We were lucky to catch up with Hassan Chammout recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Hassan thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Do you feel you or your work has ever been misunderstood or mischaracterized? If so, tell us the story and how/why it happened and if there are any interesting learnings or insights you took from the experience?
Art is subjective and open to different perspectives, that’s something creatives have to grapple and accept. I love seeing when my projects are perceived differently, and how each person comes to a different conclusion and overall synopsis of the messages I’m trying to express. But, there have been many times, even now, where I’m misunderstood and people have the idea that they know me, and they attempt to judge me and my projects, going as far as to call me lazy and talentless. And it comes at no surprise that the ones that have these judgments and thoughts are the ones that have never set a foot in my path and dismiss any hardships I’ve experienced because theirs were “more difficult”. Funny, isn’t it? These “everyday people” that believe they know my life inside and out couldn’t be further from the truth. I don’t need to prove myself to anyone but me, only I know my story, and I’ll continue writing it and living it in the way I feel fit. I have climbed and fallen down countless mountains, but I’ve continued to start again, and again. With each success and failure, I learn something new about me. When it comes to people underestimating you or falsely jumping to conclusions, remember this: these cowards have failed at their dreams, were too scared to jump when opportunity called, they could only wish to live your life, and are too caught up in their own past to look to the future.
Now, with all that being said, there’s a project I’m releasing this year, titled 𝑫𝒐𝒏’𝒕 𝑮𝒐 𝑫𝒐𝒘𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒓𝒔, that I hope leaves everyone with their own conclusions. It’s a story that’s definitely near and dear to my heart, and it will discuss the cause and effect of trauma we carry from childhood. It’s a much darker film than 𝑽𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔, and will explore many of the mental and physical traits of humans on a deeper level. Walking through the script and preparing myself for the scenes I plan to execute is unlike anything I’ve ever done thus far. You will see a character attempting to start from scratch, and see all the obstacles that interrupt that growth, causing the past to be welcomed back with closed arms. You are going to fall in love with the kindness and innocence of this human, making the rest of the story hard to watch. This film has already brought me extensive amounts of closure, and I’m both anxious and eager to see what else I pick up from this experience. If you know anything about my imagination, then just know you’re in for a whirlwind of destruction. And yes, there is much more planned for this year that I’m keeping hidden, so you’ll just have to follow along to see what other tricks I have up my sleeve.
Hassan, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I am Hassan Chammout, I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Biology, with a minor in Drama/Theatre. I am an actor, director, singer and podcaster. I have a podcast titled “The Horror Headquarters” where I discuss horror stories, films, haunted landscapes and dive into my own horror experiences! At a young age, I knew I was different. I knew I stood out in a crowd of people, unfortunately it was for all the wrong reasons. I was endlessly ridiculed for being “different”, being energetic and enjoying theatrics and being expressive. This was somehow looked down upon, and bullying was yet to be a recognized universal term. It wasn’t until my freshman year of high school that I stopped caring what others thought of me, and people that grew up beside me but never with me, always repeated the same line: “You’ve changed.” For a bit, I thought this was a bad thing, but when I finally transferred to a new school district, away from the negative energy that lingered since kindergarten. I was seeing new faces, and felt more welcomed than I thought I would be. I joined the drama program, and when I auditioned for a play in junior year, I came alive. I realized that the stage is, in fact, where my colors shined. Now, I’ve sung and acted way before high school in community programs, but this was the first time where I felt I belonged. It was only uphill from there, signing with an agency, participating in school plays, taking classes in improv and vocal coaching and releasing my first mini short film senior year of high school. I am proud of myself for finally jumping forwards and shutting out the haters. Something, if anything, I want people to take away from my journey is that it’s not all sunlight and clear skies. Many nights are coupled with darkness and pitch black skies, but as long as you persevere and push forward, you will continue to embrace new lessons that make you stronger. Believe in yourself when no one else will, and prove to yourself and the world that you are a force to be reckoned with. Shine light on those that cheer you on, and let those that wish otherwise linger in the unknown until their mission fails once and for all. I will always create what I envision, I will tell stories from my point of view, and I hope you guys will follow along to see what is to come. My job is to not only inspire myself but others who wish for a better tomorrow, and show that it is, indeed, achievable.
Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?
Something that non-creatives will struggle to understand about my journey as a creative is labeling me as lazy because I apparently sit at home and do nothing with my life, when actually creatives are some of the most hard-working people that I know. I am constantly thinking about new projects, things that I want to create while expanding on my confidence and skills in multiple fields. I mean, from my perspective I’m always looking for new books to read, new podcasts to listen to, to grow my learning of acting, singing, directing and podcasting, and going even as far to learn about social media, marketing and how the world works. It is an ongoing lesson, an ongoing experience that has been extremely beneficial. If there is ever a non-creative that is so miserable in their life that they attempt to discredit my success and claim that I don’t know what hard work is, I remind myself that they don’t have the mental and creative capacity to think outside of the box and actually express what is within. They are afraid of trying something new, trying something different that’s outside of their comfort zone that they have to continue to bash others in order to feel better about their own accomplishments and themselves. Keep in mind that this can be anyone from family to friends to a complete stranger. But through it all, you have to know that they will never understand what it’s like to be on your level of confidence, your level of achievements and accolades that you have right on your shoulders in which you worked your behind off to achieve. Then ask yourself this question: Would you even want them to understand? Now, yes, some people can be open-minded enough to realize what is achievable through creative lens, but from experience, there’s so many people that are intensely locked in and narrow-minded on tradition, on following the rules, that they refuse to look at any other avenue other than working a nine to five job, being miserable in both your work and personal life (if they can even distinguish between the two) and thinking that that’s the best way to become successful. My definition of success is one that many creatives share with me, and that’s growth. Comparison to others is the skill of the devil, and I will never exercise “advice” from someone that even attempts to say I’m behind in relation to someone that is, in their definition, “more successful” than me. If you can’t take the time to sit down and learn just a tidbit about my journey, then don’t bother claiming you know ANYTHING about me, whether you’re related to me or not. There is nothing wrong with self-confidence, even though society makes it seem like a fearful and dangerous trait. The form of self-confidence that many creatives out there present is applaudable rather than disgraceful. Keep doing you, be kind and never be afraid to break societal norms.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect of being a creative is sharing my creations with the world. I have received valuable feedback and constructive criticism on my work, and it’s only made me a better person. I love creating and executing new ideas that arrive to me in many ways, from dreams to experiences I have around the world. I have recently taken up content creation as a full-time job, and have had the pleasure of working and collaborating with brands that I never in a million years would’ve thought possible. I am so blessed to have gained so much experience in the content creation field, and I am excited to see what else I learn and experience along the way. My unique delivery and expression is what sets me apart, and I plan on channeling this to new lengths with everyday that passes.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/hassanchammout
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hassan_chammout?igsh=c2VvcmpiNm03eHhy&utm_source=qr
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hassan-chammout?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@chammouth?si=Os-ouOi_fR7bYk33
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/user_details?userid=NpovTIZjqUtr5V96i4PLhQ&utm_source=ishare
- Other: Watch my short film, Visions, here: https://youtu.be/bBxUbimADnE?si=Eb1Q2_DP6qjvrg-j
The Horror Headquarters Podcast: https://lnkfi.re/thehorrorhq
My IMDB Page: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm12864323/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk
Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/673940146
