Well that’s a pretty pertinent question. And for once I have an answer other than “been exceedingly busy” or “swamped with worked” or “24 hours just aint enough”.
Ok, so it’s been otherworldly hectic trying to juggle three somewhat dissimilar duties since I joined Bakhabar Savera, the morning show at ARY News hosted by Sana Tariq, since February, especially since after a month I ended up (on my request) with the extra burden of editing the content that is played during my segment.
Now a panelist / guest editing one’s own content is a relatively unheard of concept over here (or maybe anyplace for that matter), because the norm is that the shows guest normally just pop-out at the studio about 20 minutes before their on-screen time, do their duty (either addressing politics, or matters of the skin, health, very often predicting the anxious audiences future – one things that’s become every morning show’s major draw in the last couple of years), and then get back to whatever they were doing in the first place.
Now, what makes lil’ ol me an exception: well for starters, I’ve been given this ridiculous freedom to do whatever I fancy in my on-screen timeslot – as long as it doesn’t conflict with the big bosses policies or show something that might be injurious to the health of the show’s producer (Kashif Abidi, who also happens to be an old friend of mine).
Since my segment is about films and media, it’s bound to have clips and trailers playing along with whatever I am jabbering about on the telly. So, at first I did what everyone does, I acquired the content, went to the studio to edit the stuff, lay it back to tape for the next day.
This was fine and dandy, until I found out that this is seriously affecting my work at iMAGES (for those not in the know, I have Pakistan’s first, and absolute column on film reviews, that works along the lines of actual film criticism).
To compensate this and my motion picture consultation work, I took it upon myself to edit the content, which brought back those few measly hours that I transferred back to my family. After all, what’s all the money in the world in front of spending a bit of time with the folks, right?
Getting back to the point, now that I’ve got this whole thing streamlined, I’ve found time to capitulate to the idea of that I now refer to as as “The K Initiative” (I like dressing up my projects with serious-sounding names that reek of egoism….so sue me).
If you’re asking: Now, what in hell is this “K Initiative” thingie? – then don’t because I am not answering, suffice to say that the thing, if it turns out as my business blueprint says, then it might be big. To give you a hint, it covers the spectrum of the entire entertainment media, including the internet – a little known creature that everyone knows of, uses, but, doesn’t utilize. There are local motion pictures on the horizon as well.
Details on my upcoming blog. When I cannot say.
That Critic Who Is Spontaneous and Combustible 