Salah Bachir is a Canadian business executive, entrepreneur, publisher, art collector, and a philanthropist.
He spoke about his new book, “First to Leave the Party: My Life with Ordinary People… Who Happen to be Famous,” which will be released on October 17.
Bachir also discussed being an author and entrepreneur in the digital age, and he furnished his advice for young and aspiring authors, as well as his definition of the word success.
Background on Salah Bachir
As an entrepreneur and businessman, Bachir founded Phamous Characters, which is a media, production, publishing and sponsorship entity.
From 2005 to 2021 Bachir, served as president of Cineplex Media, where he was publisher of Cineplex Magazine. In June of 2017, he became the fourth Chancellor of Toronto’s OCAD University, which is one of Canada’s pre-eminent schools of art, design and digital media.
Honors and accolades
Bachir has received five honorary doctorates from various universities. Bachir is a Member of the Order of Canada (CM), and the Order of Ontario (OOnt). He was recognized for his “leadership as an entrepreneur and for his commitment to the arts and to social justice.”
New book
On his inspiration to write this memoir, he said, “I have been a magazine publisher of some of the best-read magazines in the country for the past 42 years and interviewed some of the most iconic celebrities. Some of these celebrities could not resist my charm and humor and became personal friends… and a few even became lovers.”
“I had several life-threatening moments after having a kidney transplant,” he admitted. “I began posting some of my favorite anecdotes on social media to share as an entertaining diversion for those who were likewise stuck or shut in during the pandemic. As I continued to post, I kept hearing from people that it should be a book.”
This was what sparked him to write this memoir. Bachir will be donating a portion of the proceeds to The LGBT Rights Program at Human Rights Watch.
Lessons learned from writing this book
He shared some important lessons that he learned about himself by writing this book. “I didn’t want the book to be just about me,” he noted. “The book is uniquely written, with each chapter capturing a different story about the celebrities I got to know. I wanted to highlight people and experiences that made me feel better about myself — those who embraced me and supported me.”
Bachir continued, “Each chapter tells the story of what drew me to them – and, in a way, what drew them to me. Also, how they used their celebrity to do good in the world. Maybe I was too naive to gush, and worship stars the way everyone seems to do today, or maybe we were both looking for an escape.”
The digital age
On being an author and entrepreneur in the digital age, now with streaming, technology and social media being so prevalent, Bachir said, “It’s great to have wider access and more platforms for presenting and consuming content. I use social media to promote events and keep up with friends.”
He added that it is essential to “always check facts.”
Advice for young and aspiring authors
For young and aspiring authors, Bachir remarked, “I can give advice on certain topics, but one should always seek out as many people as possible. Do as much research as you can. Try to tell stories you have knowledge of or surround yourself with people who do. There are many things I would have done differently had I known then what I know now.”
Success
On his definition of the word success, Bachir said, “As an entrepreneur, success would mean financial security, influence, and respect. As an author, it would be getting reviews from Elton John and David Furnish saying, ‘Salah Bachir is the biggest-hearted philanthropist with a rock star life’.”
Bachir shared that there has been praise from others such as “Kim Cattrall, Margaret Atwood, and Ben Vereen.” “I’m not sure I need to sell a single book to define this as success,” he said.
Closing thoughts on the new book
He stated about the memoir, “It’s one of the first books – if not the first – to feature the author’s pronouns on the cover. I couldn’t believe it had never been done! While writing the book, I received a letter from an organization we had given money to, and it was addressed to Ms. Salah Bachir.”
“I also kept a thank-you letter from Jeffrey Katzenberg from years ago, addressed to me as Ms. Salah Bachir, even though we had worked an event together for AIDS Project Los Angeles. It’s both a small and big gesture to use your pronouns,” he said.
“Every organization, every bank, every corporation that flies the Pride flag for one day a year should encourage all their staff to use gender pronouns. It’s just a courtesy,” he acknowledged.
“It is also empowering if we normalize it and take the onus off of only certain people having to tell you how they identify. It may be one of the easiest things we can do as allies – and it can’t be banned in Florida or Texas,” he concluded.
To learn more about Salah Bachir, check out his official website.
