Meet Elias Azimi | Actor and Entrepreneur

We had the good fortune of connecting with Elias Azimi and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Elias, why did you pursue a creative career?
Since I was 4 years old I wanted to be an actor. Watching actors play pretend like I do and get to tell stories on camera was so fascinating to me. As soon as I learnt about film I was hooked. Acting is the art of bringing stories to life, and film brings that world to everyone’s homes when they turn on the screen. Acting fuels my curiosity in how people experience the world, and especially the stories that need to be told. These works connect all of us human beings and help us understand one another. I’m proud to say I stuck through with the dream and I’m still playing pretend on the screens now. My debut television show Overcompensating debuts on Amazon Prime Video on May 15th!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’m just a newbie when it comes to being part of the acting/film scene, but I’m still so over the moon about the start of my career. I wrapped up filming my debut television show Overcompensating starring Benito Skinner, Charli XCX, Kyle MacLachlan, and being produced by Jonah Hill. Although I’m just an average side-character, I’m stoked to see myself on Amazon Prime Video. .

I delved into acting at the age of sixteen. Covid-19 had just hit Canada and I was desperate to do something with my acting dreams while school was off. I had the idea to message film students trying to make their own first-short films, I knew the pandemic made most people shy away with doing these non-payed little roles, so I jumped at the opportunity to help students make their films while starring in them. I made a short demo-reel after a few opportunities and landed an agent at eighteen. After a couple years of auditioning, I was fortunate enough to get casted for Overcompensating, and here we are. This industry is not for everyone, it’s a job full of rejection most of the time, but although it’s difficult, persistence will land you somewhere, you just have to keep on going.

My pursuit for acting also led me to pull the trigger with my associates and build Prime Stratix Digital Marketing. The fruits of my labor in my acting career taught me that I can go for so much more if I really put my mind to it, and ignited a deep desire to build a successful business. My partners and I noticed that the technology space is constantly evolving so quick, and the struggle some business owners face trying to manage their online brand while managing their own duties. That conversation sparked an idea that has manifested into our agency today, molding our main focus to be helping businesses manage the online marketing trends in content, web design, SEO, and paid ads, making sure they prosper online and scale higher. Managing a marketing agency is not easy, you are juggling so many different tasks every single day and making sure your associates are on the same page, but landing clients and improving their lives just a little bit makes it all worth it. Our proudest achievement so far is definitely working with one of the biggest gyms, The Mega Gym, opening up in Canada this Spring. Overall, I think managing my marketing agency will always keep me busy when I’m not in front of the camera, and it makes me very excited for what the future holds,

It’s funny giving advice because I’m so young and I’m constantly growing, but all the things I’ve learned so far about constant effort in acting and building a marketing agency has taught me that discipline and persistence is absolutely key to success. If I didn’t try to improve my career or put in effort to grow my business everyday, I wouldn’t have gone anywhere in these endeavors. A little effort everyday compounds into waves of growth over time, you just have to be willing to put in some form of work without giving up. Most importantly, as a proud Afghan and Muslim, I want my career(s) to show that aiming for the stars and working hard pays off despite my background or beliefs, especially in todays current political settings. This is just the beginning, but with God’s will, anything is possible.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Toronto and the surrounding GTA is a very vibrant place to be. It feels like every time you go out, there’s something new. I think if my best friend were visiting the area I’d definitely first take them around my city Mississauga. First We’d go have a nice coffee at Archtop Café, a hotspot in Port Credit with great coffee and little treats. Next, I’d definitely decide to go downtown to the Danforth Strip, a really fun places to be in Toronto during the summer, great food, stores, and more. After some walking around, I’d take my friend to hang out at Riverdale park nearby, which is well-known spot to relax and watch the Toronto skyline. There’s also a field right beside where people do pick-up soccer and toss frisbees if we want to move around and get some exercise. Lastly, I’d take my friend back to Mississauga area to Masrawy’s Egyptian Restaurant, which has the best hearty and tasty Egyptian cuisine. As a person that loves food and nature, this is definitely my ideal day.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’d like to shoutout my dear friend Maiwand Kakar. He’s not only my friend and business partner but someone who inspires me to aim higher in life. He’s had a difficult life to say the least; leaving Afghanistan as a refugee with no money, starting a new life in Turkey, facing lots of hardships and prejudice, yet he’s still one of the most positive and hardest-working people I know. Maiwand is not only a glimpse into the decades-long struggle of the Afghan people, but also a reflection of our perseverance and courage to never falter in pursuing freedom.

Without Maiwand and our other business partner Sultan Jeddi, our marketing agency would have never succeeded. I’m grateful to not only call them my fellow co-founders, but also my brothers. We are so driven towards making Prime Stratix Digital Marketing a successful agency, but also leading the new shifts of tech and AI for small to medium sized businesses to market their brands effectively.

Website: https://www.primestratix.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elias__azimi/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/primestratix/

Yelp: https://www.yelp.ca/biz/prime-stratix-mississauga

Other: Business Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/primestratix/

My IMDB: https://pro.imdb.com/name/nm12371838/

Image Credits
Photographer: Nicole De Khors