UMAR KHAN

To secure a challenging role that leverages my creative and analytical skills. Utilizing my expertise and collaborating with innovative teams to drive success.

Worked closely for one year with WAVES OTT by Prasar Bharati, gaining hands-on experience across the complete OTT content lifecycle, including Content Programming, Content Operations, Content Management, Content Marketing, Content Review, Content Ingestion, Content Approval, Content Evaluation, Content Sourcing, and Calendar Planning.

Played an active role in App Management and App Enhancement, including Playlist Management, ensuring smooth content flow and improved user experience across the platform.
Acquired in-depth, end-to-end operational experience by personally handling and closely managing OTT processes rather than working at a surface level.

Was part of the WAVES Summit, where I interacted with industry professionals and stakeholders, gaining valuable exposure and networking experience.
Contributed to the organization of the National Film Awards, which provided significant learning in large-scale event coordination and media operations.

Participated in the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) 2020, Goa, where:
Organized and managed the screening of our film series
Set up and represented the brand at the official festival booth
Gained strong exposure to international cinema, festival operations, and industry engagement
Overall, achieved extensive practical learning and professional growth through active involvement in OTT platforms, national-level events, and international film festivals.

Writing experience:

Worked as a writer with Pocket FM, where I developed micro-dramas and short-format films across multiple genres, including romance, mystery, thriller, and mythology, handled concept ideation, genre adaptation, and scripting, and wrote stories specifically designed for audio-visual formats, which involved understanding pacing, audience engagement, and platform requirements
Successfully adapted to diverse genres, managing creative challenges while delivering compelling narratives, making it a strong learning experience in short-format storytelling

Worked with Beyond Dreams Entertainment as part of the Content/Writing Team, contributing to the development of daily soap episodes for major television networks such as Zee TV and Colors TV.
Operated in a high-pressure broadcast environment, where episodes were written, shot the next day, and aired within days, requiring speed, consistency, and strong collaboration.
Gained extensive experience in team-based writing, working closely with an experienced writers’ room and developing back-to-back episodes under tight deadlines.

Worked as a Ghost Writer, assisting multiple writers by contributing to screenplays and dialogue writing, gaining discreet but valuable experience in story development and narrative enhancement.

Direction Experience:

Worked as an archival producer with Applause Entertainment on the series 'Bombay Mafia in Films,' where I was closely involved with both the direction and production teams.
Conducted in-depth research and coordination with journalists, lawyers, judges, police officials, filmmakers, writers, and families connected to the Mumbai mafia world from the 1970s to the 1990s, contributing to the authenticity of the project. Participated actively from research to shoot execution, gaining strong hands-on experience in documentary-style direction and large-scale series production
Directed celebrity interviews for the show “The Projection Room” (Showbox), hosted by Mayank Shekhar, where I rehearsed with celebrities, directed interview shoots, managed on-set creative execution
Had the opportunity to direct and work closely with renowned Bollywood personalities including Manoj Bajpayee, Pankaj Tripathi, Shraddha Kapoor, Sushant Singh Rajput (Late), Taapsee Pannu, Dia Mirza, Bhumi Pednekar, Akshay Khanna, Richa Chadha, Anupam Kher, among many others.

Directed a zero-budget short film titled 'Aziyat,' which I wrote and directed independently 

Duration: 11 minutes, currently available on YouTube

Overall, gained extensive experience in writing, research-driven direction, celebrity handling, interview direction, and independent filmmaking

Ad Filmmaking Experience:

Gained strong hands-on experience in advertising and brand filmmaking by assisting Mr. Abhishek Tiwari is working on multiple commercial and branded content projects, actively contributing across the ideation, concept development, scriptwriting, and direction departments, working as an assistant within the creative and direction teams, and developing a practical understanding of the end-to-end ad filmmaking process, from concept creation to shoot execution and post-production coordination. Worked on a wide range of commercials and brand films, including Linc Pentonic, Brand Bazooka, Careview, Mask & Body Suit, Innovatiview, brand film, Homerton Grammar School, brand film, TCS NQT Series (20 videos) Gained valuable exposure to brand communication, visual storytelling, client-driven content, and production workflows, making it an enriching learning experience in the advertising space, overall, this experience strengthened my skills in creative ideation, writing for brands, on-set direction assistance, and professional ad filmmaking standards.

https://youtu.be/u7M1kxgVT7A?si=ATF-1hsrv16OSgEH

https://youtu.be/jTi3DxWYiNo?si=aM7L69Ibc86mCQQa

https://youtu.be/aQzhR3MoW40?si=v6gCjUY31O-_0gS6

Academic & College Experience:

Completed M.A. in Mass Communication, where I received intensive hands-on, zero-budget practical training in media production and storytelling.
Learned to work skillfully with limited resources, including designing, building, and dismantling sets independently, which strengthened creative problem-solving and production efficiency.
As part of team projects, directed and produced:
Documentaries
Feature films
Short films
Daily soaps
Conceptualized, produced, edited, and screened multiple projects within the college environment, gaining end-to-end exposure to the filmmaking process.
Created and managed radio shows, including recording, team-based editing, and final screenings, which enhanced audio storytelling and post-production skills.
Overall, the academic experience provided strong practical learning, teamwork, and execution skills across multiple media formats.

Theatre Experience:

Was an active member of the Jamia Drama Club (theatre group), performing and producing stage plays across major theatre festivals all over India.
Participated in the staging of renowned theatrical productions such as:
Mahabharata, Madhanta, Suryamukh, Tughlaq, Jis Lahore Ni Vekhjya O Jamiya Ni, Manto, Court Marshal, and several others
Worked across multiple roles including:
Direction Team
Production Team
Marketing & Promotions Team
Actor / Performer
Gained deep experience in stagecraft, ensemble teamwork, performance, audience engagement, and large-scale theatrical production.

Festival Organization & Management Experience:

Actively involved in organizing inter-college and national-level cultural festivals during college.
Contributed to festival planning, operations, marketing, and overall management, working closely with organizing committees.
Developed strong skills in event coordination, teamwork, leadership, and execution under pressure.
Overall, these experiences provided comprehensive exposure to creative production, live performance, and large-scale event management.