Suroosh Alvi (; born ) is a Canadian journalist and filmmaker. He is the co-founder of

Vice Media Vice Media Group LLC is an American-Canadian digital media and broadcasting company. , the Vice Media Group included five main business areas: VICE.com (digital content); VICE STUDIOS (film and TV production) VICE TV (also known as VICELAND); ...

, a digital media and broadcasting brand that operates in more than 50 countries. Alvi is a travelled journalist and an executive producer of film, covering

youth culture Youth culture refers to the societal norms of children, adolescents, and young adults. Specifically, it comprises the processes and symbolic systems that are shared by the youth and are distinct from those of adults in the community. An emphasi ...

news News is information about current events. This may be provided through many different media: word of mouth, printing, postal systems, broadcasting, electronic communication, or through the testimony of observers and witnesses to event ...

, and

music Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspe ...

globally. He has hosted and produced documentaries investigating controversial issues, armed conflicts, movements, and subcultures, including

conflict minerals The eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has a history of conflict, where various armies, rebel groups, and outside actors have profited from mining while contributing to violence and exploitation during wars in the region. The four mai ...

in the

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

, the

Iraq War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...

, the takeover of Gaza by Hamas in the

Israeli–Palestinian conflict The Israeli–Palestinian conflict is one of the world's most enduring conflicts, beginning in the mid-20th century. Various attempts have been made to resolve the conflict as part of the Israeli–Palestinian peace process, alongside other ef ...

, and the rise of the Pakistani Taliban and global terrorism.

Early life

Alvi was born in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

, to Pakistani parents, both of whom are academics; his mother is Sajida S. Alvi, whose focus is on

Islamic studies Islamic studies refers to the academic study of Islam, and generally to academic multidisciplinary "studies" programs—programs similar to others that focus on the history, texts and theologies of other religious traditions, such as Easter ...

and Mughal history and who is now

professor emerita ''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...

McGill University McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter granted by King George IV,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill Univer ...

, and his father is Sabir A. Alvi, professor emeritus in

psychology Psychology is the science, scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immens ...

at the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...

. Alvi studied

philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. ...

at McGill University.

Career

Alvi launched VICE magazine with Shane Smith and

Gavin McInnes Gavin Miles McInnes (; born 17 July 1970) is a Canadian writer, podcaster and far-right commentator and founder of the Proud Boys. He is the host of '' Get Off My Lawn with Gavin McInnes'', on the subscription-based streaming media platform ...

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirte ...

, in 1994. Originally covering punk rock, VICE has expanded to include a network of digital properties, including , , , and as well as a cable and OTT network, a

record label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the pr ...

, an in-house

creative services Creative services are a subsector of the creative industries, a part of the economy that creates wealth by offering creativity for hire to other businesses. Creative Services also means a department within a company that does creative work such a ...

agency and a book publishing division. Today, VICE produces dozens of original video series, covering news, travel, music, arts, fashion and food, and has a network of correspondents and bureaus. As a journalist, Alvi has reported for VICE on HBO and

VICE News Vice News (stylized as VICE News) is Vice Media's current affairs channel, producing daily documentary essays and video through its website and YouTube channel. It promotes itself on its coverage of "under-reported stories". Vice News was create ...

, which together have received both

Emmy The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

and Peabody awards. In 2014, Alvi served as a guest curator for the PHI Centre in Montreal and oversaw a month's worth of programming.

VICE Reporting

In 2006, as VICE was expanding from magazine publishing to video reporting, Alvi reported on a segment titled ''Gun Markets of Pakistan'', in which he travelled to Pakistan's northwestern tribal areas to cover illegal mass weapons production that was flourishing in the fallout of the

Soviet–Afghan War The Soviet–Afghan War was a protracted armed conflict fought in the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan from 1979 to 1989. It saw extensive fighting between the Soviet Union and the Afghan mujahideen (alongside smaller groups of anti-Soviet ...

. Since then, he has covered stories from around the world, reporting on conflicts and unrest in the

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is borde ...

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

, and the

Gaza Strip The Gaza Strip (;The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p.761 "Gaza Strip /'gɑːzə/ a strip of territory under the control of the Palestinian National Authority and Hamas, on the SE Mediterranean coast including the town of Gaza.. ...

. He has also produced and hosted documentaries for VICE on HBO, VICE News and the

VICE Guide to Travel A vice is a practice, behaviour, or Habit (psychology), habit generally considered immorality, immoral, sinful, crime, criminal, rude, taboo, depraved, degrading, deviant or perverted in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refe ...

series. In 2017, VICE launched a multi-part series hosted by Alvi that examines "the origins and impact of the world's deadliest terrorist organizations:

al-Qaeda Al-Qaeda (; , ) is an Islamic extremist organization composed of Salafist jihadists. Its members are mostly composed of Arabs, but also include other peoples. Al-Qaeda has mounted attacks on civilian and military targets in various countr ...

Yemen Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, and borders Saudi Arabia to the north and Oman to the northeast and ...

, al-Shabaab in

Somalia Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constitut ...

Boko Haram Boko Haram, officially known as ''Jamā'at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da'wah wa'l-Jihād'' ( ar, جماعة أهل السنة للدعوة والجهاد, lit=Group of the People of Sunnah for Dawah and Jihad), is an Islamic terrorist organization ...

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

, the

Tehrik-i-Taliban The Pakistani Taliban (), formally called the Tehreek-e-Taliban-e-Pakistan (Urdu/ ps, , lit=Student Movement of Pakistan, TTP), is an umbrella organization of various Islamist armed militant groups operating along the Afghan–Pakistani bor ...

in Pakistan and the

Islamic State An Islamic state is a state that has a form of government based on Islamic law (sharia). As a term, it has been used to describe various historical polities and theories of governance in the Islamic world. As a translation of the Arabic ter ...

in Iraq." In 2020, the ''VICE Guide to Iran'', hosted by Alvi, was released shortly after the

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC; fa, سپاه پاسداران انقلاب اسلامی, Sepāh-e Pāsdārān-e Enghelāb-e Eslāmi, lit=Army of Guardians of the Islamic Revolution also Sepāh or Pasdaran for short) is a branch o ...

' shoot-down of

Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 (PS752/AUI752) was a scheduled international civilian passenger flight from Tehran to Kyiv, operated by Ukraine International Airlines. On 8January 2020, the Boeing 737-800 flying the route was shot dow ...

during an Iran–United States standoff as part of the ongoing 2019–2021 Persian Gulf crisis. In the feature-length documentary, Alvi interviews ordinary Iranians about life under the Islamic government and covers the impact of

international sanctions International sanctions are political and economic decisions that are part of diplomatic efforts by countries, multilateral or regional organizations against states or organizations either to protect national security interests, or to protect i ...

on the country after the

1979 Islamic Revolution The Iranian Revolution ( fa, انقلاب ایران, Enqelâb-e Irân, ), also known as the Islamic Revolution ( fa, انقلاب اسلامی, Enqelâb-e Eslâmī), was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynas ...

. He also interviews prominent Iranian political figures, including

Masoumeh Ebtekar Masoumeh Ebtekar ( fa, معصومه ابتکار; born 21 September 1960) was the former Vice President of Iran for Women and Family Affairs, from August 9, 2017, to September 1, 2021. She previously headed Department of Environment from 1997 t ...

and Hossein Sheikholeslam, who were among

the students The Students were an American doo-wop vocal group, which formed in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States, in 1957. Although they only released four sides, two of them – " I'm So Young" and "Every Day of the Week" – became doo-wop standards. "I'm ...

involved in the 1979–1981 Iran hostage crisis. Sheikholeslam died in March 2020 after contracting

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quick ...

, one month prior to the documentary's release.

VICE Music

In 2002, Alvi created VICE Music, the company's record label which has partnered with over 50 artists and sold more than 7 million albums worldwide. Its clients have included

Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, " ...

Action Bronson Ariyan Arslani (born December 2, 1983), professionally known as Action Bronson, is an American rapper, songwriter, chef, wrestler, exotic olive oil taster, and television presenter. Born and raised in Queens, New York, he embarked on his musical ...

, Black Lips,

Justice Justice, in its broadest sense, is the principle that people receive that which they deserve, with the interpretation of what then constitutes "deserving" being impacted upon by numerous fields, with many differing viewpoints and perspective ...

Chromeo Chromeo is a Canadian electro-funk duo from Montreal, formed in 2002 by musicians David "Dave 1" Macklovitch and Patrick "P-Thugg" Gemayel. Their sound draws from blue-eyed soul, dance music, rock, synth-pop, disco and funk. , the band has relea ...

The Streets The Streets are an English music project led by vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Mike Skinner. The project has released six studio albums: '' Original Pirate Material'' (2002), ''A Grand Don't Come for Free'' (2004), ''The Hardest Way to ...

Bloc Party Bloc Party are an English rock band, composed of Kele Okereke (lead vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboards, sampler), Russell Lissack (lead guitar, keyboards), Justin Harris (bass guitar, keyboards, saxophones, backing vocals) and Louise Bartle ...

, and Death From Above 1979. In 2011, Alvi launched a partnership between VICE Music and Warner Bros. Records.

VICE Film

In 2007, Alvi co-directed and executive-produced ''

Heavy Metal in Baghdad ''Heavy Metal in Baghdad'' is a 2007 rockumentary film following filmmakers Eddy Moretti and Suroosh Alvi as they track down the Iraqi heavy metal band Acrassicauda amidst the Iraq War. Synopsis In 2003, the Iraqi heavy-metal band Acrassicaud ...

'' for

VICE Films Vice Media Group LLC is an American-Canadian digital media and broadcasting company. , the Vice Media Group included five main business areas: VICE.com (digital content); VICE STUDIOS (film and TV production) VICE TV (also known as VICELAND); V ...

, in which he travels to Iraq and follows the heavy metal band Acrassicauda during the fall of

Saddam Hussein Saddam Hussein ( ; ar, صدام حسين, Ṣaddām Ḥusayn; 28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was an Iraqi politician who served as the fifth president of Iraq from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003. A leading member of the revolutio ...

amidst the

, beginning in 2003 after the United States-led invasion of Iraq. The film was an official selection at the

2007 Toronto International Film Festival The 2007 Toronto International Film Festival was a 32nd annual film festival held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It ran from September 6, 2007 to September 15, 2007. The lineup consisted of 349 films from 55 countries, selected from 4156 submissio ...

and the 2008 Berlin International Film Festival, and was named Best Documentary at the 2008 Warsaw Film Festival. In 2012, Alvi along with director

Andy Capper Andrew Richard Capper (born 14 February 1973) is a British US-based director, journalist and former editor and executive producer at ''Vice Media''. In 2018, he founded Happy Now Film. Career Capper's career in journalism started at age 17, rep ...

travelled VICE to

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of Hispa ...

, where he produced the feature-length film, REINCARNATED, featuring Snoop Dogg. The film was accepted at the

2012 Toronto International Film Festival The 37th annual Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) was held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada between September 6 and September 16, 2012. TIFF announced the films that were accepted on August 21, 2012. On its 37th edition the TIFF included a 2 ...

and had its U.S. premiere at the 2013 SXSW festival.

Personal life

Alvi resides in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

. He is married, and has a son. He struggled with a

heroin addiction Opioid use disorder (OUD) is a substance use disorder characterized by cravings for opioids, continued use despite physical and/or psychological deterioration, increased tolerance with use, and withdrawal symptoms after discontinuing opioids. Op ...

in his youth, and was in recovery following

rehabilitation Rehabilitation or Rehab may refer to: Health * Rehabilitation (neuropsychology), therapy to regain or improve neurocognitive function that has been lost or diminished * Rehabilitation (wildlife), treatment of injured wildlife so they can be retur ...

when he co-founded VICE magazine in 1994.

Filmography

Alvi has producer, executive producer, writer or director credits on a range of documentary films, documentary shorts and television series.

Television

* ''The Vice Guide to Everything'' (2010) * ''Vice Meets'' (2011) * ''Upgrade'' (2011) * ''Epicly Later'd'' (2011) * ''Dalston Superstars'' (2011) * ''Powder and Rails'' (2011) * ''The Vice Guide to Travel'' (2011) * ''Picture Perfect'' (2011) * ''Art Talk'' (2011) * ''Motherboard'' (2011) * ''Behind the Seams'' (2012) * ''Discotecture'' (2012) * ''Far Out'' (2012) * ''Vice'' (2013) * ''Vice News'' (2014) * ''Vice News: Russian Roulette — the Invasion of Ukraine'' (2014) * ''Abandonware'' (2015) * ''Moj Sport'' (2015) * ''Cut-Off'' (2016) * ''Fuck, That's Delicious'' (2016) * ''Vice Essentials Canada'' (2016) * ''Tattoo Age'' (2017) * ''Vice News: Terror'' (2017) * ''World of Vice'' (2017)

Documentaries

Feature-length *''

(2006)'' *''Heavy Metal in Istanbul (2008)'' *''North Korean Film Madness'' (2010) *''Aokigahara: Suicide Forest'' (2011) *''The Vice Guide to Congo'' (2011) *''Toxic Amazon'' (2011) *''Reincarnated'' (2012) *''Lil Bub and Friendz'' (2013) *''Svddxnly'' (2014) *''Cocaine and Crude'' (2014) *''Shelter'' (2016) *''VICE Guide to Iran'' (2020) Shorts *''Gun Markets of Pakistan'' (2006) *''Tokoloshe'' (2010) *''Life after Bin Laden in Pakistan (2011)'' *''Tokyo Rising'' (2011) *''The Rebels of Libya'' (2011) *''Rule Britannia: The British Wrester'' (2012) *''Vice Guide to Karachi: Battle of Lyari (2012)'' *''Cowboy Capitalists'' (2013) *''The Vice Podcast Show'' (2013) *''In Saddam's Shadow: Baghdad 10 Years After the Invasion (2013)'' *''Korean Poo Wine'' (2013) *''The Elmore B&S Ball'' (2013) *''My Life Online: The Grim Loner'' (2014) *''Blood Debt'' (2014) *''Rooted'' (2015) *''Inside the Monkey Lab'' (2015) *''Inside the Superhuman World of the Iceman'' (2015) *''Blast Fishing in Montenegro'' (2015) *''Valley of the Islamic Dolls'' (2015) *''Kanabis Ismedju Bola i Zakona'' (2015) *''Krivolovci: Hunting for Poachers in Siberia'' (2015) *''Svet Suspenzija/World of Suspension'' (2015) *''Izvan Granica Seksa'' (2016) *''Behind the Zero Line'' (2016) *''Making Contact'' (2017) *''Vice Talks Week with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau'' (2017) *''Turbotronik'' (2017) *''Izpravljanie Krivine'' (2017)

References

External links

Suroosh Alvi
at Vice.com * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Alvi, Suroosh Canadian magazine founders Canadian magazine publishers (people) 1969 births Living people Canadian Muslims Canadian people of Pakistani descent Pakistani magazine founders Businesspeople from Toronto Vice Media 21st-century Canadian businesspeople 21st-century publishers (people) Canadian Screen Award winning journalists