Nabeel Bin Riaz of Washington on Life, Lessons & Legacy

Nabeel Bin Riaz shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Good morning Nabeel, it’s such a great way to kick off the day – I think our readers will love hearing your stories, experiences and about how you think about life and work. Let’s jump right in? Have you ever been glad you didn’t act fast?
I’m genuinely grateful that I took the time to pause, reflect, and realign before diving into my upcoming projects. The past couple of years haven’t been easy, life tested me in ways I didn’t expect. But those challenges became my greatest teachers. They taught me patience, resilience, and the art of letting go. I lost a few people along the way, found new ones who brought fresh perspectives, and most importantly, discovered parts of myself I hadn’t known before.

I don’t regret any of it, because I’ve come to believe that every experience, good or bad, arrives with purpose. Everything that happened was necessary to shape the person I am today, stronger, more self aware, and better prepared for whatever lies ahead.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hello everyone, my name is Nabeel. I’m what you might call a visionary… though on most days, I’m just a filmmaker, musician, and writer trying to make sense of the stories around me. And when I’m not doing that, I play part-time superhero, helping brands and producers sell their content to OTT platforms. Basically, I wear no cape, but I do come with a pitch deck.

I travel a lot, wandering from one city to another, not because I’m lost, but because I’m curious. I’ve realized that the more I learn, the more I need to unlearn. Life, after all, is the best teacher, it gives you the exam first, and the lesson later. And I’ve failed quite a few, but trust me, I’ve learnt to smile through the retakes.

One thing I hold close is that I’m a people’s person. Some believe clients work for them, I believe I work with them. Their brand becomes my baby, their goal my deadline, and their success, my standing ovation.

In the end, I’m just a storyteller, trying to take ideas, give them a heartbeat, and maybe… if I’m lucky, a little bit of magic too.

Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
Ah, that’s a tough one. You see, there wasn’t just one moment that shaped how I see the world it’s been more like a series of plot twists written by a very unpredictable scriptwriter… called life.

I’ve had moments where I thought I was the hero, only to realize I was the comic relief. Times when I thought it was the end credits, but life just said, ‘Interval, picture abhi baaki hai mere dost.’

But if I had to pick one, it would be the moment I realized that the world doesn’t owe you anything not success, not applause, not even logic sometimes. You have to dance through the chaos, smile through the rejections, and still believe you’re in a Karan Johar climax. That moment taught me that life isn’t about waiting for things to make sense it’s about finding your own rhythm in the madness.

What have been the defining wounds of your life—and how have you healed them?
You know, I think one of the defining wounds of my life has been the fear of losing people. I’m terrible at maintaining relationships I could give a masterclass in how to unintentionally push people away. And what’s funny is, no matter what I do whether I’m being my charming, lovable self or my overthinking, dramatic self somehow, people drift. So I started healing by building walls. Big ones. With good lighting and Wi-Fi, of course. Because if you’re going to be emotionally guarded, might as well make it comfortable, right?

But over time, I realised those walls were less about keeping people out… and more about keeping myself safe. So yes, I still have my guards up but now they wear tuxedos, serve coffee, and occasionally let love sneak in. Because that’s what healing is not erasing your fears, but learning to live beautifully with them.

Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? Whom do you admire for their character, not their power?
My father, because he’s the kind of man who never needed to say much to teach a lot. His silence had more weight than most people’s speeches. He showed me that real strength isn’t in control or authority it’s in patience, humility, and how you treat people when no one’s watching.

And SRK, well, because the man made vulnerability fashionable. He taught an entire generation that it’s okay to be emotional, dramatic, even broken as long as you do it with honesty and good hair. He’s the proof that you can lose everything, rebuild from scratch, and still laugh like it’s a romantic comedy, and I think I have a good hair.

So between my father’s quiet wisdom and SRK’s loud charm, I’ve learned that character isn’t about how powerful you are it’s about how gracefully you handle the moments when you have no power at all.

Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
I don’t want to be remembered as someone who changed the world, I just want to be remembered as someone who changed the mood of a room. You know, that slightly mad guy who’d crack a joke when things were falling apart, who could make you laugh through your tears, and somehow make you feel a little more seen in a world that often forgets to look.

I’ve always believed that joy is underrated and kindness, even more so. If I could make someone’s day lighter, even for a moment, I’d call that a life well lived.

So yeah, I want people to remember me as a little crazy the kind of crazy that made you feel safe. The kind that reminded you of Aman from Kal Ho Naa Ho loud, dramatic, sometimes annoying, but full of heart.

Because Aman wasn’t perfect he was beautifully human. And if people ever tell my story, I hope they say, ‘He was a bit like that someone who made life feel like a film you didn’t want to end.’

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.wolfpacksme.com
• Instagram: @nabeelbinriaz