Shomi Patwary

Shomi Patwary

Born Mahfuzur Patwary
February 20, 1982 (age 32)
Dhaka, Bangladesh
Occupation Designer, Artist, Director
Years active 2004–present



Mahfuzur "Shomi" Patwary (born 20 February 1982 in Dhaka, Bangladesh) is a Bengali born American designer, photographer, music video director, and co-founder of the creative collective Illusive Media based out of Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Illusive Media

While a student at Old Dominion University, Patwary created the multimedia design collective, Illusive Media, with his lifelong friend and classmate Philip Ly. Initially the group began creating a web presence for underground artists, but later helped national acts like Sean Paul and N*E*R*D create an image that connected with a broader fan base. As websites like MySpace began to lose its grip in the internet and bloggers became the dominant source of information, Shomi and Illusive Media began directing Music Videos giving bloggers exclusive content to certain artists. Through Illusive Media, Shomi has directed music videos for several artists, his most notable and frequent collaborators are: Fam-Lay and members of Clipse. Shomi Patwary and Illusive Media have directed videos for: Lupe Fiasco, Major Lazer, ASAP Rocky, Asher Roth, Stalley, Wale, Kevin Rudolf as well as many others.

Shomi is known for his guerrilla style of directing and editing often shooting, editing and releasing a complete project on the fly over a few days time. This allowed Illusive Media to remain more of an artists collective rather than a for-profit business making just enough money to keep the lights on and thus attracting attention from top musicians and record industry executives across the globe. Through Illusive Media, Patwary is also widely respected for often taking into account a musician's image and artistic input and putting his own spin on the project creating a truly collaborative process. He is often credited alongside other Illusive Media artistic collaborators such as Phil Ly (co-director), Abe Vilchez-Moran (Director), Robert Elliot Simmons (Special Effects), Tash Patwary (Producer), Charley Feher (Videographer Designer), Paolo Obcemane (Videographer/Photographer/Video Editor) and Jay McCord (Producer/Director/Actor). Shomi's younger brother, Tash P. is a member of the VERYRVRE production team which has produced tracks for the hip hop collective A$AP Mob and ASAP Rocky.

The most notable music video directed by Shomi is Lupe Fiasco's "I'm Beamin"  with critical acclaim from numerous critics including the New York Post, which called the "Lupe Fiasco 'I'm Beamin' video a breath of fresh air". The 2011 MTV Movie Awards listed the video as #4 on its "Best Of" playlist.

Haiti earthquake

After the 2010 Haiti earthquake Shomi teamed up with Robert Simmons, Kenna, Lupe Fiasco, and Mike Shinoda on the "Resurrection" music video to promote Music For Relief. The song was written and the music video was directed for free with all proceeds going to aid the Haiti disaster through Music for Relief. The music video received critical acclaim and became a YouTube viral hit due to its creative use of animating still photographs to create movement without losing the impact of the photo itself.

KarmaloopTV

In April 2012, Shomi was brought on board as an in-house music video director and television producer by Karmaloop.com's TV division. Shomi has worked with KarmaloopTV to help build the television and music video brand and tie it in with the online retail giant's streetwear image. KarmaloopTV created a new division known as Karmaloop Media during the summer of 2012 Since taking the helm at Karmaloop, Patwary has shot videos for Beyoncé, ASAP Rocky, Diplo, Stalley, Wale, No Malice of the Clipse, and A-Trak.

Videography

2007

Skillz feat Freeway - "Don't Act Like You Don't Know"

2009

Clipse - "Doorman"
Clipse, Kanye West, KAWS - "Kinda Like A Big Deal" (Webisode)

2010

• Nottz - "Shine So Brite"
• Clipse - "Freedom"
• Kenna feat Lupe Fiasco, Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park - "Resurrection"
• Lupe Fiasco - "I'm Beamin" 
• David Banner And 9th Wonder feat Heather Victoria - "Slow Down"
• Mansions on the Moon - "She Makes Me Feel"
• Nottz feat Asher Roth - "My Neighbor"

2011

• Asher Roth featuring Quan - "Summertime"
• Bei Maejor - "Facelifts And Waterfalls"
• Fam-Lay - "Beach Cruiser"
• Pusha T - "Cook It Down"
• Stalley - "Chevys and Spaceships"

2012

• Kevin Rudolf - "Don't Give Up"
• No Malice - "June" feat Eric David
• Diplo feat Jahan Lennon - "About That Life" (Post / Art Direction)
• Matt Hunter - "Mi Señorita"
• Gita - "Let That"
• Paper Diamond feat Nasimiyu - "Turn the Lights Off"
• Diplo feat Nicky Da B - "Express Yourself" (Director of Photography)
• Stalley feat Wale - "Home To You" 
• Kevin Rudolf ft Limp Bizkit, Lil Wayne, Birdman - "Champions"
• A$AP Ferg - "Work" 
• ASAP Rocky, ASAP Ant, Flatbush Zombies - "Bath Salt" 

2013

• No Malice and Ab-Liva (Re-Up Gang) - "Smoke N' Mirrors"
• Jahan Lennon - "Can't Ruin My Fun"
• Lakutis - "Too Ill For The Law"
• A-Trak feat Jim Jones, Juicy J, Flatbush Zombies, El-P - "Piss Test (Remix)"
• Stars - Wild Honey Pie Buzzsession
• Shout Out Louds - Wild Honey Pie Buzzsesson
• Camera Obscura - Wild Honey Pie Buzzsession
• Prodigy (Mobb Deep) - "Give Em' Hell"
• A$AP Ferg - Hood Pope
• Beyoncé - No Angel (Director of Photography)

2014

• Major Lazer, Skrillex, Ezra Koenig (Vampire Weekend) - Massiv In Jamaica (Mini Documentary)
• Major Lazer feat RDX - Lose Yourself (Director of Photography / Assistant Director)
• Jillionaire feat Salvatore Sannacci, Sanjin - Fresh

For more detail visit here: http://adf.ly/sPPLh

• Mobb Deep feat Mack Wilds - Low

Posted in: