Lindork’s Lists – Q&A #13: Omar Mouallem

Let’s Dive Into the Q&A with Omar:

1. Can you talk about the work you do? I know you have lots of great projects you’re involved in, so maybe a bit of a breakdown on a few of them?

   • Director for the Burger Baron Movie

   • Fake Dean of Pandemic University

   • Author (of Praying to the West, Inside the Inferno, and other books) 

   • Journalist (contributor to some pretty big publications)

2. What’s something that people might know about, that may be surprising, about A) working on a movie B) being a fake dean of a fake university, C) writing a book, D) pitching to big publications?

   • People are surprised to learn just how little time a writer spends writing. The bulk of the work that goes into any book or article is reading, interviewing, and just thinking.

   • I say jogging is my hobby, but actually it’s part of my writing process; it’s where I let my brain loose to explore whatever story I’m writing or come up with new ideas. (And, yes, I am one of those people who records voice memos.)

   • I can always tell when I’ve tried to skip the “thinking” step, because the moment I sit down to write, I feel stuck. But if I’m well prepared — I’ve interviewed and researched thoroughly, pondered them, revisited my notes, pondered some more, jotted down a skeletal outline — then the writing process is brief. In total, maybe 10 percent of the whole process.

3. Can you share some memorable moments or ‘successes’ for one (or more) of your projects that you’ve been proud of?
    
   • I’m very proud of my new book, Praying to the West: How Muslims Shaped the Americas. It was hard to write not in the least because it tries to condense such an expansive history, but because it stitches that history together with present-day stories and personal memoir.
     
     
   • I wanted to normalize western Muslim communities past and present, but I also never want to write anything that’s not accessible to general readers, which people look down upon, especially academics. They don’t appreciate how truly harder it is to connect general audiences with pedagogical books.
     
     
   • This book kicked my ass. And that I came out of it with a coherent story that so far has been very well received is something I’m proud of just on principle.
     
     
4. Can you share challenging moments, obstacles or even failures, you’ve had to overcome in the projects you’ve been involved in, or in your journey as a journalist and author?
   
   
   • I never went to Journalism school, earned a degree, or got a relevant diploma, but I realized that in creative fields the most valuable piece of paper is your resume.
     
     
   • So I just hustled to build it up, freelancing freebie and meagre-paying stories until two years later I had more experience than journalism graduates auditioning for the same gigs.
     
     
   • Luckily, I had patient editors and mentors willing to take a chance on me, hold my hand a little bit in the beginning. I don’t know for sure why they were so kind to me, but I assume it was my hustle that they appreciated in return.
     
     
5. Can you share advice for others on pursuing their dreams, or becoming a professional writer, creating a business around yourself and your interests?
   
   
   • If you’re lucky enough to be a child of immigrants, as I am, then you’ve probably bore witness to the kind of strong work ethic required to thrive in creative industries. Tap that immigrant ambition and channel it in your pursuit of stories, sources, and truth. It’s the edge you need in this climate.
     
     
   • For instance, my dad, a successful restaurateur with tenth grade education, told me something to the effect of, “Walk with your head up, work with your head down.” He immigrated alone to Canada at 16 knowing he had to carry himself confidently to overcome prejudices, but he never wasted energy comparing himself to anyone who might distract him from reaching his full potential.
     
     
6. Could you articulate “why you do what you do?” Why are you passionate about writing? Storytelling? The specific topics that you write about?
   
   
   • I really don’t know why storytelling is my passion, but it always has been. I attempted to write my first books in elementary school, my first screenplay at Grade 10, and I started freelancing articles while I was still a film school student. Although it took many more years before I’d author books and make documentaries, it was just something I’ve always felt compelled to do. Maybe it’s because I’ve always been a daydreamer with an overactive brain. My mind is always racing, and I think that storytelling is my way of catching those thoughts, boxing them up, and shipping them out so that I don’t go crazy.
     
     
7. Can you tell me about your hobbies! What do you for fun? What do you do when you’re not busy doing all the things in the previous question?
   
   
   • Since most of my day is in a chair, I try as much as possible to be on my feet during my spare time. My favourite hobbies are jogging or riding my bike—sometimes with a one-year-old on the front seat, or a four-year-old on the back seat, or both.
     
     
   • I like to cook, too. Nothing in particular — it’s more about having time to myself (and my favourite podcasts) in the kitchen. I also love watching movies and couldn’t be happier that movie theatres have reopened. I’ve been introducing my daughter to good horror movies, which I know sounds terrible, but she’s really into it creepy stuff!
     
     
8. Is there anything else you’d like to share about your work professionally, personally, or anything that I’ve missed that you’d like mentioned as part of this profile on you?
   
   
   • The same week my book is out, my directorial debut film is out! It’s called The Last Baron, and it’s a documentary about Burger Baron restaurants, that quirky little diner that somehow still exists in small towns across Alberta. People think it’s a corporate franchise—it’s not.
     
     
   • In fact, it’s so much more interesting than that. Without spoiling too much, I’ll just say it’s a meme that exists inside this legal grey area between what franchise and independent business. There’s also a family connection — my parents ran a Burger Baron in High Prairie, which my brother now runs under a different name (but kept the same recipes).