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It’s not every day that a 23 year old college student is on his way to stardom, via a proposition for a  television series about one of the most important figures in history.
Meet Ahmad Saadaldin, a senior public relations major here at USF. Over this past summer, Ahmad and his friends decided to take their cinematography skills and put them to use to make a short trailer about what they hope will be the start of a complete television series. The trailer is an intro into the early life of Salahadin Ayoubi, the 12th century Muslim leader who fought the crusaders and won back Jerusalem. In the past, Ahmad and his friends have practiced their entertainment skills by making short, comedic videos that they post on youtube. This time around, however, they decided they wanted to work on a more serious project. “People like to absorb information through entertainment”, Ahmed says. His goal with the Salahadin project is to create an informative, entertaining series that can be educational for all viewers. The two minute trailer, that took two full months to produce, premiered in August for the first time at a public viewing event held in the Oval Theatre in the Marshall Student Center. The event was a success, resulting in a full house made up of both students as well as supporters from the local community.
After the trailer was released and made public, Ahmad and his buddies embarked on a mission using Kickstarter.com, a website through which individuals can donate money to fund unique ideas, and set a goal to reach $80,000 in donations in just 45 days. Over a month later, Ahmad and his friends have been able to meet their staggering goal of almost $100,000. Kickstarter operates on an all-or-nothing basis, so if the group was unable to raise the total amount of money, they would not have received ANY of the funds. When I spoke to Ahmad two weeks prior to the Kickstarter deadline, I asked how he felt when the fundraiser was coming down to the wire. He expressed nervousness. Regardless, he still remains optimistic, as he rightfully should, having come so far in the first place.
Ahmad was born in Baghdad, Iraq, and raised in Tampa. He graduated from Tampa Bay Technical High School in 2008. Â After completing his first two years at HCC, he transferred to USF, where he is the current President of “Students for Justice in Palestine” here on campus. The student organization promotes social awareness on campus and in the Tampa Community of the ongoing injustices in Palestine. When he’s not in class, shooting an HBO-worthy theatrical trailer, or at an SJP General Body meeting, you can catch Ahmad at the Marshall Center, which happens to be his favorite spot on campus. When asked why, he replied, “It’s where students can come together to meet and discuss ideas outside of academic work.” Well said Ahmad, considering this is also why it happens to be the favorite of many other students as well.
As a full-bred Tampa native, he  has a few suggestions for all those not so familiar with the Bay Area. He advises newcomers to take an hour drive down south to Fort De Soto Park, in St. Petersburg. “It has a beautiful beach, and it has a different atmosphere from all the other ones in florida.” You won’t catch him in the water though- one of his biggest fears is the thought of sharks. “Jaws messed me up for life”, he laughs. He also recommends checking out Channelside, saying “Not necessarily for the nightlife, but for the people and the events”. One particular event he looks forward to every year is Tampa’s only annual pirate-themed festival – “Gasparilla’s always fun.”
Upon first meeting Ahmad, he seems hesitant of opening up to a stranger. Almost instantly however, the brief moment of reluctance passes and is soon replaced with kindness, respectfulness and genuinity. We’re glad this is the case because it seems as if this soon-to-be grad is full of interesting ideas and stories to share with the world. When asked where he sees himself in five years, he replies with a smile and without hesitation: “Making season 3 of Salahaddin.” We look forward to keeping an eye out for this campus celebrity, who will without a doubt be making news again soon.
(If you want to check out the awesome Salahaadin trailer for more information and to support their project, you can visit their Kickstarter page at http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/443788393/the-salahadin-project. )
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