Shawn Ahmed, a Canadian actor, is ready for action! Ahmed is not only breaking into the industry as an actor, but he is also managing every aspect of production with his co-founded company, Crazy Shirts Production, where he directs, writes, and produces. You might have seen him with Toni Braxton in the Lifetime film series "Fallen Angels Murder Club" or as Alphonse in season 4 of "Coroner." As if that weren't enough, he'll also appear in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, where he plays Ensign Shankar. In addition to acting and producing films, he serves on the board of directors of POV Films, a non-profit that helps marginalized youth and young adults with training, mentorship, job placement, and professional development in the film and television business. Ahmed has even pitched a series of projects led by people that were found through POV. He is changing the world, one film at a time! Keep reading below to learn more about his acting, production company, and involvement in POV films.

Where are you based?
I am currently based in Toronto, Canada.

You are an actor with roles ranging between comedy and drama, what inspired you to get into acting? What do you love most about being on set?
I’ve always loved telling stories, listening to stories, and making people laugh. Whether I’m regaling my friends about a recent adventure or predicament I find myself in, coming up with a silly bit, or enjoying a tall-tale spun by someone else, I’ve always appreciated the art of a good story. This initially drew me towards the business. One thing I love and really appreciate about being on set is watching the collaborative nature of it all. All the departments, people, ideas: coming together to accomplish a single goal. The saying goes “it takes a village” and no doubt it does in this business. Maybe one day I’ll grow a hard skin and take it all for granted, but for now it’s magic, and I can’t get enough of it.

What prompted you to delve into all elements of production with your co founded company, Crazy Shirt Productions, where you are a director, writer, and producer? Do you prefer a specific role over the other?
Like so many good things in life, this was born out of necessity. I was an out of work actor with no prospects. I met a strange fellow by the name of Scott Leaver while working in a telemarketing center who was in a similar predicament. We got along swimmingly and it wasn’t long before we started writing together. When you’re creating content from the ground up you wear a lot of hats: writer, director, producer, craft services. There are things to love about each role, however, recently it’s become clear to me that I excel at the producing side of things. I seem to have a knack for bringing different creatives and their ideas together. Producing also bridges my love for the arts with my business acumen.

You’ve produced six distinct projects since founding in 2012, can you tell us a little bit about the types of projects you make? Do you have any specific genres in mind for the future?
Scott and I shared a sense of humor and that was kind of our starting point. We veered towards comedy with a dash of absurdity. Our first project, a pilot called Paranormal Investigators, was produced out of pocket with a whole lot of begging, borrowing and stealing. We taught ourselves how to edit at YouTube university and took on as many roles as possible to save costs. The show never went anywhere but it got us in the door at Bell Media (one of Canada’s major networks). There, we were able to produce three projects with Fibe TV 1, the community television arm of Bell Media. It was kind of like working in the minor leagues, we got a tiny (so tiny) bit of cash with the support and resources of a big network. But most importantly, we were given creative control and the opportunity to fail. We wrote a series called Touring T.O. about a blundering rickshaw tour company that tours obscure Toronto landmarks (filming on abandoned ships, deserted lighthouses, etc). We wrote another series, Fare Trade, about three millennials who don’t believe in money. We follow their (often) selfish and superficial pursuits as they navigate this cash-less lifestyle (bartering for plastic surgery, access to cat café to make a viral video, etc). A million thanks to John Buffone and Paul Gardner who run the department there. Without their support, encouragement, and very long creative leash, we never would have been able to make any of these shows.The two genres we’re trending towards now are horror and mockumentary.

You joined season 4 of Coroner, as Alphonse Usmani. Can you tell us more about your character and what we can expect to see?
Coroner is a sharp drama propped up by excellent writers and actors. I play Alphonse, Jenny’s (Serinda Swan) quirky and offbeat assistant. In season four Alphonse finds himself in a relationship with Jenny’s son, Ross (played by Ehren Kassam). Ehren and I got to work on a pile of great scenes together. I feel we bring some lightness to an otherwise very dark show. It’s an honor to be trusted with that type of material and I am very grateful to the writers, who wrote some really beautiful scenes for Alphonse. Namely, Adriana Maggs, Nathalie Younglai, Noelle Carbone, JP Larocque, Laura Good, and (of course) the creator, Morwyn Brebner, who brought me onto the show.

You also co-starred with Toni Braxton in the Lifetime movie franchise “Fallen Angels Murder Club.” Could you tell us a little bit more about this role? What was it like working with Toni Braxton?
I play Mark Balan, a young, hungry, and (slightly) odd lawyer. Toni’s character and I meet in the first film at a law firm and eventually go on to start our own law firm together in the second installment. We definitely have a bit of an older-sister younger-brother type relationship. Can’t say much more than that cause I don’t want to give away any of the mysteries, but it’s a fun project that audiences really enjoyed. Rhonda Baraka (writer/director) wrote some great scripts and assembled a very impressive ensemble of actors. Finally, hard to talk about this project and not mention Sapna Vyas, Vice President of Lifetime Network. She championed this franchise and is an absolute gem of a human.

For another upcoming role, you’ll be seen in a recently premiered show set in space. Is there anything further you can say about it?
Yes! This is no longer a secret anymore. I got to have one of those “pinch me” moments and join the cast of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. I play Ensign Shankar and sit at the communications desk for a couple of episodes. Fun fact about this, my fiancée, Rong Fu, is also on the show as Lt. Mitchell and we ended up crossing over for an episode. Production didn’t know when they cast us, so we decided to play it cool (real cool) and keep it to ourselves. It was such an honor to board the enterprise, but getting to share that with my partner was the real treat.

You sit on the board of directors of POV Films, a non-profit that helps marginalized youth and young adults with training, mentorship, job placement, and professional development in the film and television business. Can you tell us more about this, as well as your involvement as a board member?
Founded in 2007, POV partners with talented untapped youth to champion diversity and inclusion in the content production industries. We have loads of talented young creatives apply directly to us, but beyond that we try to reach talent at a place where they may not feel this industry is an option for them and probably have never heard of POV. This means running programs where we work directly with foster care organizations and individuals in social housing. From there, those that are interested have opportunities for mentorship, scholarships, and other programs where they can continue to develop their skills. Approximately 250 of our participants are actively working on crews in the Canadian film, TV and advertising industries. When I joined the board I felt the next step was to also foster leaders. So I rang up John Buffone and Paul Gardner over at Fibe TV1 and told them about POV…

You have actually pitched a series of projects led by people that were found through POV, and four of the five shows were picked up and will premiere in Canada in 2022. Is there anything you can tell us about these shows? How does it feel to be able to witness directly the work that is being done to benefit the youth?
It was a perfect match right from the hop. I was able to bring talented individuals with great ideas to them and they knew they could trust me to deliver a show. So we pitched five shows and they said yes to four of them. Some teams required a lot of help and others barely needed me at all. One was a docu-series by Jason Jenkins called City of Roses, which shines a light on businesses and individuals in Windsor, Ontario who have been doing extraordinary things to contribute to Windsor’s cultural and economic landscape. Another, Right Under My Roof, by Mike Regis and Laura Stubbs, is a scripted comedy shot entirely through phones, webcams and other “found footage” that tells the story of two estranged brothers, an ambitious young woman, and the love triangle that follows. And just a few weeks ago, the team at Fibe TV1 rang me to inquire about the 5 th show that they had passed on.

Why do you feel POV Films is so important?
I’ve had the great privilege of growing up in Canada and being entrenched in the film and TV industry here for many years. It’s obvious to me that we have so much more to offer in this space, both within our country and on an international stage. Canada is full of so many different voices, cultures, and ideologies. Part of what makes this place so special is that those differences are woven together to create our cultural fabric. I believe this is our competitive edge. It’s important to seek out individuals from backgrounds and economic circumstances who have historically been underrepresented to foster their growth and ideas. Not just for them individually but for our industry as a whole. POV along with several others (BIPOC TV& Film, Racial Equity Media Collective, Reel Asian, to name a few) are tirelessly doing this work.

Do you have any other hobbies? Any other exciting other projects coming up that you would like to talk about?
About seven years ago I started teaching myself the piano. My rule was to practice for twenty minutes a day. Learning a new song or jamming with friends has become one of my great loves in life. I also play ice hockey (I mentioned I’m Canadian eh?) and as long as my body holds up (knock on wood) I’ll be playing till I die. I just finished a film called Love Hacks that will find its way onto your TV in the fall and am currently shooting a new series with CBS (unfortunately I have signed an NDA for this one and can’t talk about it).

How has the pandemic affected your production company? Was it hard to direct, act or produce during these times?
Yea, the pandemic has greatly hindered our ability to make content, but it’s also opened opportunities that I never could have anticipated. For example, we were able to get a few actors and crew members for two weeks and go film a Get Out-esque style thriller that is written and directed by Scott Leaver, all filmed in a single location (his wife’s family cabin). I have a small role in it and am helping produce. We just sold the movie and it should find its way onto streaming platforms for Halloween 2023. Lemons, right?

What is your motto in life?
Hmmm. When I was younger I had a quote by Aristotle on my wall that read “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit”. And I really felt strongly about this sentiment. I later learned, much to my chagrin, that it wasn’t an Aristotle quote after all, rather a Will Durant one. I felt silly about the whole thing so I took it down.

To keep up with Shawn Ahmed visit his website below:
www.iamshawnahmed.com

Photo Credit: Steve Carty

Shawn Ahmed - Ready for Action!