Ziyaad Haniff is a Creative Director & Digital Storyteller based in Toronto, Canada. During his trouble-making youth, he was often described as “distracted and a distraction”, causing his parents to enrol him in an arts camp to preoccupy him. Now, he jumps across many artistic outlets, challenging the creative industries with unconventional ideas, and garnering attention for marginalized communities.

As a multidisciplinary artist, his diverse creative experiences often inform and amplify one another: he graduated as a Theatre and New Media major through a joint program between the University of Toronto and Centennial College; spent years contributing to music publications, including HotNewHipHop and Ones To Watch; accidentally became a sought-out photographer; used his random collection of talents to creative consult for startups; and eventually brought his narrative and visual skills together to direct in the film industry. In short, Ziyaad helps creative people do creative things.

Despite his extensive creative and professional experience, Ziyaad’s opportunities were largely self-orchestrated. Meandering through the creative industries, he often notes, “I was a mentor far before I was a mentee”, and as such, has a strong community focus of ‘opening doors’ for others. Through his efforts as an arts facilitator, his goal is to reduce the barriers to entry for sustainability in the industry by creating/sharing space. He’s shared these insights in workshops with Scarborough Made, Women's Multicultural Resource & Counselling Centre, Kin + Care, and RCAD Initiative.

Supported by his creative collective, Storied and the resources of his company, Team Ziyaad the titular artist has spent the last decade orchestrating visuals for emerging artists through to established enterprises. Collaborators looking to work alongside him would join fan favourites including Warner Music Group, Just For Laughs, Sony Music, Hasan Minhaj, and Pomp&Clout.

get in touch: hello (at) ziyaadhaniff.com