From Limehouse to Los Angeles: Muhsin Mahmud just walked the Emmy red carpet at the 44th College Television Academy Awards
Muhsin Mahmud has just returned from the glitz and glamour of the Academy Awards, where his passion for media started from a school podcast in Mile End on a broken iPhone 6.
The flash of cameras. Paparazzi. Celebrities on the red carpet. ‘It was a privilege’, said Mahmud, talking about the symbolism of walking the red carpet in Hollywood. Muhsin Mahmud was born and lives in Limehouse, having attended secondary school in Mile End, he reflected that this moment ‘was both a step forward for Tower Hamlets, but also a step forward for the British Bangladeshi community.’
A long way from Limehouse, Mahmud and the team were nominated for their documentary, Deadly Shooting On Campus: The Facts. The Failures. The Future, while on a year abroad at Carolina University. The event offered him a glimpse into the workings of American media, with behind-the-scenes workshops and industry insight he had never been exposed to before.
Discussing the evening, Musin Mahmud described being picked up from the Sheraton Hotel and being taken to the red carpet. Opting for a velvet tuxedo, he chose something classic with a shirt and black buttons. The group were prepped on how to walk the red carpet, Musin spoke on his feelings while being on the carpet, ‘I was incredibly honoured,’ thinking back to his journey to that point, ‘I’m walking those first steps [on the red carpet] for people to then walk after me.’
Back in East London, Mahmud grew up in Limehouse in the Bengali community, ‘Mile End Park was my playground, it was also a sense of escapism.’ He discussed his childhood, a happy time, but the city could sometimes feel like navigating a ‘concrete jungle’. Mile End Park helped him, ‘I remember it being somewhere where I could clear my head.’
Mahmud mentioned the Ragged School Museum café along Regent’s Canal, a place where he would get a coffee, sit and ‘without music or anything, you can just reflect.’
Mahmud spoke on the difficulty of taking the career path into the world of journalism and media. He noted how in his early school days he faced backlash, ‘the thing with Tower Hamlets is that because it’s a tight-knit community, there is a lot of judgment as well.’ He spoke on how ‘the idea of a Bengali from Tower Hamlets getting into media felt very weird.’ With a determined mindset, this didn’t stop him, wanting to be the visual representation for others who lacked in his youth.
Mahmud started his own podcast series while still at school, called The Story Behind Series. ‘I didn’t know anybody,’ he laughed, so he began interviewing his teachers about what they did in their own time away from the school. That first podcast, recorded on a broken iPhone 6, eventually earned him a nomination from the BBC.
Mahmud was later elected as Deputy Youth Mayor for Tower Hamlets and led the communications committee. The opportunity also offered him his first experience of working on a documentary with the Mayor of London on Knife crime.
Using this Deputy Youth Mayor position, he urged for change for his Bangladeshi community, which he felt was overlooked during COVID-19. Muhsin Mahmud said his father was on a ventilator during COVID-19, ‘he was in intensive care and was one of many elders in our community who were the victims of not being able to keep up with ever-changing, complex COVID policies.’ At this time, he used his position as a spokesperson to share how this was ‘a lot of pressure for young people’ to translate and care for elders in the community at the time.
Back in Carolina last year, the idea for his nominated documentary began with an experience that no one can ever prepare for. Explaining his first day at college in America, ‘I was vlogging at the time about the campus and how beautiful it was,’ he recalled, ‘and I happened to capture the exact moment where sirens went off, alarming of an armed and dangerous person on campus.’
He ran to the nearest classroom. ‘It sounded like World War II,’ describing the panic as students barricaded themselves inside, he shared, ‘there was so much news flying around’ and ‘without any training on how to respond to that situation.”
As he hid behind a chair, ‘I remember texting my mom and my family and genuinely contemplating how to say goodbye. ’ The team wanted to create a documentary to empower the other students, which resulted in their second place at the awards.
This month, Muhsin Mahmud will be working with the Mile End Community Project, sitting on a panel discussion about how young people can enter the media industry.
Asking for his advice to students, he said, ‘don’t be afraid to leave a bubble and don’t be afraid to go outside of your comfort zone’, Mahumd continued, ‘don’t let stereotypes and perceptions from the community steer you away from your passions and your dreams’.
If you liked this, read ‘I am a guy that wants to help people:’ Ratan’s journey from Bangladesh to CEO of local charity Capital Kids Cricket.
