Today we’d like to introduce you to Danial Niazi.
Hi Danial, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
English was the only class in school I excelled at with little effort, but I was always told that I should be a doctor from a young age. Before college entertainment was always something I imagined myself doing, but I felt embarrassed telling my father I dont want to be a doctor. I want to be a comedian and write for TV and Film. I want to make people laugh. From my adolescence, I always felt, “I could do that.” when watching my favorite programs online or on TV. Any video project we had in class, I would bend the rules to make the video as funny as I could while completing the assignment objectives. I was obsessed with inciting laughter and happiness. I wrote a script and made a short film with some friends that we filmed, but the edit was never completed. The film was a thriller, which I hadn’t tried before with this caliber of planning and effort. That was the last project I worked on before starting undergraduate studies at the University of Kentucky.
It wasn’t until undergrad when I noticed the effort I was putting in my science classes towards my premed route was not bringing in results I desired. My passion was not in STEM. I took one class in screenwriting. around the time when I was flirting with the idea of a career shift. My professor Robby Henson was largely impressed by my first comedy script I have ever written. It was the first time I really felt recognized as a student for the creativity and skills I brought to the table. Around this time (2018) I was not around STEM students anymore. I was surrounded by many unmotivated creatives that had no idea how to pursue their goals, or were just in the major I was in because it was easier. It did not take long for me to ask my peers if they want to make a movie. One of my peers, Matt Dunlap, a close friend of mine now, was the first person to say he was down. no conditions, no nothing. one year later, we finished a horror thriller script that we filmed in an antebellum cabin in rural Kentucky. resourcing our other motivated peers and their connections, we were able to utilize thousands of dollars of camera equipment to film the most ambitious project of my life. The time and effort that went into making the movie was extraordinary, and I met dozens of new people. Not to forget, the premier of the short film in University of Kentucky’s brand new theater (at the time). it was about 50 people there total. close friends, family and maybe a couple strangers. That night as the first time I really felt my father was proud of something I did. I was massively embarrassed to be making movies among such a noble and experienced doctor, leaving home for set and coming back 15 hours later. They never knew what I was doing and I was constantly telling him to trust me. That night after the premier of the short film, I was walking to the stairs to go to bed and my dad was in front of me walking to his room. I told him goodnight and before he entered his room, he turned around and said to me how impressed he was by that film and that “the film was extraordinary.” I was nonchalant and told him thank you but inside, I was completely cognizant and felt a life long memory was happening in front of me in real time. Later that week, the short film premiered at the Kentucky Theater. That was a bucket list goal of mine to have my film play at my childhood city’s oldest and most famous movie theater. We had a huge crowd that day and the reception was amazing.
Since then, I have written dozens of scripts in TV and Film. I’ve worked on two cable TV shows (Into the Wild Frontier Season 3 + Relative Justice Season 2) and moved to Atlanta to pursue my career but in a larger industry. I didn’t have a plan but I needed to be around more creatives and bigger scale projects. I spent 9 months in Atlanta and got to work with OTE. I gained amazing amounts of experience in production and efficacy on set, but my dreams were all in pre production. I applied for my masters at SCAD in Atlanta in FILM but after meeting with a SCAD advisor, they recommended me to go to SCAD in Savannah due to their Dramatic Writing program, which Atlanta had not offered yet (2023). Getting my masters was life changing. I was surrounded by like minded creatives, but the crowd is different now. My peers are ambitious, hopeful, eager and so creative. I met equally driven students in grad school in acting, sound design, film production, editing, etc.
I worked on countless films while in grad school and made an effort to draw out as much experience from my seasoned professors. The space I was in was excellent for my creative mind. Every class had some degree of collaboration and/or presentation. I got to show my love for comedy and see my peers laugh from meticulously written comedy scenes to on-the-spot jokes during lecture (I was class clown 4 years in a row in elementary school). Quickly, my reputation was set among my peers of being a comedy writer. I was urged by a professor to join the university’s student ran and operated sitcom, where I world built a show called “Lodged”. I worked on both episodes, learning how to collaborate in a writers room with like minded comedy writers. I wrote scripts for VR, wrote plays, one page stories and full feature scripts. I learned budgeting and scheduling software used in the industry, made production packets, learned how to pitch a tv pilot and so much more informations that my subconscious waits to release like a solar flare. I learned about the industry and how hard it is. I met and spoke with professionals in the industry that visited because of SCAD’s brand name.
I was told by some people in my life to not pursue a masters in creative writing because entertainment is not like medical school or law school where it’s mandatory. I’m beyond thankful I went. Aside from the hours and hours of education I gained from lectures and outside the classroom, (incoming corny line) it was all about the people I met along the way. Seriously though, My peers are people I want to help for the rest of my life. Meeting people who are deeply motivated is crucial in this industry.
My parents always told me that the company you keep reflects who you are. They did tell me this on mornings when I would come home late night on a weekend, but they were and are completely right. My peers elevated and motivated me to be a writer. Before getting my Masters I wrote, but now I am a writer. Since graduating, I have been fully immersed in every platform of story telling. I’ve been revising a Sitcom TV pilot, doctoring peoples scripts, writing four-block comics, doing stand up, planning a podcast soon as well as a sketch series.
My scripts that have been produced and submitted into film festivals have been victorious and I’ve been nominated for best writer along with many other nominations. My resume is packed with passion and excellent experience. My goals are more clear now than they have ever been and my confidence in myself as a writer has never been higher.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It was more challenging starting out than it is now. Starting out, I went from a career path with certain job security, into a career path where millions have failed. There’s so much doubt that gets put on you when you choose to follow your dreams.
There was one family friend I sent a link to of my first ever film “Burning in Trial”. They told me this career path is hard. Uh… no $#!%. Lots of people are good at telling you what to do without telling you what to do. They deliver information like a trojan horse, framing it as advice, but at its core, is a truthful sentiment. Don’t get me wrong, there is plenty of sincerity along the journey of chasing your dreams. But no one bats a thousand. People get jealous or hate when they see someone trying to do what they love. I don’t understand why but it’s very common. People are just bitter. We have that emotion programmed into us, so of course you’re going to get hated on for trying something.
As a Pakistani American, being the only one in my bloodline born in the states, among my two brothers and parents, has given me an interesting perspective to the world. I’ve been pursuing writing for maybe 10 years now and still I get asked if I’m writing a book by my mom’s friends. No, Aunty. I’m a screenwriter. that doesn’t mean I write books. I feel really bad for my parents having to deal with the eyes of the community looking at their son try and chase his dreams. It’s insane but so are the families in my Pakistani community. I regret chasing my dreams because I’m sure my father would love to see his son in a white coat. I do what I do to represent my people and change the way we’re perceived in media. I don’t know when my break through will occur but I am not rushing it. The only times I’ve felt I should rush it, is to give my parents relief or maybe just to be able to say “I told ya so.” Either way, being a son to parents that have sacrificed so much for you applies an undefinable burden which is my own journey to alleviate.
I’ve seen writers who deserve so much praise get slept on. This industry can be cliquey, which is fine; I want to bring my friends who were grinding with me during this phase, to the top when I make it. But unfortunately, you can’t be in everyones clique. So sometimes people will not listen to you just because you’re the outlier who found their way among a clique. The phrase, “its not who you know, it’s what ya know” is a chilling refresher that anyone can really make it. Hard work does pay off of course, but man if you can dry hump the leg of the right person, you can really put yourself in a better position. There are lots of compromises you make for the sake of getting something done. No that was not a confession of me dry humping someones leg, that was just a separate point. Stop looking at me like that.
Anyways, I’m just saying that you have to make compromises to do things or omit things for the sake of everyone else being content. That was a very easy thing to learn. Some of my peers in grad school have not learned that yet, and they have a rough road ahead of them. Writing is collaborative. If you’re making decisions that only make you happy, then someone else isn’t happy and their voice is not being met.
Not everyone knows that for collaboration to happen, compromises must be made. Working with someone who doesn’t make compromises is a recipe for an unpleasant experience. And the tricky thing is, is sometimes you don’t find that out until you’re in the meat and potatoes of a project. Anyways, work with people who are pleasant to be around and be pleasant to be around. Doors will burst open left and right like a Scooby Doo chase (not funny).
It is not profitable right away either.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Im a screenwriter. I got into story telling and entertainment early on when I saw the impact it has on society. Entertainment is still propaganda. I can send a deep heartfelt message even if its a comedy or horror, movie or short film. Everything we see is propaganda.
It is my dream to undo the racist stereotypes developed in a post 9/11 America. I desire to spread love and normalize the visual of a South Asian person and not have him be associated with hate simply due to his complexion. I want to represent my people and change the landscape around us.
To quote a dear family friend of mine, as well as Zohran Mamdani, (fact check me I dare you), because he quoted my amazing friend, “Be the person you needed when you were younger.” This industry is opening doors for people of color and stories that are unheard. I feel that writing is my calling in life, as my goal is to make a societal difference. When I was younger, I dealt with the south asian characters written by white people that preyed on stereotypes to fuel any content form them. I have more of a voice today than I ever have before.
I specialize in Comedy writing. Dialogue is particularly my favorite things to write. I spent so much time analyzing people and the way they interact, where my dialogue is seamless and natural. I am most proud of my acting cameos in my own writing. My friends quote my lines and that feels so so cool and gratifying. I love seeing my work make people laugh and bring them together.
What sets me apart, is when I see someone achieve extraordinary success, I think to myself, “I can do that.” I think of myself in their shoes and can almost feel the success they feel. It sounds insanely egotistical and deluded, but I genuinely believe if they are physically and mentally capable, then they proved to me it can be done. Why can’t I do it? There is no reason. Every able bodied human has been blessed with the same potential. They must show that they want it, if they want to have it.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
you cant have an exciting life without taking risks. If you want to live comfortably at home all day, there is a lifestyle for that. If you want greatness, you take risks and you make sacrifices. Not everyone develops themselves for that mindset, but everyone has the capability to change the world.
I’ve found out that taking risks in everyday life will build this skill. (I do not condone dangerous recklessness. Be responsible) While hiking I like going off path. It builds that muscle in my head to take risks. Taking a risk can also be as simple as making a joke or saying something sincere to someone which opens you up to vulnerability. You do it because you seek a break from the ordinary. Going on adventures in day to day life and taking uncertain paths merit different risk levels, sometimes the takes are very low but a risk is still being made, other times the stakes are ridiculously high and so risky with such little reward. Familiarizing yourself with risk is key in life. There is no risk in your comfort zone. Equally so, there is no greatness in your comfort zone.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: diazi98
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danial-niazi-000b4a130/
Image Credits
Austin Rapp, Jack Muzzo, Alonzo Boschulte
