Ajit Anthony Prem of Squigglebooth

Ajit Anthony Prem is a filmmaker and Mac enthusiast, despite the fact that he didn’t touch a Mac or start making films until college.

Prem began taking film classes while pursuing a business degree at St. Francis College in Brooklyn, New York. It was with the encouragement of his teachers that he decided to change majors and become a filmmaker.

“I always wanted to do something creative. I would have loved to have been an actor. That would have been great.”

As Prem puts it, “An Indian guy in America, it just seemed so far out.”

So, behind the camera is where Prem became comfortable and was introduced to Macs.

Prem was hired as an assistant video editor during college, when he began using Edit DV software.

“A one time experience was all I needed to believe in that level of technology.”

After that job, Prem was hooked.

“When I got my computer after college, I got a Mac.” It was a 450 Mhz G4.

“It came with Classic, which I still love,” Prem adds.

Then and now, Prem utilizes the vast video editing capabilities of Macs and the available software.

Prem is currently working as both a filmmaker and video editor in North Carolina. He relocated there after spending fifteen years in New York. Prior to that, Prem spent the first fourteen years of his life in India, where he used computers but no Macs.

His current interests in filmmaking and video blogging stem directly from his use of Macs.

“If it wasn’t for that G5 at that moment in my life, I probably wouldn’t have got into videoblogging.”

Squigglebooth.com is where Prem currently videoblogs.

“The idea for Squigglebooth was a videoblog for me and my friends,” says Prem. It was designed to allow people who share the same creative passion to feature their work.

“It wasn’t meant to be just a videoblog for Ajit, it was meant to be a videoblog for a community of people,” Prem notes.

But over time Squigglebooth.com has become more of a personal project for Prem.

“It’s a portfolio of my imagination,” he said. Prem has utilized Squigglebooth.com to showcase his personal projects which have led to more professional opportunities as well, and all in thanks to his Mac.

“I wouldn’t have been remotely interested in half the things in regards to technology, especially in regards to blogging or video blogging if it wasn’t for my Mac.”

Prem adds, “You become a geek after awhile. Stuff I never had a curiosity for, now I do.”

“Mac culture tends to lead you that way, to kind of know more about your computer, know about how the computer runs and why it does the things it does,” said Prem. Since discovering more about Macs and how they operate, Prem has become a bit of a Mac evangelist himself.

“My school, the whole communications department was a PC department and I got that switched over to Mac. They weren’t too far behind. They just needed the extra push to really go there. They got a whole bunch of G5s,” Prem said about St. Francis College’s Communications Department.

Prem boasts, “Every friend I have, I’ve switched to Mac in one way or another.”

Incorporating Macs into his life, Ajit Anthony Prem has completely changed the direction of his life. First with the decision to become a filmmaker and then as his interest in videoblogging grew. Overall, Prem has few regrets.

About being a filmmaker, Prem said, “I wish I was one of those kids that made films when I was like 10 years old, that would have been great.”

But now, filmmaking and using a Mac go hand in hand for Prem who seems poised for further growth in his creative endeavors as Squigglebooth.com has gotten more media attention. Prem thinks the future looks bright for Apple too.

“I’m very positive about where Mac is headed,” he said. When he first began using Macs, “People thought you were kind of crazy for having a Mac system.”

But more recently Prem has noticed that changing.

“We should really celebrate this great decade,” Prem said as he reflects on the successful run Apple has had in increasing sales and the impact of devices such as iPods and iPhones. He believes people have developed an envy of those who can use Macs and PCs.

“It’s great that we’ve lived in this beautiful Mac period.”