Today we’d like to introduce you to Tina Tazehabadi
Hi Tina, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Art has always been my sanctuary place, a place of peace and solace during my journey of growth. Through the challenges and uncertainty of immigration, I often found myself immersed in the stories on a screen, the pages of a book, or behind the lens of a camera. All of which allowed me to step into a world beyond my own.
Upon arriving in the United States after years of immigration, I began to see the different routes art could take and decided to embrace art as a gateaway to find and express myself. Photography became my first love, capturing moments of magic often overlooked by the hustles of life. This passion quickly evolved into filmmaking and documentary work, allowing me to explore people’s extraordinary lives hidden in their ordinary days.
Currently, I am delving into sound mixing and voice editing as I craft podcast episodes. While working on these narrative stories, I am learning the power of sound and soundtracks adding depth and dimension to the stories being told.
My exploration of various forms of art, alongside my studies in Entertainment Business, has taught me that art is boundless and spontaneous. It breathes life into everything it touches and connects us in ways that words alone cannot describe.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
At first, it seemed as if no challenge was hard enough and everything was achievable. This was thanks to the support of my artistic family which I was born into. I especially drew inspiration from my mother, who herself was a screenplay writer, director, and podcaster. She taught me many things that I know today, and my main encouragement in my artistic journey was to listen to her cheers and watch her happiness upon each of my successes. Unfortunately, my mother passed away seven months ago, following an unexpected diagnosis. Following her death, my artistic journey has come to a pause. I dread touching my cameras, opening my laptop, or even listening to audio recordings.
Slowly, I am trying to make myself more available to the world, taking one step at a time to return to my art. This interview, thankfully, has allowed me to take another step, and I take this to be a blessing from my mom.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I have had the privilege of working on two short movies and three documentaries, all of which participated in approximately 20 film festivals. Through these festivals, I have so far won the best new director award, and one of my actors has won the best new actor award. Although my filmmaking journey stopped for three years due to finishing my Bachelor’s degree, I am continuing my art journey by managing two podcast channels, “Mina K.G.N” and “صدای مینا”, and acting as the director and sound mixer. In my free time, I also enjoy professional photography which I have been experimenting with over the years. One day, I might be able to have my own gallery and showcase this aspect of my personality to people.
Overall, my big and small accomplishments, mistakes, and little art adventures are part of my list of things to be proud of. Now that I have earned my degree and have more time, I hope to find more opportunities to showcase my skills and express myself.
We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
Covid-19 has definitely had an impact on everyone around the globe. For me, it was an opportunity to explore different ways of creating art remotely as it was no longer possible to gather a crew together and work on short films. I simply couldn’t risk the health and safety of my team, for the sake of making short movies.
I first began by exploring and learning about some soundtrack mixing platforms, such as Adobe Audition, then I began to mix some soundtracks over videos, learned how to record sound properly, and began creating podcast channels with my mother. Soon, I created a small working studio, and we reached listeners from Europe, South Africa, the US, and the majority of countries in Asia. It was truly a beautiful experience to share some of my mother’s originally written stories with my mother’s narration to the world and receive many kind messages from people. So while COVID-19 had many difficulties, it allowed me to explore a new route of art that exposed me to so many beautiful blessings.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.tinaentertainment.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/1373bear/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@1373bear
