Pioneers: Mim Shaikh

What does your work involve? 

I have been working in the media industry as an actor and presenter for the past ten years. I also write poetry and screenplays.

I have worked as a radio producer and presenter, both for the BBC Asian Network and BBC Radio 1Xtra. I conceptualised my very own documentary for the BBC which saw me go to locate my biological father in rural Kashmir.

As an actor, I have starred in various television and film productions, including Informer (Netflix), Freehold (Amazon Prime) and, most recently, the Jemima Khan-written romantic comedy What’s Love Got to Do With It?.

I have recently developed a podcast with the Independent (Urdu) entitled Aik Cup Chai: Crossing Cultures, which is centred around having a cup of tea with talented and extraordinary trailblazers from the South Asian diaspora.

What inspires you? 

When I was 24 years old, I was cast in a short film called Daytimer and it was directed by Riz Ahmed. Just seeing him doing something creative in his career and watching him go on to achieve so much definitely had a lasting impact on me.

Additionally, I was encouraged to pursue a career within the broadcast/media industry through my GCSE Media Studies teacher, as well as a lecturer at the University of Leeds, as they both gave me high marks in a magazine that I had to produce and a news report that I had to make.

What message would you give to the next generation? 

To the next generation, I would say: learn everything you can about the people who came before you. Become students, take all the information in and blaze your own paths to greatness. You will do it even better than the people who did it before you.