Your Creativity Needs a Good Stretch—and Riz Ahmed Is Here to Help

Your Creativity Needs a Good Stretch—and Riz Ahmed Is Here to Help

From Creative Control by Fast Company

March 10, 2026 · 35 min

About this episode

Riz Ahmed discusses how he stretches his creativity and culture through his work as WePresent's guest curator.

When Riz Ahmed feels lost in his creative endeavors, he asks two questions: Does it stretch me? Does it stretch culture? Those questions have guided Ahmed to an Oscar- and Emmy-winning acting career (The Long Goodbye and The Night Of, respectively), a boundary-pushing music catalog, and stories that have redefined who gets to be seen at the center of the frame. And now, in the latest chapter of his career as WePresent's guest curator, he’s posing those two questions to all creatives. In this episode of Creative Control, we explore how Ahmed is utilizing his role as WePresent's guest curator (a role previously held by the likes of Marina Abramović, Solange Knowles, and Olafur Eliasson) and how his upcoming version of Shakespeare’s Hamlet ties directly into his vision of stretching culture—particularly at a time when it needs it most. For more of the latest business and innovation news, go to https://www.fastcompany.com/news To listen to the latest episodes of Creative Control on Fast Company:https://www.fastcompany.com/podcasts/creative-control

People in this episode

Host: Fast Company

Guest: Riz Ahmed

Topics covered

  • creativity
  • cultural impact
  • artistic expression
  • film
  • music
  • curation

Keywords

  • Riz Ahmed
  • creativity
  • WePresent
  • Shakespeare’s Hamlet
  • cultural impact
  • artistic expression
  • Oscar
  • Emmy

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: WePresent

Books & works: The Long Goodbye, The Night Of, Shakespeare’s Hamlet

More episodes of Creative Control

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Creative Control podcast page.