Abdullah Shoaib Khan of Burbank on Life, Lessons & Legacy

We recently had the chance to connect with Abdullah Shoaib Khan and have shared our conversation below.

Abdullah Shoaib, we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: What makes you lose track of time—and find yourself again?
Honestly my work, I can throw myself completely into it and not really know what day it is. I’ll think instead in terms of what I have to do the next day and three days after that.
Could call it a strength when viewed through a career lens because it isolates me from everything but the work however it does then come at the cost of neglecting some relationships or even my own mental.

However it’s those same neglected things that also pull me back. A simple phone call with my family, night out with friends or taking some time to go see something I want to will immediately rush me back to what’s truly important in life.
Connections with others and yourself.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Abdullah Shoaib Khan and I’m an Assistant Director/Director from Pakistan.
I grew up moving around to different cities and countries which I think gave me a deeper appreciation and perspective for stories. When I reached adulthood and after a bit of soul searching I decided definitively filmmaking, the career path that was always on my mind was for me.
Since then I’ve recieved an educaiton in filmmaking and have worked on several projects be it short films, music videos or other forms of content and media.

Okay, so here’s a deep one: Who taught you the most about work?
I’ve had a lot of great teachers in the past but none can really be attributed more impact than experience.
Putting ideas, strategies and communications out there and seeing how they play in an actual environment.
Making mistakes and then recovering from them. Finally carrying those forward with you so to not falter there again.
Truly I feel like experience is the best teacher.

If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
Making it just one thing makes this question infinitely harder because I feel like I could break into a full on monologue for my younger self!

I think the one would be it’s okay to express yourself and try. Kinda linking back to what I said earlier about communication but basically that it’s okay to talk to the world about who you are, what you think and who you want to be and then taking steps towards it no matter how small or big to show them and yourself that.

Looking back to my younger self I feel like I put myself in a cage that I felt others wanted me in and refused to unlock the door despite holding the fucking key.

The sooner I got over that the better I felt and became.

I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. Whom do you admire for their character, not their power?
A moment and person I’ve been waiting to speak on!
My father, despite being an influential man in his field and his circles he always carries himself with honor and integrity. He has pride but it’s not bashful in fact I’d say he respects himself and his time. That same respect being extended onto others as well.
What I admire about him is that he is always the first one to offer help in any way he can in a situation and does not expect something in return or to be praised for it.
A hard worker if ever there was one with incredible determination and resilience.
I’ve learnt so much from just watching him operate in his day to day life and from what others speak about him.
I don’t have enough praises in the world I can give this man but hopefully this can serve something towards that.

Also all that is said here for him can be one-to-one applied for my mother as well. They are perfect partners in every way.

Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. What are you doing today that won’t pay off for 7–10 years?
Building up my portfolio and experience. I will take any job no matter how big or small if it goes towards one of these two.

Thankfully I’m now at a point where Im getting opportunities I’d previously thought I wouldn’t even be considered for but I know the blades of my work can still be sharpened, I can still grow further and chase excellence and new heights.

This is a process however and I need to respect that and not be frustrated with not being where I want to be in my career. It’s not a race, not even a marathon but a lifelong journey I’ve chosen to embark on. So I can appreciate the milestones but know there’s always more ahead.

Hopefully with some determination and a little bit of luck I can look back in 7-10 years and the start will be so far behind me that I can only ever remember the feeling of it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://askfilms.art
• Instagram: illustriousmind
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashoaibkhan/

Image Credits
Kushagra Jain