Today we’d like to introduce you to SHAHID IQBAL.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
From an early age, I enjoyed being on stage and entertaining myself and others with acting and voice mimicry. Throughout school and college, even though I was studying sciences and business, I always found myself getting involved with creative activities every now and then. Soon that interest got me into acting opportunities in local theater and even some creative writing projects. A few years later (in early 2000s), came the thought of preserving my cultural heritage, language and identity in an ever diverse America.
Since then, I have been championing the cause of Urdu language and Pakistani arts and culture in the US. This lead to the creation of a nonprofit arts and cultural organization called the Indus Arts Council (IAC) in 2012. I also ended up authoring and producing 5 indie films in the last decade and tried to highlight Pakistani American theater and films through many indie projects. Lately, I have been working to provide a platform for the creatives, in particular Pakistani American creatives. These efforts include but not limited to a podcast series on YouTube featuring Pakistani creatives (2022) and a brand new film festival in Houston, Texas called the Rung Film Festival (RFF) (2023).
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It has been a mix bag, however, struggles made my journey even more exciting. The many challenges inlcuded limited resources, oppurtunities to grow and learn, and a few people who share the same passion to help along the way. Awareness of my cultural heritage in an ever increasing global village and the ever growing challenge of limited individual attention spans due to social media platforms, storytelling and performing arts is faced with decrasing audiences and spaces for expressions.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
My main profession has been in technology consulting for almost last 2 decades. I specialize in project and program management and also known for having a creative side with a few visual and performing arts projects every year since I can remember. As for my professional corporate work, I have led multimillion-dollar programs that bridge business strategy and technology delivery, driving measurable outcomes in efficiency, innovation, and growth. As a trusted advisor to C-level executives, I was successful in translating complex transformation goals into actionable workstreams that align people, process, and technology. I’m equally passionate about mentoring the next generation of consultants, building delivery frameworks, and contributing to firm-wide growth through practice development and thought leadership.
When it came to my creative side, I tried to chapmion the cause of Urdu language education/development in the U.S., from local organizations to nationwide Urdu pedagogy consultants, institutes, and community groups. I have also led the teacher training program at Indus Arts Council since 2014. I have been involved with the City of Houston, Fort Bend County, and other local and federal government agencies in promoting the use of the Urdu language in public service as well as in targeted community messages.
Since 2014, I have served as the Program Director for the StarTalk Urdu summer camp in Houston, Texas. He has attended several StarTalk conferences and trainings and participated in ACTFL sessions and other groups as well. He has helped many other programs with applying for StarTalk grants. During his leadership, the Urdu summer camp program saw unprecedented growth and demand for Urdu language in Texas, Missouri, and California. Since 2019, Shahid has managed 2 pilot Urdu programs in St. Louis, MO and the Bay Area, California. In 2020, he is working to develop Urdu classes in the Virginia/Maryland/DC area.
Similarly in the performing arts area, I have authored and produced 5 indie films in the last decade and played an instrumental role in many theater and film projects. I proud for my contributions in providing a platform for the creatives, in particular Pakistani American creatives. These efforts inlcude but not limited to a podcast on Youtube featuring Pakistani creatives (of diverse backgrounds) and a brand new film festival in Houston, Texas called the Rung Film Festival (RFF).
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
I was born in Pakistan, raised in Pakistan and Saudi Arabia and came to the US for higher education. This diverse backgrund allowed me to enjoy different culture, languages and people from around the world. I have always been an extrovert and an introvert at the same time, specially when I am working on something internally, I tend to avoid interactions. As of late, my interests now include educating myself with many other topics of knoweldge (such as sciences, religions, languages etc) cultures and understaing the world we all live in.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://rungfilmfest.org/about-us/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/indusartscouncil
- Youtube: @IndusArtsCouncil2012
Image Credits
Mazahir Bhagat
