A story is pivotal to the success of any production, whether it’s a movie, a commercial or a wedding film. My great good fortune is that I do what I love to do—tell stories. Because as a filmmaker, my purpose is just that: to collect, create and convey simple but smashing stories. I was born in Pakistan, but moved to Canada in 1990. The South Asian community was practically non-existent back then here in Canada. The wave of multiculturalism had not yet gained momentum. The film world struck home for me in the spring of 1993. Waiting for the next train on the subway platform, I saw a poster of Jurassic Park. A few months later the film’s trailers graced television cable. And then came the day of the film’s release: June 11, 1993. I remember reading a Toronto Star article, specifically seeking out the movie’s rave reviews. I also remember the precise moment the film bug bit me: when I saw a scene from the film on the TV—the scene when the dinosaurs are first revealed. It was that scene that raised the curtain on my personal filmmaking aspirations. I wasn’t able to watch the film in theaters (a fact I deeply regret to this day). Instead I awaited its release on VHS—a long and torturous wait of 16 months. Meanwhile, I raided the local library and video rental stores, finding and watching every single film ever produced and directed by Steven Spielberg. And each new film only added fuel to the fire of my own aspirations.

Upon graduating from high school, I decided to pursue a film career. Unfortunately, Ryerson Film School required a portfolio, something I didn’t have. So, instead, I enrolled in Ryerson’s Information Systems Management and spent my free time filming everything and anything with my Sony Digital Camcorder. A gift from my parents upon beginning university, the camcorder cost a whopping $1500.00 at the time. So I made the most of it, shooting whenever I had the chance. During my time in university, although Film School remained just out of reach, a host of other opportunities opened up for me. One of the courses I took at Ryerson was a web designing and HTML programming course. I actually didn’t do very well in the course itself, but I took the tools from it and applied it to my newly burgeoning film making passion. That is, I started a website on the Geocities Page. I called it the Steven Spielberg Web Page and while it started off as good fun, within a few years’ time, it came to receive extremely heavy traffic that I had to move the site from free server to dedicated paid server. Incidentally, I launched the website the same day DreamWorks Studios (co-owned by Spielberg) released its first film The PeaceMaker. As things go, the site evolved, slowly but surely, from the Steven Spielberg Web Page to the Steven Spielberg & DreamWorks SKG Fansite. Eventually, it became, very simply and most memorably, DreamWorks Fansite. Between the years 1997 and 2005, the website became so big that it received over one million views per month and I managed to established sources within DreamWorks Studios. These sources provided me with access to content not yet made public.

For example, my website was the first in the world to get exclusive access to the second trailer of Minority Report. When I posted the trailer on my website the traffic was so tremendous that my server crashed, plus I got a legal letter from 20th Century Fox (responsible for the domestic distribution of the film) to remove the trailer from my site. I, of course, obliged. The same mad dash delirium hit my site when I got exclusive access to the first look at War of the Worlds, which had been intended exclusively as a Superbowl Trailer. The site soon became popular within DreamWorks Studios as well. It was, I learnt, known to the owners, i.e. Steven Spielberg, David Geffen and Jeffrey Katzenberg. Soon, I became a regular DreamWorks invitee to film sets, press junkets, and actor interviews. One time, I even came close to an interview with Steven Spielberg himself. Unfortunately, that fell through at the time. I hope that opportunity is stored up somewhere in my future. But the website wasn’t my sole absorption. During this time, I kept filming on my own. I covered a few family weddings and went back to school to take a few film courses. I was also doing some small production projects for my then emerging company Sky Blue Productions. And on the side, I was working full time in Web Design and Marketing. It was an overwhelming time in my life. But also one ripe with rewards.

Fast forward to 2006. DreamWorks Studios suffered major losses and began its decline. With that, it became difficult to sustain the website, despite my love for it. And I realised, I had to make the move from film relaying to filmmaking, as that had always been my goal. After seven sweet years, after being featured in magazines all over the world from Premiere to Entertainment Weekly and Empire, along with so many others, I decided it was time to close the doors on the DreamWorks Fansite. At the same time, I closed those doors, I got laid off from my full time job. It was two shocks in one go. But, I firmly believe that everything happens for a reason. So I took it all in stride. I decided to take all my new found time to launch Film Style Weddings and Sky Blue Productions. Each company had its own directive and its own intended core clientele. Whereas Film Style Weddings focussed on weddings and all things weddings related, Sky Blue Productions became about corporate films, infomercials, music videos, and films in general.

As far as Film Style Weddings was concerned, my goal had always been to produce high end quality work. I wanted it to become a boutique company, catering to an exclusive clientele. The plan was to cover only 12-14 weddings a year, by 2012, and give those fewer weddings greater energy. Indeed, in 2007, my company covered 27 weddings. And every year after that, the number was reduced, until our expected mark of 2012. In 2009, Film Style Weddings became the first South Asian Company in North America to produce a Next Day Edit (an accumulation of fun and meaningful shots taken from pre-wedding events and ceremonies, with musical accompaniment, shown as a film at the Reception the following day). It was at this point that things started moving forward very quickly. We began receiving requests for high profile weddings and still do to this day.

I have travelled to Nigeria to document a royal wedding. I have been to India, UK, France, Mexico and the Caribbean to cover weddings coloured by a wide variety of cultures. And we now cover high end weddings worldwide, with Canada being our central hub. As a boutique studio, the most important thing for us is the couple’s story. We are called upon to do all kinds of weddings. Big, small, extravagant, minimalist…you name it, and we’ve probably had the luck of capturing it. As a result, we have travelled across the world and have bore witness to many unique traditions and cultures. Days can be just as long as nights, jet lag must be quickly overcome and rest between trips is a commodity that is used sparingly. But when you love what you do, you learn more each time you do it. Sky Blue Productions, on the other hand, continues to prosper in association with world renowned organisations ranging from Ellis Don Constructions to SunnyBrook Hospital. It’s been a fun ride and I’m still going strong. My goal of becoming a full- fledged filmmaker is just within my grasp. I am currently directing a feature length documentary called ONLY 78. It’s a story of a small fishing village in Nova Scotia, Canada facing certain extinction in the face of natural disaster. I’m also producing and directing a web series called The Wedd Lounge. The Wedd Lounge is a talk show where couples are invited to look back on their wedding day and provide some input to viewers on what went wrong and what went well. We are currently wrapping up Season 1 and will soon begin production on Season 2. I am also working on two feature film scripts as well as an animated short film called The Social Wall. All of these have an expected release date of a few years. But, my hands are happily full with lots of loved work. I’ve come a long way and I intend to go much further. My career began in 1993 and since then every moment, every decision, and every turn has revealed new opportunities and new perspectives. I wouldn’t change them for the world.