Today we’d like to introduce you to Shuja Uddin
Hi Shuja, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Born and raised in Karachi, Pakistan, (a city of close to 20 million people!) I knew I was destined to tell stories. Whether it was playing with my action figures, writing my own comic books or making amateur Youtube videos with my dad’s camcorder, I knew telling story is what’s going to help me connect with humans all across the world.
June 25th, 2009. Michael Jackson passed away. I was exposed to his music and dancing genius on CNN and other news coverage. His magnetic expression of music and dance through his cinematic shorts propelled me to pursue filmmaking as a career.
After receiving my film production degree in Karachi’s leading film school, I got the opportunity to pursue an MFA in Screenwriting at Boston University.
2017. That’s when my American journey started. I studied two years at BU where I pushed myself as a storyteller by writing for film and television under the tutelage of some incredible professors and a talented cohort. During my time in Boston, I would go to Sabbaths, Holi festivals, take salsa dancing classes, pretended to be a Singaporean nationalist at MIT and perform standup to packed crowds in Cambridge, MA while doing part-time care taking for an old lady in Watertown, MA.
But by 2019, my time in Boston had come to an end. And while I hoped to land in Hollywood, I instead got an internship at the Austin Film Society.
Enter Austin, TX. A city I call home. Pandemic cut short my time at AFS but it sparked my drive to tell Texas stories. I got into education and started teaching film and cinema at Headwaters School and Austin Community College. In 2022, I started my own production company, Tishna Films, and began telling stories for government agencies, non-profits and educational.
Nowadays, I’m knee deep developing my screenwriting portfolio, planning to make a film that connects Pakistan and Texas and pursuing a full-time faculty position at ACC RTF. I know this sounds a lot but this is only the beginning, Texas.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has been largely a smooth road getting to where I am today. That’s not to say it has not been without challenges. When I came to Austin, I did not know anybody in town. I was at an unpaid internship at AFS, I had no community, I had financial issues and I was struggling with my sense of purpose.
However, through the ups and downs of my time in Texas, I have been able to cultivate a sense of community in Austin and developed a sense of ownership to the city. Not only that, I’ve been able to manifest my creative endeavors and connect with the local film scene to tell the next generation of Texas stories that can have a global impact.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
My company Tishna Films is a video production company based in Austin, TX. We serve government agencies, non-profit organizations, and educational institutions by telling compelling human stories, rooted in data and analytics. Tishna Films is State of Texas HUB and City of Austin’s Small Minority Business Enterprise certified.
One of our first projects was working with UT Austin Steve Hicks School of Social Work and Texas System of Care on telling a 5 min documentary for a Hispanic girl struggling with mental health issues and was supported by a Youth Peer Specialist. Our project was selected for Women in Film and Television 2023 Annual Showcase, bringing growing exposure mental health concerns for at-risk teens in Texas.
Recently, Tishna Films collaborated with National Training & Technical Assistance Center (NTTAC), a SAMHSA-funded initiative, on producing 5 different pieces of video content that captured the performances of 4 youth poets and one introduction video, emphasizing the importance of creative writing as a therapeutic tool and a way to center the voices and experiences of young people in systems of care.
We have 15+ years combined industry experience with a diverse team consisting of women and disabled veteran filmmakers. From the plains of the panhandle to the pine woods of east Texas, we also have expansive experience working on diverse Texas filming locations along with an understanding of local crew and industry demands.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
So many people yet so little time.
My screenwriting professor in Karachi, Zeeshan Haider, pushed me to pursue screenwriting and challenged me to grow my skills as a storyteller. My graduate school professor, John Bernstein, for opening me up to different creative approaches and telling strongly structured stories. He also encouraged to come down to Austin from Massachusetts.
In Austin, I am thankful to my mentor AFS Studio Director, Martin Jones, for encouraging me to keep writing and being an advocate in the Austin film scene. I am also thankful to my friend Melinda Rothouse for being a strong supporter for Tishna Films and always finding ways to help my business. I’m also grateful to my partners in crime, Devon Foster and Matt Rifley, for being wonderful friends and excellent collaborators in bringing my stories to life.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.tishnafilms.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/snarky_karachite/
Image Credits
Dominique Mireya Photography
