Neil Potnis is the Co-Founder and Studio Director of Disruptve, where he examines how visual culture shapes activist identity. A media technologist by training, he works across art, media studies, and social impact, with prior projects ranging from documentary filmmaking to exhibiting low-carbon design 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, and serves as a Researcher at the Center for Sustainable Futures, extending this work into climate, education, and civic engagement. Before founding Disruptve, he was a mentor for the Obama Foundation Scholars leading workshops on social impact ventures and a Researcher at the Natural Materials Lab, where he built visualization tools for localized sustainable design.

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 South Asian communities and beyond.