A captivating story and shift to the dream of doing what he loves most. In this candid interview, Mithun shares with us his journey and inspiration as a Filmmaker, Photographer, and storyteller.

CR8VSPOT: You’ve been to a lot of places and done a lot of things, tell us all about you!

Mithun Abraham: That’s a loaded question. If you were to ask me “where did I come from?”, I’d have to tell you that I am a native of India but was born and raised in the middle-east, around Dubai, UAE. Growing up, I have always loved the outdoors.

I am a Multimedia Producer and Film Maker. I’ve dedicated my life to capturing life's passing moments, revealing human relationships, and telling stories rooted deeply in meaning. I am a firm believer that life was meant to be captured, and stories are meant to be told.

—“I have always been an engineer at heart so the science and technology behind cameras have also interested me.”

CR8VSPOT: What inspired you to be a filmmaker?

MA: Learning about people and where they come from has always inspired me. Ideally, I would love to travel the world, meet interesting people and photograph them to tell their stories. I have always been an engineer at heart so the science and technology behind cameras have also interested me. I guess my love for both story and technology keeps me inspired as a filmmaker.

CR8VSPOT: Please share some of the daring steps you took to get to this point in your career.

MA: I remember being that kid that climbed on walls and over fences and such, I guess exploring and discovering new places has always been part of my spiritual being. After I graduated from high school in 2007, I enrolled at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and began my higher education in engineering. At this point in my life, I was headed towards becoming an automotive design engineer and enrolled as a freshman at the university.

All the students are encouraged as a part of being an ORU student to take part in the missions and outreach program of the school. I remember making that decision as a freshman and it turned out to be one of the best decisions of my life.

— “I got back after my trip and made the critical decision to switch my major entirely from engineering to multimedia.”

While I was learning about being a missionary (at ORU), I came across numerous documentary films. All of a sudden, I was exposed to creativity in the form of storytelling that told stories of ordinary people that experienced the love of a supernatural God that I was searching for! It was an incredible moment, that rewrote the passions and desires of my life. Until that point, I believed my purpose was to one day become an automotive engineer and work at one of the major car manufacturers of the world. No longer was that my dream. All I wanted to do was pick up a camera, travel the world, and tell the story of people experiencing this supernatural God for the first time! And that’s exactly what I did, I picked up a second-hand camera and took it with me and captured the experience of a trip! It was amateur at best.

I got back after my trip and made the critical decision to switch my major entirely from engineering to multimedia. Let’s just say my father was not happy about that decision. Growing up in a traditional Indian home, career choices had to be either an engineer or a doctor (to have the parent’s blessing) because those were the professions that ‘secured a financial future.’ But I knew, this was my new path and I had to take a chance if I wanted to find out if this was the path of a career that I was destined to go towards. As cliché as it is, I put all my faith in God and walked forward.

—“A year later the channel went on to have over 100,000 subscribers and over 10 million views in videos.”

2 years go by and now, I am given the opportunity to travel to China, India, and the Philippines to capture and create a series of documentary short films for the university. It was an incredible opportunity! A couple of guys that worked at the mission’s department saw my work and came to me with an idea to start a satirical YouTube channel called Don’t Be That Guy. A year later the channel went on to have over 100,000 subscribers and over 10 million views in videos. These guys also became some of my closest friends to this day. Upon graduation, I went on to work as a filmmaker at major churches in New York, California, and currently, Louisiana.

CR8VSPOT: The creative world is a very complex and fast-paced industry, what do you do to stay inspired?

MA: Other than always finding new resources to learn, I believe it is very important to find like-minded people that you can go out and create with. I think it is when we collaborate with other people that we create the best work. This is probably the one thing I go back to stay inspired.

CR8VSPOT: What are some of the most difficult lessons or experiences you’ve had to go through in your career and how have they shaped you?

MA: As a young creative there were many moments where I thought I could create content by myself which, don’t get me wrong you can, but it gets a whole lot better when its done with other creative people around. I think collaboration is essential to create great content, because I learned the hard way that there is just so much you can do when you are doing it by yourself.

— “I am looking forward to capturing and telling stories that make a difference.”

CR8VSPOT: As a creative, is there something you’re excited about learning next, and is there a long-term challenge you’re considering tackling?

MA: I’m excited about someday running a company that helps businesses with their brand image. It wasn’t until recently that I started my own venture. I am looking forward to capturing and telling stories that make a difference, whether it is for a community or a business.

CR8VSPOT: What would your dream project or collaboration be?

MA: This is probably stupid to think, but it would make my world if I got the opportunity to collaborate with Christopher Nolan! He is by far one of the most creative people in the world. I am and always will be, amazed by his work. All of his movies are my favorite!

CR8VSPOT: If you were to give an advice to a younger version of yourself, what would you tell him?

MA: I would say, I wished I took bolder chances earlier on. I was really complacent growing up and wasn’t really thinking about breaking the mold for my future, but I really think not shying away from things that interest me and really exploring them would be the advice I would give to my younger self.

Mithun Abraham’s Extras

Favorite Hardware: The Camera, of course!

Favorite Food: Gourmet Pizza

Favorite City: Of all the places I have visited, New York City.

Hobbies: Photography and exploring

Source of inspiration: Movies, books, traveling

Turn off: Self-praise or taking false credit. (Those are) immediate turn-offs for me.

CR8VSPOT: It has been our pleasure!

MA: Thank you!

To see more of Mithun’s work, please visit his website

Featured