Gaby relocated from Lebanon to Abu Dhabi in 2021 and was an Applied Media Lecturer. Gaby stayed in his job for over a year before deciding to pursue his lifelong career of writing and directing. The alumnus went on to pursue his passion in Dubai, which Gaby noted was a growing hub for diversity within the industry
Gaby shared why he chose to change profession and make the move to Dubai. He said:
“For over a year, I taught my students, loved my boss, and enjoyed a great salary. But as time went by, the workload became overwhelming. I was pulling all-nighters and struggling to balance my work and personal life. Eventually, I hit a wall, and I knew something had to change.”
After moving to Dubai, Gaby entered his short play Corporate Manifesto into the Short+Sweet annual short film festival which competed against 80 other plays. Gaby wrote and acted in Corporate Manifesto along with four other actors. The play was successful in the festival and won the first week of the judges' critiques and people’s votes and competed in the final. Gaby’s play finished the festival by winning the People’s Choice award.
As a result of his travels many of the alumnus’ friends and family were still in Lebanon and were unable to watch his performance in the festival. To share his passion with his friends and family Gaby and his team flew out to Lebanon and performed Corporate Manifesto and three other short plays to his friends, family and at the old university where Gaby used to teach.
He told us what it meant to him to perform for his family in Lebanon. He said:
“It was an incredible experience to see a full house and feel the satisfaction of bringing my dreams to life.”
And Gaby hasn’t stopped since, he has written eight plays and produced six of them in addition to making videos and writing short stories. In October of this year, he is due to direct one of his original feature plays.
Finally, Gaby reflected on his journey:
“This journey has taught me that taking a leap of faith to pursue your passion can lead to immense happiness and fulfilment.”