The time was a little after 1300 hours or 1 p.m. on May 1, 2019 when this interview took place with a friend. The 37-year-old, former Senior Producer of The Fader Magazine and former Media Producer at Karmaloop TV, graduated from Old Dominion University with a degree in Computer Science. His level of skills could possibly have led him to high places but not like his drive and passion for showing the world what he’s capable of once given the opportunity.
Operating within in his purpose was his goal. It was about putting his dreams into action. He’s about Show-Me the money without focusing on the pursuit of money but pursuing purpose. The Bengali American filmmaker is co-founder of the creative collective business called Illusive Media based out of Virginia Beach, Va. His name is Mahfuzur “Shomi” Patwary.
Photo credits: Courtesy of Shomi Patwary and Illusive Media
The Makings of a Multimedia Talent
Shariee: So what is Illusive Media?
Shomi: It started out as a collective of friends out of my bedroom office when we were just in college. It supposed to have been a record label called Illusive Records. It evolved into a multimedia company. We were doing everything from print, design, marketing, video and web design. It was a full scale media company.
As years went by, I was feeling like that I wasn’t mastering any of those (skills) and decided to do video only. I moved to New York to work at Karmaloop TV and Illusive Media was put on the backburner while I was working a 9 to 5. I was learning the video style by really experiencing it full-time (with Karmaloop).
Then I worked at The Fader. I began to build enough confidence to revive Illusive Media. It’s now more of a production company in video. We’re now thinking about going back to where we started as a multimedia agency. We are a collective of friends from Virginia Beach. Now I feel like that I have the clientele, and a lot of my friends are supper talented, I can delegate the work to them.
Shariee: Okay, nice. So, how long did you work for The Fader and Karmaloop?
Shomi: The job at Karmaloop.. my friend Julian was really trying to bring me in because he was already at Karmaloop but it was Pharrell’s co-sign that sealed the deal for me getting the job at Karmaloop. Same thing with Fader, my friend Joseph Patel was the VP at Fader but the CEO called Pharrell and Pharrell said “Shomi is that guy. Get him in your company.”
I only worked for Fader for half a year (2014 or 2015) and Karmaloop for 2 years (2012 to 2014). I wasn’t feeling the 9 to 5 hustle anymore. I was grateful for the experience but I wanted to do my own thing. My wife, Punom Patwary, is the executive producer and partner of Illusive Media with me.
Photo credits: Courtesy of Shomi Patwary and Illusive Media
Working with Pharrell Williams
Shariee: Very cool. So, how long have you known Pharrell?
Shomi: I was a huge fan of N.E.R.D. The first time that I ever saw the video Lapdance, I didn’t realize that they were from Virginia Beach. Something just connected in me with what N.E.R.D. were doing musically and visually. Soon as I found out that they were locals, I had a high school friend connect me with somebody that was working with this new artist at the time, Fam-Lay (Hip-hop artist). Through him, I connected with one of Pharrell’s really good friends Doug Dozier aka Doug Life. He was my link to Star Trak (Entertainment).
Shariee: How long have you worked with Pharrell?
Shomi: I met Doug Life when he was an A&R in 2004, and that’s when I joined the Star Trak family helping them out with little (projects) that became bigger (projects). Doug Life connected me with Fam-lay’s manager and they threw me in as a College Rep working for Star Trak. It went from handling the Clipse (Hip-hop duo artists) mixtape to handling their videos for Star Trak. We did everything for the Clipse. Mainly Fam-Lay and Clipse was holding it down in Virginia Beach.
It’s all under Pharrell and Chad’s roster and we took care of that roster (as a team). In Virginia Beach, we were doing everything for them from graphic designs to video work to web design. We got in where we could fit in. If it was a video, that’s what we did. If it was a website, that’s what we did. Whatever was needed, we did that. It wasn’t about the money. It was about the experience, knowledge and the portfolio that we gained from it all.
Pharrell inspired us and he gave us the co-sign that we needed to be where we are at today. Anytime we went to see Pharrell, it was like a humbling experience because he was all about the community. He’s opened so many doors. Throughout the years at the studio, at his house or at an office meeting, he showed us nothing but love and appreciation.
Photo credits: Courtesy of Shomi Patwary and Illusive Media
Something in the Water Music Festival
Shariee: Something in the Water is a 3 day annual music festival and cultural experience that took place this year from April 26, 2019 to April 28, 2019 in Virginia Beach, Va. What role were you involved in with SITW Music Festival this year?
Shomi: I played a very small role. Pharrell had a sponsorship from Red Hydrogen. We gave away festival passes and Hydrogen phones to take photos of the festival. Pharrell is a partner with a website called Music.com, where artists share their song stories. So Pharrell wanted to make sure that the locals felt involved and he gave them a platform. One of the platforms was to tell their music story at Music.com
My brother (Tash Patwary) and producer Shawn Hodges, and (I) gathered all the local talent that we knew, to tell their stories at Pharrell’s website Music.com. We did this throughout the weekend (of) the festival. Pharrell had a Sony (Music) stage and he wanted to give local producers a platform. So Shawn, my brother Tash and (I) got our favorite producers (together) and got with Pharrell’s engineer Mike Larson. Mike Larson gave all the producers from Virginia Beach a master class and we helped coordinate that.
From Pharrell to Beyonce to Wu
Shariee: Who else have you worked with so far?
Shomi: A$AP Ferg, who is one of my business partners at this point.. A$AP Rocky, a very good friend of mine and I’ve done cinematography work for Beyonce from her self-titled album, a song called No Angel. I would love to work with Beyonce again.
I’ve worked with Jay Z’s artist Belly along with The Weeknd for a single called Might Not, Ava Max from Virginia Beach who had a song on the top Billboard Charts, and Mark Ronson who recently just won an Oscar with Lady Gaga. I did the video for his (Ronson) second single, I Can’t Lose (feat. Keyone Starr from his album Uptown Special).
I did Offset (21 Savage and Metro Boomin) Rick Flare Drip video. I just did a project for Adidas, Push T (from Clipse), have done work with N.E.R.D., Kevin Hart, Tiger, Diplo, etc. So many played at SITW music festival, so it was amazing seeing A$AP Ferg at the festival, too. It all comes back full circle.
I also worked with Wu-Tang Clan. I did their documentary called “For the Children.” So I got to work with a lot of my heroes growing up and the new artists. I’ve been blessed to have a pretty good roster of talent that I’ve gotten to collaborate with. I’m still working with Pharrell’s iAm Other on new projects.
Shariee: Is there anyone you’d like to work with that you hadn’t work with as of yet?
Shomi: Jay Z and I want to do more Hollywood stuff. I linked up with Will Smith last year and he talked about a potential music video. I’d love to seal the deal with Will Smith in the future. We met up last year but we’re still in the talks.
Shariee: Are there any projects that you are working on now?
Shomi: Right now we just did another single for A$AP Ferg and A$AP Rocky called PUPS. It’s always a lot of pitches. You’re always being pitched ideas. (Illusive media) is working on a potential TV show with Brock Marciano (Korsan) from TDE (Top Dawg Entertainment) who’s A&R of Schoolboy Q and Kendrick Lamar. We’re about to film that pilot.
Photo credits: Courtesy of Shomi Patwary and Illusive Media
Lights, Camera and Action with Kanye West
Shariee: Nice, nice. How long have you been directing videos?
Shomi: At first, I was just filming for fun. If you want to say touching a camera, my first experience with video was when I was working in Virginia Beach at my uncle souvenir shop called Super Star Videos with a green screen. All these tourists would come and do karaoke with a green screen. I use to film that. It was fun. I knew right then that I loved videos. I fantasized about being a director. I think I was 15 or 16 working at the Beach filming people lip syncing to their favorite songs and just putting visuals on the background on the green screen.
That’s kind of like my first experience with it, you know. Then filming skateboarding and illegal night-time speed races at night by shooting down with Fish-Eye camera lens. Then it went to filming behind the scenes for Star Trak (Entertainment) with Clipse and Fam-Lay, mainly. I would be on-set filming with the Clipse, Kanye, Pharrell, and kind of soaking all the knowledge in from the bigger directors. I applied that knowledge to my first directing gig with Clipse. Pusha T and No Malice bought me like my first video camera which was a (Canon) 7D. That really sparked it all. When I got the 7D camera, I realized that I wanted to focus strictly on video.
Photo credits: Courtesy of Shomi Patwary and Illusive Media
Shariee: Is there anything that you would like aspiring videographers to know?
Shomi: It’s going to sound cliché but never give up, no matter where you are from. Find the closest opportunity. Don’t think about the money. Think about the experience. Learn from your mistakes. Don’t think about not having money to be able to buy equipment. You can work with anything. I worked with… I was filming Pharrell, Kanye and Pusha T behind the scenes on set with a 300 dollar camera that I bought from Best Buy. Even at the festival, if we need to, we would filmed A$AP Ferg and all these other people with our iPhones. These are all video tools.
Do what you can to get involved. Shadow people you look up to. Volunteer or intern, whatever to get your feet in the door. I volunteered when I first started in college. I didn’t care about money. Money will come to you eventually. I know that a lot of people need to make money as a living but you have to have multiple hustles. I was making money many ways that I can get it. I was working at China Garden as a waiter and on the side I was filming things. I was an intern making flyers to make money. I was designing flyers for everybody. I did what I could to make money. Find that balance. Don’t let the 9 to 5 consume your life. There’s a bigger purpose that you got to fulfill.
