Abdullah Saeed

Last updated
Abdullah Saeed
Born (1984-05-18) May 18, 1984 (age 40)
Alma mater Temple University
Occupations
  • journalist
  • producer
  • writer
  • host
  • actor

Abdullah Saeed (born May 18, 1984) is a Pakistani-American writer, producer, composer, and journalist. He produced and hosted several TV shows and documentaries for Vice. [1]

Contents

Career

Saeed began his career as a music journalist specializing in hip hop and electronic music. He has interviewed and profiled DJ Shadow, El-P, Flying Lotus, Thundercat, Kid Koala, Freddie Gibbs, and Migos among others.

He wrote a weekly online column called Weediquette from 2012 to 2014 and produced and hosted the first episode of the web series of the same name. His works include the James Beard Award-nominated series Bong Appétit , [2] for which he also composed the theme song, and the limited series Vice Does America on Viceland, as well as the Webby Award-winning documentary Mad Honey.

Saeed stopped making content for Vice Media in protest in 2017 in the wake of allegations that Vice tolerated an abusive workplace culture and sexual harassment, and their practice of making employees sign “non-traditional workplace agreements” to protect themselves from being sued by employees for issues arising from said workplace culture. [3]

In 2019, Saeed was recognized by the Associated Press Television and Radio Association for his investigative reporting for KCRW on "seshes" or underground cannabis markets in Los Angeles. Saeed is a former member of The Kominas and Sunny Ali & the Kid, and a current member of the band GOD$. He was a writer and actor on the HBO series High Maintenance and co-wrote a film with Ben Sinclair for Fox Searchlight and New Regency. [4] In 2022, Onyx Collective ordered Saeed's pilot Deli Boys , starring Asif Ali, Saagar Shaikh, Alfie Fuller, and Poorna Jagannathan. [5] It was picked up to series in May 2023. [6]

Views

Saeed is an advocate for cannabis liberalization and education. He describes his family as "pretty liberal and open minded”. [7]

Personal life

Saeed was born in New Hampshire to a Pakistani family. [7] He grew up in Thailand, where his father worked at a college campus, and his mother is a nurse. He speaks both English and Urdu. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cadet College Petaro</span> Military boarding school in Pakistan

Cadet College Petaro is a military boarding school in Jamshoro District of the southern province of Sindh in Pakistan; about 30 km from Hyderabad which is under the administration of the Pakistan Navy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bryan Fuller</span> American screenwriter and television producer (born 1969)

Bryan Fuller is an American writer and producer, best known for creating the television series Pushing Daisies (2007–2009) and Hannibal (2013–2015). Fuller is also known for his work as a writer and executive producer on the Star Trek television series Voyager (1997–2001) and Deep Space Nine (1997); he is also the co-creator of Star Trek: Discovery (2017–2024).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph R. Gannascoli</span> American actor (born 1959)

Joseph R. Gannascoli is an American actor and chef. He is best known for his portrayal of Vito Spatafore on the HBO series The Sopranos.

Muhammad Yusuf Abdullah Haroon was a Pakistani businessman and politician who served as the 5th Governor of West Pakistan and 3rd Chief Minister of Sindh.

<i>Eastbound & Down</i> American television series

Eastbound & Down is an American sports comedy television series that was broadcast on HBO, and created by Ben Best, Jody Hill and Danny McBride. It stars McBride as Kenny Powers, a former professional baseball pitcher who, after a career downturn in the major leagues, is forced to return to his hometown middle school in Shelby, North Carolina, as a substitute physical education teacher.

Viceland is a brand used for television channels owned and programmed by Vice Media. The brand launched on February 29, 2016, with two cable channels in North America. The American version is a joint venture majority-owned by A&E Networks. A Canadian version operated as a Category A-licensed specialty channel majority-owned by Rogers Media; it was discontinued on March 31, 2018.

The literature of Bahrain has a strong tradition in the country. Most traditional writers and poets write in the classical Arabic style, contemporary poets that write in this style include Ali al-Sharqawi, Qassim Haddad, Ebrahim Al-Arrayedh, and Ahmad Muhammed Al Khalifa. In recent years, the number of younger poets influenced by western literature are rising, most writing in free verse or prose poetry, and often including political or personal content. Almost all publications of poetry in the country are in Arabic, with poetry rarely published in English without requiring prior translation. Ali al-Sharqawi, a decorated longtime poet, is considered by many to be the literary icon of Bahrain. The country's local writing society, the Bahrain Writers Association, was founded in 1969.

<i>High Maintenance</i> American television series

High Maintenance is an American anthology comedy-drama television and web series created by ex-husband and wife team Ben Sinclair and Katja Blichfeld. The show follows The Guy, a cannabis courier, as he delivers his product to clients in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. Each episode focuses on different characters as their lives intersect with The Guy. The full series consists of six web series followed by four television seasons, released from November 2012 to April 2020.

<i>Main Hoon Shahid Afridi</i> 2013 film by Syed Ali Raza Usama

Main Hoon Shahid Afridi, is a 2013 Pakistani sports film directed by Syed Ali Raza Usama and produced by Humayun Saeed and Shahzad Nasib. The film features Humayun Saeed, Javed Shaikh and Noman Habib in the lead roles. Nadeem Baig, Shafqat Cheema, Ismail Tara, Ainy Jaffri, Hamza Ali Abbasi and Shehzad Sheikh also play important roles in the film, whilst Shahid Afridi.

<i>Yalghaar</i> 2017 Pakistani film

Yalghaar is a 2017 Pakistani war-epic film directed by Hassan Rana. The film is produced by MindWorks Media and is based on the true story of Pakistan Army's Swat Operation. Yalghaar was facilitated by Brigadier Syed Mujtaba Tirmizi from Inter-Services Public Relations -ISPR.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Desus Nice</span> American comedian

Daniel Baker, known professionally as Desus Nice, is an American television, YouTube, and Twitter personality.

<i>Weediquette</i> Canadian TV series or program

Weediquette is a documentary television series following Vice Media correspondent Krishna Andavolu as he chronicles the science, culture, and economics of the legalization of marijuana.

Vice TV is an American basic cable television channel that launched on February 29, 2016. It is a part of the Viceland family of television channels programmed by Vice Media. A joint venture with A&E Networks, Vice replaced H2 on most multichannel television providers in the United States.

Bayazid of Sylhet, also called Bayazid Karrani II, was a ruler in Sylhet during the early 17th century, in what is present-day Bangladesh. A prominent member of the Baro-Bhuiyan, Bayazid led military opposition against the Mughal Empire's expansion into eastern Bengal. His surrender following a sanguineous battle in 1612 ultimately resulted in their annexation of Sylhet.

Bong Appétit is a television series produced by Viceland. The series debuted in 2016. According to NJ.com, Abdullah Saeed "hosts extravagant cannabis dinners featuring chefs that are famous in the cannabis community for their expertise."

Deli Boys is an upcoming American comedy series created by Abdullah Saeed. The series follows two Pakistani American brothers whose lives are upended after the unexpected death of their father reveals his criminal enterprise. Asif Ali, Saagar Shaikh, Poorna Jagannathan, Alfie Fuller, and Brian George star. The 10-episode series will premiere on Hulu.

References

  1. "Abdullah Saeed". LinkedIn .
  2. "Bong Appétit" via www.imdb.com.
  3. Trock, Gary (November 16, 2017). "Viceland 'Bong Appétit' Host Quits Network in Wake of Scandal". The Blast.
  4. "'High Maintenance' Creator Developing Prison Musical Film (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. 28 March 2018.
  5. "Onyx Collective Orders 'Deli Boys' Pilot From Abdullah Saeed With Asif Ali, Alfie Fuller, Saagar Shaikh to Star". Variety. 27 October 2022.
  6. "'Deli Boys' Comedy Pilot Picked Up To Series At Hulu". Deadline. 11 May 2023.
  7. 1 2 3 Larson, Andrea (3 July 2017). "Abdullah Saeed's Canntastic Voyage: Part 1". Dope Magazine. Retrieved 3 August 2020.