Growing up in rural England as a second-generation Iranian immigrant, I was hungry for stories that made me feel like a star, celebrating my culture as I saw it.

Every time an Iranian entertainer passed through our sleepy seaside town, my parents would slam down their money.

(I still have my now-yellowing tickets from seeing one particular Iranian-British stand-up.)

I knew I wanted to be part of that wondrous, magical, elusive storytelling machine.

My first step was penning a weekly ‘Great British Bake-Off’ review for a local newspaper, followed by a short-lived stint writing joke horoscopes.

Today, I’ve produced and written award-winning documentaries for CBC and Bell, become a fellow of the Netflix-Banff Diversity of Voices program, written for Shondaland, CBC Arts, Ottawa Business Journal, and more.

No matter which hat I'm wearing, my purpose is always the same: using storytelling excellence for good.

(And showing my painfully-shy childhood self that we did it.)

So, if you’re in a metaphoric ‘rural nowhere’, just like I was — this one’s for you, friend.