One minute interview gives you a chance to hear about your fellow members, as we share with you the array of
members from various backgrounds and professions who are part of BritBangla.

BritBangla is about its member, highlighting our outstanding individuals and displaying the talented professionals
and entrepreneurs within the network.

Through this hopefully you will get brief insight of a member’s profession be it it’s in the world of music or environmental
campaigner and will play an inspiration to you.

We are starting with members who are in the world of media… so here’s introducing you to Saj Choudhury who’s a BBC
Sports Journalist and many you may already know him from our networking events too.

Drop BritBangla line if you are keen to be featured!

Email: britbangla@britbangla.net

SAJ CHOWDHURY - BBC JOURNALIST

Q. So why a sports journalist?

Well, I studied journalism at Leeds Uni and lived with five other lads where sport was one of the major topics of
the household. Best not discuss the others!

By luck, I landed an opportunity to work for three weeks unpaid for, as it was then, the sport sub-section on the
BBC News website in 1999 - a year after I had graduated.

Even though I had trained as a journo, my main role was cropping pictures and audio for stories written by others...
my bosses eventually trusted me to write stories and made me a staff member. Bless them.

Q. Not many Bengalis writing about sport are there?

Very true. I guess I'm lucky that my mum was, and is, pretty cool about the field I went into. The fact I work for
the BBC does tick a box for those who were so hopeful that I'd become a .......well, you know which trades.

There are already a few making their way in media too, which is brilliant. I think parents are becoming more open
to the idea of letting their kids explore less traditional fields of work - long may that continue.

Q. Any career tips to making it into the world of journalism?

If anybody wants to make their way in journalism then I suggest they offer their services to the local papers.
Build a portfolio of stories. Big media institutions prefer a candidate with experience more so than one with an
Oxbridge degree. Also, make sure you're not scared of cold-calling - if you want that scoop, then be prepared to pick
up that phone.

Q. What's life like at the BBC? Is it quite snobby?

I'm into my 11th year now at the BBC so I've encountered a wide-range of people, of which about 99% were lovely.

Of course, there is snobbery at every place of work, but at Television Centre most are pretty down-to-earth - the
chattiest are usually the news presenters. Recently, I had a brief conversation about soup with Zeinab Badawi - it
can be quite a random place. In case you're interested, Badawi is a fan of pea and mint.

Q. Who have you interviewed? Any memorable moments?

In the world of sport, I've interviewed greats such as Michael Owen, Alan Shearer, Jurgen Klinsmann, Cathy Freeman,
Venus Williams, Boris Becker, Lewis Hamilton. It's been amazing, but surreal.

I've also interviewed Zara Phillips twice, at Sports Personality and Sport Relief. Because she's royalty, there were
moments where my northern accent suddenly turned very RP. It was also quite unnerving having her entourage
watch your every word.

As mentioned above, I worked on Sport Relief 2010 and had the chance to 'grill' people in the world of entertainment.
During the filming of a special A Question of Sport, I was asked to chat to comedian Frank Skinner. Unfortunately,
there was one question I asked that was grammatically incorrect (basically, conversation-speak) to which he
responded with the rhetorical, "Who are you? Dizzee Rascal?"

Q. Is there anything else you would like to do?

I guess we all have dreams. I want to write a comedy and/or a drama. I also want to write a book for kids.
Better start typing...

Back to Top

DISHAD HUSAIN - DIRECTOR/CAMERAMAN

Q. What do you do?

I film and direct for television and independent films. The work varies a lot - one moment I'm working on 'Police
Camera Action!' on ITV and then a week after I could be filming a United Nations sponsored documentary on
Northern Uganda. My work generally has a comedy angle to it…although war crimes in Northern Uganda wasn't
really a laugh a minute…but I like to think there's a certain look and feel to all my films.

Q. Are there many Bengalis doing what you do?

There's not a big community of Bengali film and TV people but if you look hard enough you'll find them …can't
name any at the moment but they're out there!

Q. How do you get into it?

I did a lot of student films from the age of 15 to university winning a few awards and that got me into the National
Film and Television School. From there I worked my way with some big production companies like LWT (now ITV)
and TWI (now IMG) and just kept going.

Q. Is it easier to stick to one thing in media?

It's easier for your prospective employers in this industry to stick to one genre or discipline. But I don't do that.
I love working on serious news programmes and then directing a comedy advert. The variety actually helps in giving
my work a certain look and feel - and you constantly learn more working on different productions.

Q. What's been the highlights so far?

Making a couple of short comedy films on my own which did really well at International Film Festivals.
With comedy it's a great feeling to sit in an audience and see the audience laugh out loud to your film. I remember
one festival in Los Angeles sitting in a Cinema that Quentin Tarantino just visited called the Arclight on Sunset Boulevard.
It was the first time my film was to be played in the States. Would the Americans appreciate my humour? They did and
we won Best Short film that year!

Q. Advice for those wanting to get into the industry?

Don't do it! Okay I'm not completely joking. It's an oversubscribed competitive industry. Good pay isn't guaranteed
and it's filled with some seriously strange people! So if you want to do it - do it because you the love the journey not
the destination. That might sound like a Disney lyric but the reason why I'm in this business is because I sincerely think
my comedy work will do some good when it comes to making audiences think and feel about certain subjects. I've been
in the industry for 10 years and seen a lot of good people drop out of it because they didn't get opportunities. One of the
reasons I've survived is because I just keep going - whether it's a dangerous documentary about cops, a promo that needs
to be made impossibly fast or a wedding video I'll say yes just so they can subsidize my film projects that really motivate
me - and I also just love using a camera!

Q. What's coming up?

Building up my production company called Imotion and working on bigger and better films. My adverts and promo work is
getting more attention with bigger clients. And getting my first feature film off the ground is taking longer than expected…
but nearly there…

Back to Top

SAMIUL KAMAL-UDDIN - ARCHITECT

Architect, Samiul Kamal-Uddin, graduated from Bath and Oxford Brookes University. He moved to London in 2002,
has been working full-time since mainly in the UK, USA and Africa. Also, he's involved in youth mentoring
and is passionate about the young to achieve their potential in life.

Q. What made you want to pursue Architecture?

I enjoy being creative...Well, I think it started with my passion for art. I would draw anything as a kid. Also, the
fact that I always had an endless supply of lego to play with probably fuelled the creative juice.

Luckily, my father was open-minded enough to fuel my interest, rather then lead me away from it. When I was
12, my father suggested I could be an Architect - he explained it was someone who had their drawings built.
I think he could see I was not particularly keen on Science or Maths - and that I was happier with a crayon in my
hand, so he cunningly put the idea in my head so that at least I would still pursue a 'profession'. I was hooked.
It fascinated me that I could help to change the environment, and literally leave my mark. I suppose that's what
still gives me a buzz.

Q. So you're handy with a pencil?

I like to think so! Even though you can use 3D programs now, and the technical info is all produced on CAD, the
first hand sketch can still provide an atmospheric aspiration and provokes an emotional response that computer
graphics cannot. Basically, I get to show-off in a fraction of the time.

Q. Is it a long training course to be an architect?

It is roughly, you need a Degree and a Diploma, and need to get qualified. The whole course is about 7 Years;
though it has a great deal of variety, as you don't just study at university. Work experience, overseas study visits,
foreign exchanges all form part of the training, so I always found it fun and challenging.

Q. Architects have big egos don't they?

Some do, especially, the ones with the big black glasses, and black roll necks. Though that generation of Architects
are phasing out….and I think the recession definitely brought all Architects down to earth!

Q. Are you building anything interesting?

Well, I'm a lead designer in a team doing a Medical HQ that has just gone on site near Reading. It's for Stryker Ltd
and they are leaders in the worldwide orthopaedic market. They mainly design and distribute human joint replacements.
Quite cool - looking at the titanium alloy joints reminds me of Terminator!
Another project I have going on is regenerating some of the shops and courtyards in Windsor Town centre to make it
more modern and attractive.

I recently finished an office in Leeds for Land Securities with the company I work at ESA Architects, one of
UK's leading architectural practices - I did all these crazy orange and red walls that began at the entrance and then
wiggled its way around the space creating the reception desk, meeting pods, and ultimately becomes a servery/bar
at the end. The client and everyone who use the space really love it, and said how much they like working there.
That made me happy.

Q. So is it actually rewarding?

For me it definitely is and I do enjoy being an Architect.
Although it can be frustrating that getting a drawing to become a reality can take so long! Only a small percentage
of what we design actually makes it off the drawing board or computer screen, as is the case nowadays, so we suffer
from the 'frustrated artist' syndrome.

Q. You're quite passionate about helping the young people, how did that come about and why?

Outside my busy '9-5' job…I'm involved in setting up a Mentoring Programme that I heard about through BritBangla.
I work with a number of schools in East London to encourage students to pursue a more positive future.
I find it rewarding and recommend others to give mentoring a go. I've already done a talk to parents/ teachers,
and the next task is to set them a project so that they can get into teams and design a cool building. Maybe a games den.

I got into mentoring to make a direct positive impact on our society. This relates back to why I pursued Architecture
in the first place, except also I wanted to do something immediate as buildings take time. Youths are vulnerable to
influences, good and bad, that determine how they will turn out as adults, and what kind of impact they will have
on society as a whole eventually. I have personal experience with growing up in the UK, and questions surrounding
identity, career, etc are familiar to me as a British Bengali so kids can relate to that too.

So being involved in a Mentorship Programme allows me to bring my experience and helpfully encourage youths to
consider and realise that there's a wide variety of positive options for them. I know this can make a difference, as
having already done a talk, it was really rewarding for me to have the parents thank me afterwards which made me
realise that they also appreciate 'stepping out of the box', and assisting their children to make a better future.

Q Finally…anything you really want to build?

Build a decent space station!
No joke…I read they had Architects involved in building the current one due to be completed next year, but because
of budget constraints they did not take on board any of the comforts for the astronauts. They don't even have a hot
shower!. Also, the site visits would be amazing…

Back to Top