Wajahat Rauf is a person with many creative personalities: a musician in the band during his adolescent years, to an owner of a restaurant upon returning from California State University Fullerton, to a band manager/promoter for bands like AAROH, to a producer of several day time shows and now the channel head of the only youth based Pakistani channel known as AAG (by Geo TV).

He has accomplished all this within a few years and claims this is just the beginning of his career. His mission in life is to change the world or maybe a few things in Pakistan at least...

Tell us something about your educational background:

I have done my undergrad in Business from Greenwich University in Karachi. I completed my masters degree in Mass Communications (concentration TV/Film) from California State University in Fullerton CA.

The media industry is what I really wanted to get into because of its massive growth potential.

Why did you choose production as your field of study?

I decided to choose production because I’ve had a love and passion for movies since the age of seven. I don’t think I’ve missed many movies that have been released since then. Also, the production standards and quality were pretty poor here in Pakistan before 2000. I believe that the most effective way to make yourself heard is through mass communication; and I’ve got a lot to say.

In the early days before going off to college were you not involved in an underground band as well?

Yes, that’s always been an outlet. There is nothing like hooking up a guitar and making lots of noise. I never took it seriously though; I occasionally strum and hum at home sometimes.

You also opened a restaurant called M Live, could you tell our readers the purpose behind this venture?

Fresh back from the U.S., I wanted open something inspired from The House of Blues; a place I used to frequent a lot along with other live music joints when living in Los Angeles. That is why I was motivated to open something similar, and M Live is what I opened.  It was a place that hosted performances by all major Pakistani acts on weekends. It also had a walk of fame, which all celebrities signed and put their hand prints on. Perhaps it was my attempt to bring a slice of Hollywood to Pakistan, with the intention of saluting our local celebrities since no one had done such a thing before.

As a channel head you must be a great fan of movies, name your top 5 directors and their respective flicks

The Aviator  - Martin Scorsese, A Few Good Men - Rob Reiner, Forest Gump - Robert Zemeckis, Almost Famous - Cameron Crowe, Jerry Mcquire – Cameron Crowe

What do you consider the future of Pakistani media to be? Will it ever be free enough to make an impact?

I think we’ve gotten more than our share of freedom. Before the recent declaration of emergency, we had very little regulation on the media. Newspapers still enjoy more freedom than television. Therefore, Pakistani media will continue to impact and influence public opinion in the future.

Often channel heads get to sift through a vast stream of ideas and input from young individuals, what kind of input do our nation’s youth provide?

They have a lot of energy, the kind of energy that can actually change the world. Some ideas are pretty wild, but every now and then they come up with something brilliant. We have a partnership with SOL (School of Leadership), and I am mesmerized by the passion these kids have today.