Sannan Saleh

filmmaker and creative producer

Compiled from 1 recorded interview. Every statement below is drawn from the passage cited beside it.

Sannan Saleh is a filmmaker and Storyteller. Saleh grew up in Lahore and spent most of his life there before university. As a child he watched a lot of cartoons, including Cartoon Network, Pixar and anime.

Early life and background

Saleh grew up in Lahore and spent most of his life there before university. As a child he watched a lot of cartoons, including Cartoon Network, Pixar and anime. He says his humour is still kind of cartoonish. His mother strongly instilled in him the belief that he could do anything. [1]

Education

Saleh's mother could only pay for university if he won a scholarship, and he received one that made it possible for him to attend. He started university in 2017 and went to college at Duke. Duke was a liberal arts program that let him choose his degree later. [1]

Saleh was a computer science major until his sophomore year. He chose visual media studies, the closest degree Duke offered. He says Duke is an academic institution rather than a film school. He graduated in 2022 after taking a break during COVID. [1]

Photography and early videos

At Duke, Saleh took up photography. He posted his photography on Instagram, and people at the university liked it. He also began making comedic videos while at Duke. He describes himself as having come into filmmaking more from photography on Instagram and cinematography on YouTube. [1]

Los Angeles

After graduating, Saleh spent about a year in Los Angeles. He worked at Paramount and worked as a digital producer at MTV/Comedy Central. His work with Comedy Central in Los Angeles came before he returned to Pakistan. His journey from Duke to Los Angeles shaped his creative mindset. [1]

Saleh says he could not stay more than a year because a work visa was not available to him. He also says he saw no point in auditioning. He says he could make his own work and had distribution as well, and that it became clear he could make anything on his phone at home. Saleh decided to move back. [1]

Web series and reels

In 2020 Saleh decided to shoot a web series. He shot five episodes and released one at the start of 2024. He says he made friends by shooting the web series. [1]

One of his first reels to take off, in late 2023 or early 2024, was a how-to on defogging a car's AC. He says that when the reel blew up, he thought there was an audience for this stuff. He describes the vision as expanding to other platforms and into longer form things. He says he is taking this work to more like 5 to 10 minute content. [1]

Views on storytelling and the industry

Saleh says acting is always in service of the writing, and that he leans maybe slightly more towards the process of creation. On the state of the industry, he says he does not think it is a lack of imagination or talent, and that the bottleneck is the industry's procedure. He has also pointed to the same generic masala, such as saas-bahu problems. [1]

He says dramas have been losing audiences, particularly Gen Z, and that many mainstream drama directors are hired guns. He says characters can be flawed and do absurd things, and that real life does not make as much sense. He also says the script is the simplest part. [1]

He says there is no feedback loop of him eventually making money and then doing the next project. He estimates that 20 to 30 percent of the audience has money and is middle class. He says nobody has been able to find a middle ground. He says comedy and shock value can capture attention, and that Pakistanis are very funny. [1]

Views on technology

Saleh says you now just need a good machine and a lot of time to theoretically do a bunch of things. He says that because of technology such as smartphones and AI, many things are no longer needed. He says filmmaking has changed dramatically in the last few years, and that people who do not call themselves filmmakers now pick up cameras. [1]

He says films can now be made anywhere, including Lahore or Hunza, and that location itself is going to be less and less relevant. He says he would still want the authentic film set experience. [1]

Views on collaboration and leadership

Saleh says collaboration drew him into filmmaking, especially as a director. He says you need to get everyone aligned on a long-term vision, and that from a leadership position he at least shows that he cares. He says he is fine with abandoning a plan for a more pragmatic option. [1]

Views on Pakistan

Saleh says there are many costs to being political in Pakistan and that he likes to be a little strategic about political comment. He says it is not that difficult to find success in Pakistan. He says the Western world is less glossy than when he left it. [1]

He says the climate crisis is the biggest issue he sees right now. He says Pakistan is one of the most volatile in terms of how greatly it is going to be impacted, and that every year feels like it will bring more drastic changes than the last. [1]

Personal life

Saleh describes himself as a Lahori and a big fan of Karachi. He describes himself as part entrepreneur and part artist. He likes a wide range of genres, including comedy, drama, thrillers and sci-fi. [1]

Timeline

2017
Started university.[1]
2020
Decided to shoot a web series.[1]
2022
Graduated after taking a break during COVID.[1]
2024
Released one episode of his web series.[1]

Appearances

DateTitleWhere
2025-10-08 Why Sannan Saleh left Paramount to make reels in Lahore Thought Behind Things

Frequently asked questions

Who is Sannan Saleh?

Sannan Saleh is a filmmaker, storyteller and creative producer. He grew up in Lahore and went to college at Duke. He worked at Paramount and as a digital producer at MTV/Comedy Central before returning to Pakistan.[1]

What does Sannan Saleh do?

Sannan Saleh is a filmmaker, storyteller and creative producer. He decided in 2020 to shoot a web series and has made reels, including a how-to on defogging a car's AC that took off. He says he is taking this work to more like 5 to 10 minute content.[1]

Where did Sannan Saleh study?

Sannan Saleh went to college at Duke. He started university in 2017 and chose visual media studies, the closest degree Duke offered. He graduated in 2022 after taking a break during COVID.[1]

Where is Sannan Saleh from?

Sannan Saleh grew up in Lahore and spent most of his life there before university. He describes himself as a Lahori and a big fan of Karachi.[1]

What did Sannan Saleh do in Los Angeles?

Sannan Saleh spent about a year in Los Angeles after graduating. He worked at Paramount and as a digital producer at MTV/Comedy Central. His work with Comedy Central in Los Angeles came before he returned to Pakistan.[1]

Why did Sannan Saleh move back to Pakistan?

Sannan Saleh says he could not stay more than a year because a work visa was not available to him. He also says he saw no point in auditioning, and that he could make his own work and had distribution as well. He decided to move back.[1]

What is Sannan Saleh known for?

Sannan Saleh is known as a filmmaker and creative producer. One of his first reels to take off, in late 2023 or early 2024, was a how-to on defogging a car's AC. He shot five episodes of a web series and released one at the start of 2024.[1]

What does Sannan Saleh think about AI and technology in filmmaking?

Sannan Saleh says that because of technology such as smartphones and AI, many things are no longer needed. He says filmmaking has changed dramatically in the last few years. He says he would still want the authentic film set experience.[1]

References

  1. Why Sannan Saleh left Paramount to make reels in Lahore . Thought Behind Things , 2025-10-08.
Show the source passages (72 statements)
  1. He grew up in Lahore and spent most of his life there before university. I grew up in Lahore, spent all my life there pretty much before university.
  2. He watched a lot of cartoons as a child, including Cartoon Network, Pixar and anime. matlab main bachpan mein jaise bahut zyada cartoons dekhta tha. Like bahut zyada. And Cartoon Network, cartoons, Pixar, cartoons, anime.
  3. He says his humour is still kind of cartoonish. I think even now a lot of my humor is kind of cartoonish
  4. His mother strongly instilled in him the belief that he could do anything. my mom's really inculcated this into me ke like yaar kuch bhi kar sakte ho tum
  5. His mother could only pay for university if he won a scholarship. my mom could only really fund it if she didn't have to fund it, you know, like in the sense ke like if I got a scholarship or something
  6. He received a scholarship that made it possible for him to attend university. like if I got a scholarship or something. So thankfully I was able to get that.
  7. He started university in 2017. When did you start university? Uh 2017.
  8. He went to college at Duke. I went to college, I went to Duke
  9. Duke was a liberal arts program that let him choose his degree later. it's just a liberal arts, so you could I I could select my degree a year and a half after
  10. He chose visual media studies, the closest degree Duke offered. I chose the closest degree they had was visual media studies
  11. He was a computer science major until his sophomore year. up till like the sophomore year, I was still a computer science major
  12. He says Duke is an academic institution rather than a film school. Duke's not a film school, you know, it's still like an academic institution
  13. He graduated in 2022 after taking a break during COVID. I graduated in 22 because I took a gear off, darmiyan mein COVID ke time pe.
  14. He took up photography at Duke. so I started photography. Photography start ki because Duke such a pretty campus.
  15. He posted his photography on Instagram, and people at the university liked it. Instagram pe lagayi and people in the university really started liking it
  16. He began making comedic videos while at Duke. Phir udhar se I started ke thode bahut na aise videos bhi comedic type banaye
  17. He spent about a year in Los Angeles after graduating. after graduating I did spend a year in LA
  18. He worked at Paramount. jab Paramount pe kaam kar raha tha
  19. He worked as a digital producer at MTV/Comedy Central. I was working at MTV/Comedy Central. Um and udhar I was like a digital producer
  20. Sannan Saleh is a filmmaker, storyteller and creative producer. a filmmaker, storyteller, and creative producer
  21. He has worked with global giants like Comedy Central in Los Angeles before returning to Pakistan. worked with global giants like Comedy Central in Los Angeles before returning to Pakistan
  22. He made a journey from Duke to Los Angeles, which shaped his creative mindset. How his journey from Duke to LA shaped his creative mindset
  23. He says there are many costs to being political in Pakistan. there's so many costs to being political in Pakistan
  24. He says he likes to be a little strategic about political comment. so I like to be a little strategic about you know
  25. He says he could not stay more than a year because a work visa was not available to him. I can't stay more than a year because woh work visa hi nahi hai milna
  26. He says he saw no point in auditioning. I don't see a point in uh wohi like auditioning
  27. He says he could make his own work and had distribution as well. I can just make stuff and I can I have the distribution as well
  28. He says it became clear he could make anything on his phone at home. mere liye toh it was very clear ki main ghar jaake apna phone utha ke kuch bhi bana sakta hoon
  29. He decided to move back. that's why I decided to move back
  30. He came into filmmaking from photography on Instagram and cinematography on YouTube. I've come more from the photography on Instagram, cinematography on YouTube
  31. He says acting is always in service of the writing. acting is always in service of writing
  32. He says he leans maybe slightly more towards the process of creation. maybe slightly more towards the creation ka process
  33. He says he does not think it is a lack of imagination or talent. I don't think it's a lack of imagination or talent or anything
  34. He says the bottleneck is the industry's procedure. the bottleneck is wohi the industry ka ek jo procedure hai
  35. He says it is the same generic masala, such as saas-bahu problems. wahi masala generic hai na ke yaar bas wo iski saas bahu ke ye masail chal rahe hain
  36. He says dramas have been losing audiences, particularly Gen Z. dramas are or at least were increasingly losing audience particularly the Gen Z audience
  37. He says many mainstream drama directors are hired guns. the directors are uh you know apart from a few like jo mainstream drama wagera mein to woh to director is just a hired gun
  38. He says characters can be flawed and do absurd things. characters can be flawed, characters can do absurd things
  39. He says real life does not make as much sense. Whereas I think real life isn't really as, it doesn't make as much sense, you know.
  40. He says the script is the simplest part. the script is the simplest part
  41. He says there is no feedback loop of him eventually making money and then doing the next project. there's no feedback loop of of me eventually making money and then doing the next project
  42. He says you now just need a good machine and a lot of time to theoretically do a bunch of things. So now you just need a good machine and a lot of time and you can actually theoretically do a bunch of things
  43. He says they use AI only in a podcast editing tool. Ek sirf jo podcast editing ka tool hai na wo AI ka hum istemaal kar rahe hain
  44. He says that because of technology such as smartphones and AI, many things are no longer needed. because of technology, because of things like a smartphone and ab AI bhi aa raha hai and all of these things uski wajah se there is a lot of things jinki zaroorat abhi nahi rahi
  45. He says he is taking this work to more like 5 to 10 minute content. taking this stuff to more like 5-10 minute stuff
  46. He likes a wide range of genres, including comedy, drama, thrillers and sci-fi. I like a wide array of genres you know comedy, drama, you know, thrillers, sci-fi
  47. He says these were friends he made by shooting the web series. these were my friends that I made by shooting the web series
  48. He decided in 2020 to shoot a web series. 2020 mein wahi maine web series ek randomly bas decide kiya shoot karne ka
  49. He shot five episodes and released one at the start of 2024. uske paanch episode shoot kiye ek episode phir 2024 ke start pe nikala because that was as much as we could do.
  50. One of his first reels to take off, in late 2023 or early 2024, was a how-to on defogging a car's AC. I remember one of the first reels that really popped off uh this was wahi start of 2024 or end of 2023 ke it was basically how to defog your car AC
  51. He says that when the reel blew up, he thought there was an audience for this stuff. when that blew up I was like oh there is an audience for this stuff
  52. He says the vision is to expand to other platforms and into longer form things. the vision is ke wahi usko ab expand karna on to other platforms into longer form things
  53. He says he is fine with abandoning a plan for a more pragmatic option. I'm completely fine with abandoning it and jumping ship and moving somewhere else you know uh if that's the more pragmatic thing to do
  54. He says he would still want the authentic film set experience. I would still want the authentic, like the film set experience
  55. He says collaboration drew him into filmmaking, especially as a director. That is the primarily what really drew me into filmmaking, you know, was the collaborative aspect, especially as a director
  56. He says you need to get everyone aligned on a long-term vision. you need to get everyone aligned on a long-term vision
  57. He says that from a leadership position, he at least shows that he cares. from a leadership position I show at least that I care
  58. He estimates that 20 to 30 percent of the audience has money and is middle class. I would say anywhere between 20 to 30% of the audience which is you know they have good money, they're middle class, they can spend
  59. He says nobody has been able to find a middle ground. because middle ground koi nahi nikal pa raha
  60. He says comedy and shock value can capture attention. comedy and shock value and these kinds of things you know they can capture attention
  61. He says Pakistanis are very funny. I think Pakistanis are also very funny
  62. He says the Western world is less glossy than when he left it. the Western world isn't as glossy as I you know left it
  63. He says the climate crisis is the biggest issue he sees right now. the biggest thing that I see right now is just the climate crisis
  64. He says Pakistan is one of the most volatile in terms of how greatly it is going to be impacted. Pakistan is one of the most volatile, you know, in terms of it's going to be impacted so greatly
  65. He says every year feels like it will bring more drastic changes than the last. every year feels like it's going to bring more drastic changes than the last one
  66. He says filmmaking has changed dramatically in the last few years. film making as a medium has changed so dramatically over the last few years
  67. He says people who do not call themselves filmmakers now pick up cameras. people who don't even call themselves film makers are just picking up a camera
  68. He says it is not that difficult to find success in Pakistan. it's really not that difficult to find success in Pakistan
  69. He describes himself as a Lahori and a big fan of Karachi. I as a Lahori, I'm a big fan of Karachi
  70. He says films can now be made anywhere, including Lahore or Hunza. you can make a film in Lahore, you can make a film in Hunza, you can make it anything anywhere really now
  71. He says location itself is going to be less and less relevant. location itself is going to be less and less relevant
  72. He describes himself as part entrepreneur and part artist. I am like part entrepreneur, part artist