Neil Potnis is the Founder and Studio Director of Disruptve, where he examines how visual culture shapes activist identity. A media sociologist by training, he works across art, media studies, and social impact, with prior projects ranging from documentary filmmaking to exhibiting work at the Venice Biennale of Architecture.
He is currently pursuing a PhD in International & Transcultural Studies at Columbia University, where his research examines media’s role in shaping youth political culture in urban India. Before founding Disruptve, he served as a Design Fellow mentoring the Obama Foundation Scholars and worked across several arts-based environmental and civic research labs focused on climate communication and public engagement.
Through Disruptve, Neil develops multimedia projects—including films and visual installations—and leads its public programming. Across his work, he uses visual culture as both method and medium to translate political and environmental struggles into accessible, affective experiences that support collective dialogue within minority communities.
