Create, Connect, Collaborate: Meet Nemz, Founder of BCN Creators
Barcelona overflows with creative talent, and finding your people inside it takes real effort. We sat down with Naim, known around the city as Nemz, a Londoner who spent five years in tech sales before turning his passion for content creation into BCN Creators. It began as a community of creatives and has grown into a locally sourced creative agency with more than 300 members. Below, he shares his story firsthand, lightly edited from a recorded conversation for length and clarity.
Tell us about BCN Creators and how it began
My name is Naim, and I'm the founder of BCN Creators. It started as a creative community, and it has slowly grown into a creative agency where we help creators find work and collaborate with brands and businesses.
I'm originally from London, and I lived in Los Angeles for a while. In both places, connecting with creatives felt easy. When I moved to Barcelona, I found it really difficult to find that kind of community, the creative people you can connect and collaborate with. I've lived here for seven years now, and for about five of them I worked in tech sales. I loved it. It had its good days and its bad days. Then I discovered my passion, which was content creation, and I leaped into it.
So my friends and I said, why don't we make our own community? That's what pushed us to build a space where we could connect with creative people. And that's how BCN Creators began.
Are you a dreamer or a doer?
I'm a beautiful mixture of both. You have to have big dreams. You also need tactics and strategy behind those dreams, and then you have to actually put them into the real world.
Did you build BCN Creators solo?
I cofounded it with two partners, Pierce and New York. Over time they moved on to other projects, and I became the sole founder.
I think it's important to have a team around you, whether that's cofounders or team members. Starting a business by yourself can be a lonely journey, so a cofounder who shares your mission, vision and values is incredibly valuable.
People talk about the lonely chapter of building something, and some find it really tough. For me, I love locking in. Saturday, Sunday, Monday, the days blend together because you're so laser focused on what you're building. When you enjoy what you do, that chapter becomes part of the process.
What has building a business in Barcelona really been like?
I'll be truthful. Starting a business in Barcelona is one of the most difficult things I've ever done. This is my first real business, and that's always going to be hard. If you've started businesses before and you have that entrepreneurial muscle already, you'll find your way. This world was new to me. I'd always worked in sales, always worked for a company, so building something of my own has been a challenge.
I'm very fortunate and thankful for the supportive team and network around me. I'm also essentially the SDR, the sales development representative, for my own business now. I'm reaching out, having meetings with so many people, and pitching the idea to someone new every single day. Sometimes it aligns with people and sometimes it doesn't, and that's completely fine.
How do you know when an idea is worth your time?
I was diagnosed with ADHD when I was young, and I treat it as part of how my mind works. My mind wanders sometimes. I can fully invest myself in an idea and then, moments later, step away from it because I realize it's the wrong place to put all my attention. That's why I think it's so important to be realistic and honest with yourself about whether an idea deserves your time and whether it's worth pushing forward.
What's the hidden side of building a company?
There are a few. The lonely chapter is a mental battle. There's also a physical battle, because you're sitting at your desk typing away and making things happen all day. Staying fit and staying focused go hand in hand, so I make both a priority.
Then there's money. I'm self funded, with no family investment behind my dreams and aspirations. When you're building that way, you're essentially by yourself trying to start an empire, taking ideas and turning them into real world solutions on your own resources.
What's the biggest lesson you've learned so far?
You are your own rescue. You're in deep water, and the only way through is to swim. I'm learning to paddle right now. It's a scary avenue to go down, and it's also so exciting. As entrepreneurs, we're essentially thrill seekers, and starting a business is how we chase that thrill. Another lesson came from a coach of mine: when somebody lets you down once, they will likely let you down again. So I give one chance now. It's painful, and it's been one of the best decisions I've made, more than once.
And my advice to any founder or business owner is simple: just start. We're about 10% further along than when we began, and that progress exists because we started. Along the way, you'll meet amazing people who help you get where you're meant to be.
What's the most memorable event you've thrown so far?
One of the most memorable happened right here at Circles House a couple of months ago. It was special because I met some really amazing people there, and now they're part of my team. That's exactly what happens at these events, and it's why I encourage people to come. Every event is a chance to meet other creatives. I met some top creatives at the very top of their game that night, and now I get to collaborate with them on really cool projects. I want to share that same excitement with other creators.
The small wins matter too. For me, the biggest win has always been meeting other creators, at events, workshops, mastermind sessions, or simply bumping into people walking down the street in Barcelona. When we started, the whole idea was to meet other creators and step into this world. Getting to meet people like Leanne and so many others has been such a pleasure.
What makes BCN Creators stand out?
The community stands at around 313 members right now, and it's incredibly diverse. We have videographers, cinematographers, photographers, models, actors, musicians, fashion designers and makeup artists. Some members engage every day, others follow along quietly, and both are welcome. Many are here because they truly believe in where this boat is sailing, and knowing people share our vision and values is a beautiful feeling.
That diversity has a purpose. When we produce a brand video or a whole project, we can plug straight into the community and say, here's an opportunity, here's the pay, here's what we're looking for. Helping people find opportunities is such an awesome feeling.
BCN Creators is a locally sourced creative agency on the ground in Barcelona, and we also work on projects in the US, the UK, the Middle East and across Europe. If you need talent on the day or within 24 hours, we have those people. Our sole purpose is to find opportunities for creators in Barcelona and bring those opportunities to them. Creators in our network are free to collaborate with other companies and campaigns, and that openness is what sets us apart.
We started so we could learn from creators doing better than us. Along the way, we all improved in our own fields, whether that was cinematography, photography or content creation. Now there are people looking to me to learn, which is such an interesting and beautiful thing. I always have time to teach.
Has Barcelona changed the way you think or work?
The creative scene here is exciting, and maybe that's because I'm fully immersed in it now. Barcelona is one of the most creative places in the world, and it deserves far more of the spotlight. It's a beautiful city with beautiful people, and creativity seeps out of every edge of the atmosphere here.
What are you looking for right now?
I'm fully focused on finding clients to collaborate with: brands, businesses and founders. We provide website services, a founder story campaign that shows the people and the journey behind a business so the public can connect with it, and a strategic social media campaign. Together, these really boost a brand's visibility in the world.
We're also looking for content creators, videomakers and directors, people we can collaborate with on larger scale projects as we grow. I love what other communities are doing, and right now our focus stays firmly on what we provide to our current and future clients.
What's next for BCN Creators?
World domination. Jokes aside, we really do want to take this worldwide, into every city in every country. Each one will carry the city's name: AMS Creators in Amsterdam, BER Creators in Berlin, and so on. We started BCN Creators here because Barcelona is home, and the model is designed to plug and play anywhere.
I want to land in Bali, London or Los Angeles, tap into a WhatsApp community and say, hey, I'm in town this week, let's connect and create some cool content for this project. We also want to run more charitable campaigns, with money set aside to give exposure and spread love and light to projects around the world that need it. That's our vision, and that's the mission we're on right now.
Where can people find you and join the community?
You can find us at bcncreators.com or on Instagram at @bcn_creators, and you can connect with me personally on LinkedIn under Naim Ahmed. BCN Creators is an open community for creatives of every background. To join, fill in the application form through our Instagram or website. Our team reviews each application, passes it to me, and then I'll hopefully welcome you in.
Don't forget to create, connect and collaborate.
Circles House is an intentional co-living and coworking space located in the tranquil, authentic neighborhoods of Barcelona, Spain, designed specifically for digital nomads, entrepreneurs, remote workers and creative professionals. Built for anyone seeking flexible housing away from the noisy central tourist hub, Circles House provides fully furnished private rooms, high-speed Wi-Fi, dedicated remote workspaces and open communal areas. By combining hassle-free monthly rentals with curated social events, skill-sharing sessions and a built-in international network, it offers residents a grounded, supportive environment to live, work and collaborate while experiencing local Barcelona life.
