Throughout October 2024, West Ham United will mark Black History Month by celebrating talented and young Black creatives in our local community and reclaiming the narratives by shining a light on the untold stories.
Over the course of the month, we’ll profile key voices from the West Ham family and beyond – including award-winning music producers, media leaders, podcast hosts and photographers.
By highlighting these individuals, we aim to share their often untold success stories, encouraging us to learn, share, discuss and celebrate their journeys, gaining a fresh perspective on the contributions of Black British people in our sphere.
Next up is Mohamed Abdulle, perhaps better known as Mabdulle, who talks us through his path from humble beginnings in Maryland, just north east of Stratford, to becoming one of the London’s most well-known Creative Directors.
Abdulle’s path to the top wasn’t without its twists and turns. The experience of studying computer science at university with the intention of ‘becoming the next Mark Zuckerberg’ was a formative one. For Mabdulle, picking up a camera changed his life. From shooting the Stratford streets at night in his spare time to spending the last two years on tour with F1 driver Lewis Hamilton, his goal is to capture people in a portrait and lens that are unique to their style while also trying to show their culture and background through photos.
Mabdulle has established himself as one of the best Creative Directors in London and is now reaping the rewards, collaborating with some of the industry's biggest brands and artists, such as Facebook, Stormzy, Victoria Beckham and Adidas, among others.
“I studied computer science at university and was planning on becoming the next Mark Zuckerberg, but reality kicked in and then I decided I didn’t want to do that anymore,” said Abdulle. “I just picked up a camera, made a few things on Instagram, and before I knew it, I was taking photographs for some of the biggest brands in the UK.
“I started taking photos of streets and people in the early days and got to do a few small campaigns, but now I do a lot of creative direction for brands. So it’s about coming up with the concept, the creative and also dealing with the execution, especially the production side of things. When I went on the Stormzy GSAP tour in 2017, it was the moment I thought it was getting a lot bigger than just taking a few photos for brands. I knew if I put all the time and dedication into it, then I could make it a full-time career.
“I always wanted to work for Adidas, so what I did was put together a fake campaign, pitched it to them and ended up getting my first campaign. I then used that campaign to build up a brand. I always believed that I had the skills and ability to work for these kinds of companies, so when it actually happened, it was an incredible experience and I thrived under the pressure. It’s all come through love and interest in photography. I did it for fun as I enjoyed it, but life can do amazing things to you where it puts you in situations, and I feel blessed to be where I am now.
“I have been on tour with Lewis Hamilton in F1 for the last two years and worked with Victoria Beckham for her 20-year anniversary with her brand ‘VB’, but one of my favourite projects I’ve done was the creative direction for the world’s biggest charity football game in Qatar, where the likes of Arsène Wenge, Kaká, Eden Hazard, Claude Makélélé, Didier Drogba and David Villa were involved, and we raised £8.8 million for kids in need.”
Having grown up in Newham on the Club’s doorstep, Mabdulle shared his first memory of coming into contact with West Ham and discussed the Black role model who helped shape him in both his personal and professional life.
“If you know Newham, it is one of the most multicultural and diverse areas in London as you walk around and see different people from all different walks of life,” he observed.
“I think my first memory of coming into contact with a Club like West Ham was when they used to have a youth place for all the kids in Newham, where we could go and do projects after school, and I remember attending a Kids for a Quid game when I was 15.
“I think my main role model was Jermain Defoe, who was a Black man at the Club. When I saw another Black man that looked like me playing the game it was inspirational, especially at West Ham. I definitely remember meeting him once when I was at school in Forest Gate, so that was interesting.”
London Stadium is home to a rich heritage and unique atmosphere that we proudly celebrate, expand and enhance.
The move to our new home in 2016 has not only benefitted our fans and players but also made a difference beyond the stadium grounds, inspiring a new generation of football fans from different backgrounds.
“I feel like, as Newham changed, West Ham also changed with it,” said Abdulle. “I feel like now having the London Stadium as the Club’s home has definitely done a lot more for the community and a lot more for the fans. It gave [the fans] a lot more resources and brought more new fans into West Ham.
“I think it's really important [to see so many people from different backgrounds at the games]. When you go to a West Ham game, everyone's really friendly, everyone's really like, buzzing, and it's just nice to see all walks of life. I think the one thing I love about West Ham is that whether we lose or win, we are all there for a great time.
“I feel like it's about creating more spaces and activations for these players and not just being like a one-off. I think longevity is definitely something that's nice because I feel like sometimes, when it does happen, it'll be like a one-off thing. We don’t want clubs to think that they’ve hit their KPI's, so that’s enough, and I think West Ham are really championing creative Black talent."
Abdulle is proud of the way West Ham have championed diversity over the last few years but says more progress can still be made.
He said: “I think there's still a lot more that we can offer in football. I feel like now in this space, people are willing to be more creative, are willing to take more risks and more steps, and I can't wait to be the one that sets up these initiatives and these projects. So I think it's still very young and in the early days, but there's a lot of growth to be done. I feel like if young people see people like me that look like them doing something that's not your traditional doctor, lawyer, or engineer, it's really inspirational. So if I can be someone that inspires even one or two kids, hopefully they can go on to inspire even more.
“The Club can show more stories of the players and everything. When people traditionally think of West Ham, they think about proper Essex lads, but if you go to West Ham games, you also see a Black guy and a Sikh man with a turban in a West Ham kit. You see all types of looks and colours, especially when you go to Stratford, so I think that's a great thing.
“Showcasing more stories of the fans that you wouldn't see as your typical West Ham fans is definitely another step forward. There was a video I saw recently of a young, passionate West Ham fan celebrating when they won, and this is the sort of stories they can delve into.
“I’ve just opened up a studio in Dalston, east London, and one thing I wish I had when growing up was space where I could put my ideas to work, so one thing we do to give back to the community is give our studio away for a session one day per week to young creatives in London to help them achieve their aspirations and champion their creativity.”
