Meet Ihram Chowdhury

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

Hi Ihram, what do you think makes you most happy? Why?
Man, my real life makes me happy. As someone who runs a media company, I’ve made a healthy distinction between my real life and the internet and the business. If you look at my comment section or a reaction video to some of my content, the losers of the internet will have you believing I’m this hated person. But anyone who knows me or sees me in real life knows the opposite is true.

My friends and family, my girl, and my cats bring me so much joy and happiness. The dopamine people get from views or comments doesn’t come close to touching how loved I feel when I’m in a room with my people.

When it comes to the business though, I won’t lie, I love the respect I get from folks who are building things in their own lane. My peers, which I consider anyone hustling for their own thing, are super dope. My phone is filled with people who’ve played Coachella, landed Netflix deals, and started global brands. And although I’m much earlier in my journey than many of them, they’ve always made time to kick game to me and give me opportunities. That truly warms my heart.

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 the host and founder of Conversations with Chai which sits under my media company The Chowdhury Network. We launch different content IPs and aim to cover a wide section of Diaspora and New York Culture.

I think what sets me apart from others is twofold:
1. My inability to quit. This pursuit has gotten me dead broke. This pursuit has frustrated me. This pursuit has had me screaming “FUCK” at the top of my lungs on my balcony. But, I refuse to quit. When I started this I told myself I’d burn it all down around me to do this, and I did just that. But now, my focus is not to burn everything around me to do it. It’s to build myself and those around me to see this flourish. There’s a certain power that comes from that shift.
2. The product is me. I do not curate, I do not placate. How I feel is how I feel. You have all these influencers trying to craft their image. There is no image here. This is me. People who recognize me from the podcast can attest, I’m the same person in real life. Authenticity is a buzz word but I don’t have to think about being authentic, I literally show up as myself every day.

Was it easy? No. But, I feel like I’m just getting started. I’m miles away from where I envision myself. I document a lot of the journey cause those who were here early I want them to see what this looks like from start to finish. Some people had connections, some people had built in brands, I want them to see someone claw themselves to the top.

Lessons? Don’t quit. If you’re willing to just sit in the pocket and take the hits, your success is an inevitability.

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?
The greatest thing about New York is you don’t have to try to have fun at all. I can literally wake up and walk from place to place and have a TIME depending on what we’re down for. You want food? World’s greatest food every corner: The Monkey King, Bungalow, INDN. You want to go clubbing? House of Yes, Brooklyn Storehouse, Superior Ingredients. You want culture? Walk through Soho, Bushwick, go to the MET. I live at the epicenter of the world, the most fun thing is just being a fly on the wall for it.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
First and formeost, God. But man, my people. My parents, my sister, my girl, my family my friends. EVERYTHING I am is a result of amazing people just being amazing around me. I’m going skip out on naming everything I got from everyone but real quickly. My mom and my sister taught me real love and compassion. My girl taught me real patience and a real confidence in myself. My boys Sai and Dashon just taught me what a commitment to being morally sound looks like. My boys Jacob and Josh taught me what real hustlers look like. All my cousins and friends, Apee, Ray, Arham, Sam, Harun, Nik, Hareet bring so much joy into my life that allows me to go out and just do my thing with the confidence of knowing I got an army behind me.

Website: https://youtube.com/thechowdhurynetwork

Instagram: @ihramchowdhury @thechowdhurynetwork