Identity, Nuance, and Building the Media Company South Asians Deserve | Hiba Irshad
Off Script
Episode Description
In this episode of Be Anomalous, Hiba joins me for a conversation about identity, belonging, entrepreneurship, and what it truly means to bet on yourself before the path is clear.
Hiba is the founder of Twenty5% — a hybrid agency, studio, and media company for the South Asian and Muslim community. Her path to get here was anything but conventional: pre-med, cancer research at Northwestern, a pivot into the music industry, and eventually building the company she always knew the world needed — even when the world hadn’t asked for it yet.
But this conversation goes far beyond business.
We talk about:
Growing up Indian and Muslim in the Midwest — and owning every part of that identity
Leaving behind three high-paying pharmaceutical job offers to chase something she couldn’t fully name
What the music industry taught her about creativity, community, and herself
Cold outreach, cold starts, and why relationships are everything
Bootstrapping Twenty5% and why she’s never had a scarcity mindset
What real representation looks like — and why nuance is the only way forward
The daily battle with self-doubt, and the gratitude practice that pulls her back
Hiba’s story is a reminder that the world doesn’t always have a blueprint for what you’re building. Sometimes you have to be the one to draw it.
🎧 Listen to the episode
Youtube | Spotify | Apple
Favorite Quote
"If you focus on what you've left behind, you'll never see what lies ahead." — From Ratatouille
But she puts her own spin on it: don't ignore your past, learn from it. That's where resilience lives.
Favorite Books
No Rules Rules — the Netflix culture book. Learnings that stuck.
In This Episode
(00:00)Why Hiba leads with where she's from, not what she's done
(04:00) Growing up Indian and Muslim post-9/11
(08:00) How her parents raised her to be unapologetically herself
(12:00) Pre-med to cancer research, the path that taught her discipline
(17:00) The Shah Rukh Khan tour that changed everything
(22:00) What the music industry revealed about her creative side
(27:00) Mumbai vs. New York: the work cultures
(31:00) The origin of Twenty5% identity, community
(36:00) Why representation without nuance isn't enough
(41:00) How Twenty5% found its first clients
(46:00) The daily battle with self-doubt
(50:00) Vanity metrics, cold outreach
(54:00) Why are more people building their version of Twenty5% is the win
(57:00) Where she wants to take Twenty5% — a Hello Sunshine, an A24, for us
New episodes drop every Monday and Thursday.
Be Bold. Be Real. Be Anomalous.
Follow for more Be Anomalous stories, conversations, and behind-the-scenes.
Website | Instagram | LinkedIn | YouTube | @iamsaimenon