Rohitash Rao is a multidisciplinary artist based in the Canopy community in East Austin.
Born in Hyderabad, India, and raised in Rancho Cucamonga, California, Rao’s early impulse to draw on anything he could find has since evolved into a full-fledged artistic language—one that cleverly interrogates pop culture, consumerism, and memory. Rao’s creative journey is woven from decades of storytelling, satire, and experimentation across nearly every medium.
With a BFA from Art Center College of Design, Rao began his career in advertising, developing iconic campaigns for brands like Taco Bell, Playstation, and Energizer.
His sharp wit and conceptual edge earned accolades from Cannes, Clio, and D&AD, eventually landing him a creative director role at the SciFi Channel, where he began directing promos that blurred the line between humor and spectacle.
That pivot from ad world to animation set off a prolific new chapter. Rao’s stop-motion and animated shorts, including the viral hit Battle of the Album Covers, have screened at over 25 international festivals and led to music video collaborations with artists like My Morning Jacket and Colbie Caillat.
Alongside his longtime writing partner Peter Nelson, he’s also published several children’s book series and created animated content for Comedy Central's Trip Tank.
Their quirky pilot Rancho Cucamonga, based on Rao’s upbringing, was produced by Lorne Michaels and exemplifies his ability to balance personal narrative with absurdist humor.
At the heart of all this creative output is Rao’s ongoing practice as a visual artist, transforming found objects—street trash, discarded packaging, and other remnants of daily life—into conceptual art.