We share stories on dating outside the South Asian bubble, which to be honest, none of us have ever been in!
Transport yourself into the room of our first-ever live public recording of the What Is This Behaviour? Podcast in conversation with Imran Amed MBE, founder and CEO of The Business of Fashion.
The Business of Fashion is recognised around the world for its authoritative, analytical point of view on the $2.5 trillion global fashion and beauty industries. Their mission: to open, inform and connect the global fashion and beauty industries.
Imran's storytelling and personal anecdotes had the room, full of aspiring and established entrepreneurs, fashion enthusiasts and creative professionals, absorbing the journey of self discovery that shaped his professional success.
Self-describing as a misfit, join us as we meet Imran Amed, the mogul, live in London's White City House.
Welcome Daniyal Khan, the sports presenter, personality and commentator levelling up the sports industry!
Daniyal educates global audiences through thoughtful video editorials and interviews for clients like Arsenal FC, UMM, Soccer Aid, FIFA and EA Sports.
In this episode, Daniyal celebrates South Asian heritage month with us at the Endeavor & IMG HQ to record our first ever podcast episode with a live audience, exploring why steering sports audiences towards longer-form, layered storytelling and intelligent broadcasting is valuable, if not imperative, for the success of global sports brands and platforms.
His note-worthy story of self-actualisation gives us insight to the world of Sports, and we learn that at heart, Daniyal’s charisma is grounded by his support system: his family and his wife. The ones closest keep him balanced, challenging him when needed and ultimately creating the perfect springboard to support his creativity and flourishing career.
So, press play and join the hosts of the What Is This Behaviour? Podcast: Aaron Christian, Almass Badat and Reuben Christian for EP 81, a live episode that deep-dives into the landscape of sports and it's South Asian audience, talent and leaders with Daniyal Khan.
@whatisthisbehaviourpodcast
#WITBPodcast
EP 80 introduces Varada Sethu, the Kerala-born, British-Indian actress whose career spans film and television!
While she rises with roles in major franchises like Jurassic World & Disney’s Star Wars: Andor, Varada also stars as the lead in acclaimed director Jayaraj’s Pramadhavanam.
Varada candidly reflects on caring for her mental health as she navigates her life, sharing her early beginnings in Newcastle through to the National Youth Theatre GB, Bristol University, and her years of practicing Mohiniyattam, the South Indian classical dance form.
Embracing the power of talk therapy, Varada tells us about the highest highs following the lowest lows and the tips and tricks she’s learned along the way, including bacp.co.uk/ one of her recommended counseling resources. We’re truly appreciative of how valuable her shared courage, openness, and self-love is for our community. As Varada points out, it’s the journey, not the ending, that matters.
Thank you Varada,
Aaron, Almass & Reuben x
Produced by Surya Elango
#WITBPodcast #SouthAsianExcellence #VaradaSethu
We wax lyrical with Nikita Chauhan, the CEO, and founder of TranslateNC; a music talent management and strategic marketing company looking after Guiltybeatz, DJ Semtex & more.
Ep 79 goes under the surface, starting with Nikita’s journey from working in a call centre in Derby to hustling her way in and then eventually leaving radio production at the BBC to start up her own business. With a deep understanding of how music unites us, Nikita’s trust, transparency, and communication drive her to help musicians tell their stories their way.
Our conversation taps into Nikita’s boldness as well as a challenging work experience that shaped her for the better. Following our EP 77 with Leo Kalyan, we continue exploring the blessings of being South Asian in music - this time behind the scenes rather than on the mic.
Nikita’s mantra is ‘You don’t know what you don’t know’ so in that spirit, if you’re new to WITB or the powerhouse that is Nikita Chauhan, dive right in and get to know.
Aaron, Almass & Reuben x
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Presented by Almass Badat & Reuben Christian
Produced by Surya Elango
EP 78 with Leo Kalyan is here to bless your ears!
Bringing in wisdom, warmth, and undeniable skill is @leokalyan the singer, songwriter & music producer from London who has taken the world by storm with their Bollybeats, mashups, and uniquely playful renditions of classics old and new.
After a social-media hiatus over the pandemic, Leo transformed their Indian Classical training into a phenomenal series of Bollywood x chart mashups that explore the musical synergy between Afrobeats, Latinx & Indian music. Leo’s videos went globally viral on Tiktok & Instagram with support from respected musicians like Grimes & AR Rahman (as well as the rest of the world)!
Confidently and utterly themself, Leo is open about their gay & non-binary identities amongst the many facets that make up this brilliant artist. We caught up with Leo talking everything from bilingual and non-English music embedding into the mainstream, how gender-neutral pronouns are a part of ancient Indian language and 15th, 16th, and 17th century Punjabi Hindi poetry, and why queering fashion is a powerful tool to make people see and treat you differently.
Listen to Leo’s music, check out their IG & tiktok and like, share and subscribe to WITB for more insightful, honest, and hilarious conversations with South Asian people going against the grain. Thank you Leo!
Aaron, Almass & Reuben x
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Presented by Aaron Christian, Almass Badat & Reuben Christian
Produced by Surya Elango
Illustrator and designer Jasmin Sehra enters the WITB chat on EP77!
Inspired by her Naniji’s DIY cassette tape covers and old school South Asian typography, Jasmin AKA Paradise Girl has been making art from her early childhood. Now specialising in typography and a tropical range of illustration and design styles, Jasmin’s clients include Fenty, Armani, Nike, Estée Lauder, MTV Europe, Levis & Converse. Her artwork has been seen on products and posters as well as large scale murals.
Aside from Reuben pitching his bald head as a canvas to Jasmin, we talked about how Jasmin finds inspiration in her family, why being curious and constantly trying out ideas helps define her artistic identity and how Jasmin found community in the early days of Instagram. We love this episode as Jasmin affirms the joy of the journey and not getting lost on our end goals.
Check out and support Jasmin’s work and like, share and subscribe our pod. We’re forever grateful.
Aaron, Almass & Reuben x
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Presented by Aaron Christian, Almass Badat & Reuben Christian
Produced by Surya Elango
Episode 76 welcomes the author and screenwriter, Nikesh Shukla to the WITB community.
Leading up to the release of his teen fiction novel ‘Stand Up’, award-winning author and screenwriter @nikeshshuklawriter kicks off our 2023 season with a conversation that inspires us to appreciate the layers beneath the surface.
Nikesh is the name behind the award-winning ‘Brown Baby’, ‘The Good Immigrant’, and can be thanked for reintroducing Pavitr Prabhakar aka Spider-man India back into Marvel Comics in 2022. In this honest & insightful episode, we explore mastering the craft of writing, the power of friendship, why good mentoring is vital and the mental impact Nikesh experienced after publishing the widely acclaimed ‘The Good Immigrant’.
Nikesh shares the lesser-known impacts of releasing a book on race and immigration during a time when the UK was polarised with Brexit: stay or remain.
Look forward to tender moments, lots of laughter and a deep dive into the makings of Nikesh, a respected and valued member of our community.
Please subscribe to our podcast (it really helps), and share with your friends.
Tag @whatisthisbehaviourpodcast on IG and let us know what you think of episode 76.
Aaron, Almass & Reuben x
What's your side hustle?
In July 2020, we spoke to Aaron Christian about one of his side hustles, The Asian Man. Going for 10 years, The Asian Man celebrates stylish south asian men. Bringing together some of the most influential designers, artists, stylists and editors from fashion and culture, it's a digital page (@theasianman_) and global community of style conscious men, committed to celebrating and shining a light on south asian style.
Two years on, we catch up with Aaron and ask what now? The Asian Man is being developed into a coffee table print book and a creative casting studio. We find out more.
We ask, how do we frame value with what we are doing? When do we know a project has run its course and when do we know it's time to actually double down, evolve it and potentially even make it into a business?
We discuss the intentions behind a project and who it should be for - ourselves, community or both?
Listen back to Episode 3 of the 'What Is This Behaviour?' podcast for Part 1 of 'The Asian Man with Aaron Christian' from July 3rd 2020.
A month after the launch of the WITB 101 at White City House, Jayshree, the editor on the project, joins us for a candid reflection on the process. We peel back the layers on brown excellence, following a feeling and it being a marathon not a sprint. We take a closer look at our blind spots and the challenges of trying to get the resource out to industry decision-makers. Throughout, we listen back to some of the event’s highlights from Goldtooth’s live DJ set right through to the Q&A with the community that got us thinking.
On Friday 5th August 2022, we launched the WITB 101; our annual, growing, open resource of 101 South Asian people going against the grain. Lock in to Aaron, Almass & Reuben tapping into the WITB 101's inception and the anticipation of the big day.
As three seperate artists with public profiles, personal branding is something we can’t ignore. But what exactly is a personal brand nowadays? Is it seperate from our authentic selves? And what’s the best way to curate one? If that’s even actually possible.
Multi-award-winning Global Head of DEI at M&C Saatchi Group, Taz, talks to us about her purpose-led journey from teaching to becoming the only woman of colour in a leadership position at her current company, covering the joys and pains of doing such meaningful yet heavy work.
We share stories on how travel is shaping us, it's importance in helping us understand the world, and we throw in a few travel hacks for good measure.
Academy Award®, BAFTA, and Independent Spirit Award-winning filmmaker Joseph talks candidly about his journey from music journalism to being the first Patel to win an Oscar - and how important moments like these are for the South Asian community.
We're two! And we're honoring it by taking stock of another year in the pod game, sharing our ups and downs, and what we've observed in the global pioneering South Asian scene.
Ahead of The Dialled In Festival on 9th April 2022, Aaron and Almass chat to Aneesha and Kavya about navigating the music game as an artist, a manager, and a DJ; from working to your own tempo right down to how they formed their dynamic duo partnership.
Reva, a Creative Director and Stylist based in Los Angeles & New York, talks about the importance of building a creative community and how she is experimenting with the way visual culture can educate, shape & express the world around us.
All three of us give and receive mentoring, and agree that without it, navigating life and work would be a lot more challenging. We talk about how to find and approach a mentor, the difference between a mentor and a coach, and how certain lessons have shaped us.
