Harun Waqoe
Designer, Video Editor & Writer in Somalia
About
Hello *waves with excitement*, I’m Harun—a designer, video editor, and voiceover artist by profession, and an educator & writer by passion,and I created the first-ever comprehensive courses on Google Workspace apps in the Somali language at somX. Yep, I am the voice behind the video of SIMAD University.
I contribute to the local community through SIMAD Creative Studio, where I mentor and support aspiring designers, as well as to the international community through GooGuider, a platform dedicated to guiding individuals who have taken or are currently taking Google Career Certificates by providing valuable resources, a supportive community, and free access to essential learning materials.
Aside from creating educational content, I also make memorable, user-centered designs, short videos, scripts, and blogs for busy entrepreneurs and startup founders.
I’ve been into reading and writing lately, so check out my blogs and newsletter here.
For inquiries: hi@harun.so.
Projects
For EACON 2024, I edited and voiced the promotional video, which was screened on all Aden Adde airport displays and throughout the conference for international guests and government officials attending the event on its first morning.
As part of SIMAD University’s 25th anniversary celebration, I contributed to the "25 Years and 25 Stories" campaign, which showcases the university's impact on Somalia through education and leadership. I was responsible for voicing 18 of the 25 video documentaries in both English and Somali. Additionally, I managed and guided the team that voiced the remaining documentaries and edited all 18 videos that I voiced.
Work Experience
I teach how to move pixels (design) and find a job to around 70 students every three months, with each cohort graduating before a new one begins.
I founded WaxFahan to help Somali students learn digital skills and land their dream job.
• I design visual communication materials such as roll-up banners, wall banners, event banners, and social media posts, maintaining brand consistency.
• I edit and retouch the graduation photos of SIMAD University
• Conceptualize and write shooting scripts for a variety of video projects, including documentaries and event highlights
• Direct camera operators on-location shoots, ensuring proper shot composition and capturing compelling footage
• Edit and produce diverse video content using Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Premiere Pro, Adobe Audition and After Effects.
• I created and manage the team that maintain the brand of the company
• I design high-quality graphics for various marketing materials, presentations, and social media campaigns while ensuring brand consistency.
• I write compelling scripts, provide a voiceover, and edit short videos, explainer videos, and social media ads, to effectively conveying key messages.
• I lead a team of designers and editors and manage the multimedia production process from concept development to final delivery, meeting deadlines and exceeding expectations.
• I use software such as Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Premiere Pro, and After Effect on daily basis to create visually appealing and impactful content.
Volunteering
I mentored 32 students to learn the basics of graphic design. I taught them how to use Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign. After the session, I also gave them an introduction to Upwork and LinkedIn, so that they could set up profiles and start finding jobs. This experience changed my life in many ways, and it was one of the reasons I created WaxFahan Academy.
When I entered university, I discovered that many of my schoolmates were struggling with researching the assignments and presentations due to their limited proficiency in English, as well as the fact that most resources and websites on the Internet are available in English. To help them, I created a free-of-ads slide-sharing website that I specifically built in Somali Language.
Upon our graduation, the chairman of our school told us (the class of 2021) to write a play and asked us to handle the whole process of the play, from ideation to the final phase of playing the play. We split into teams, and I was given the role of coming up with an idea, then writing a screenplay for it, and then directing the rehearsals of the play. According to my biased self, I took care of these parts with perfection.