. Her interests roamed to music, social work, women's studies and film. It's no surprise that she settled on acting, effortlessly taking on different roles and characteristics as her own and using her exposure to many different cultures to create her own expression and interpretation of human behavior. She graduated, Phi Beta Kappa, with double honors, and received an award for her senior thesis: an exploration of rave culture.

She studied Meisner technique with Francine Landes at the American Conservatory Theatre (A.C.T.) in California and with Suzanne Esper at the William Esper Studio in Manhattan. Pia is an avid supporter of independent filmmakers, both narrative and documentary, and has acted in several independent films. She also spent some time as the Media Fund Director at the Center for Asian American Media in San Francisco, where she oversaw a federal grants program for films geared towards public television (PBS) and involving untold stories from underrepresented communties. Some films that she helped to get off the ground / support include Cats of Mirikitani (Tribeca, Tokyo Intl. Film Festival), A Dream in Doubt (IFP Market), Project Kashmir (Tribeca Intl. Film Festival) A Fishbowl and some Dimes (Hawaii Intl. Film Festival) and Sentenced Home (Seattle Intl. Film Festival). Pia continues her interest in International Studies and activism and this is reflected in her art. She is drawn to original works of integrity, humanity and substance, eschewing the sometimes restrictive boxes that are often put forth for today's young artists. She has one older brother, a community organizer and fiercely independent thinker, who also lives in Manhattan. Her parents split their time between Bombay and New Jersey.