Mindful Media’s Editor-In-Chief, Sarshar Hosseinnia, Is Changing The Face Of Journalism One Story At A Time

Writer, editor, filmmaker, and podcast host, Sarshar Hosseinnia, writes powerful stories about incredible people who are making a difference in the world and is poised to be a changemaker too

Sitting in front of his pool, wearing his signature blazer and t-shirt, Sarshar Hosseinnia chats with ease and passion about his love for the written word. Hosseinnia has been a writer for most of his adult life, writing for companies and publications such as The Canadian Immigrant and Afro News. He most recently took on the role of Mindful Media PR’s Editor-in-Chief overseeing a team of talented writers. Each day he interviews world-famous speakers, coaches, podcast hosts, influencers, and business gurus and, along with his writing team, create world-class articles for distribution to top publications such as LA Weekly, USA Today, New York Weekly, Wealth Insider, Disrupt, and Entrepreneur. 

Hosseinnia, who is of Persian descent on his father’s side, was born in Sunderland in the northeast of England. He moved to rival city Newcastle when he was eight years old, enduring – and overcoming – intense maltreatment to gain the respect of his classmates. After a short stint living in Spain, he moved to Vancouver, Canada in 2004. He is now proudly Canadian, but it was not easy as the culture shock, and loneliness of moving at such a young age resulted in an identity crisis and bouts of depression. Despite this, he firmly entrenched himself in the media landscape and music scene, using the arts as a catalyst to finding his happiness. 

When I ask how he would describe himself, he comes up with one word; Pioneering. “I’ve had success in a number of different areas. I’ve been an actor, filmmaker, writer, football coach, and teacher,” he proudly beams. “I’m glad that I’ve had the experience in all these different endeavors.” 

The one constant though has been writing. 

Hosseinnia has been writing for 17 years. Even while working in different careers, he always pursued his love of writing. “I always wrote stories,” he says as he recalls a trip he took to South America in 2018. “I don’t like to fly, so when I was traveling I took a bus back from Mexico City to Canada. I was sitting with all these interesting characters for six days and felt compelled to share their stories with the outside world. Whatever the narrative may be, I’ve always needed to tell the story.”

I ask him if he would describe himself as a content creator, given his experience in creating short films, podcasts and writing stories, and he immediately frowns. He pauses before he responds. “I create art,” he says after a while. “In whatever format that is.” Whether creating his own writing pieces that he posts on Facebook or interviewing people taking part in an anti-vaccine protest in Vancouver for his YouTube channel, Hosseinnia is an artist and a storyteller.

Hunter S. Thompson was a huge inspiration for Hosseinnia and the day Thompson died was the day Hosseinnia decided to become a writer for life. “I woke up and my mom told me that Hunter S. Thompson had shot himself in the head,” he remembers. “I was in tears. I knew then that I needed to become a writer. After that, I put everything into my writing, making lots of mistakes along the way, but remaining persistent and resilient. I didn’t know what I was doing half the time but I wrote and wrote and wrote. I ended up getting published in local magazines and representing people whose voices needed to be heard or for people who represented cultures that felt they were hard done by, especially in Vancouver.”

Books like Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and The Rum Diary have shaped him as a writer and an artist. Thompson was the father of gonzo journalism and wrote prolifically for Rolling Stone magazine. In gonzo journalism, a writer becomes a pivotal part of the story by portraying events through their own experience. Hosseinnia found himself referencing this form of journalism as he wrote. “I started writing stories, music reviews, and concert reviews, and I would put myself into the story. Gonzo journalism became part of my style. Instead of only talking about what songs the band played or how technically sound the musicians were, I told the story from my perspective, as a character in the writing. Readers would respond to say that I made them feel like they were there with me. It was then that I knew I was on the right path,” he says. It is no surprise that his dream is to be published in Rolling Stone one day – a nod to his mentor and muse.

Looking at Hosseinnia’s impressive resume, I comment on his vast experience and the different mediums he has created for and worked in. Besides writing, he is an avid sports enthusiast and has worked as a soccer coach, training and mentoring children across Canada, representing Vancouver Whitecaps among a plethora of North American clubs. “I’m proud that most of the athletes I’ve had the joy of molding have gone on to gain full scholarships from top universities.”

His Instagram profile has over 22,000 followers and he shares snippets of his life as well as the covers of the publications his writing has been featured in. 

He has also created a video podcast series as a platform where local talent can share their stories and their art. “People used to tell me for the longest time that I tell so many incredible stories and I should do more with it,” he says about the start of his podcast. “So I created Legends Podcast with Austin Trapp, a top actor in Canada. He’s my producer and does the editing and graphic design. I’ve had a great time with the guests that have been featured, and enjoy sharing my story while showcasing my talents as an interviewer, reporter and host.” 

After running through his credentials, Hosseinnia chuckles. “I’ve chosen to live life on my own terms,” he says determinedly. “There were times when I was really depressed. I asked myself if I want to spend my life depressed and in a miserable job or did I want to do something I loved. And, in 2022, I’m doing something I love.”

Working as Editor-in-Chief for Mindful Media PR is a dream come true for him. He gets to write positive stories each day, a change from the toxic world often experienced in journalism and newsrooms around the world. With his focus on creating art and his passion for telling stories that create change, he is determined to be a part of reforming the face of journalism. “Whether that’s writing with a blend of different genres, a different method of how we disseminate and consume news, or riding this wave with Mindful Media, I want to create change,” he says.”Mindful Media has given me a fantastic opportunity to create and I want to make everybody proud. I want to help grow the organization into the Metaverse and the Web 3.0 realm. I want people to know that I’m here to make a difference in a positive way.”

To keep up with writer extraordinaire Sarshar Hosseinnia, follow him on Instagram.