Kriti Mehrotra
With Naveed “Neesh” Riaz arguably being one of the most interesting cast members from Netflix’s ‘The Mole’ season 2, it honestly comes as no surprise he has managed to win the hearts of millions across the world. After all, while his game plan of leading nearly every mission sometimes annoyed his fellow contestants, it worked very well for him because his objectives always seemed pure. In fact, he played an honest, selfless game till the moment he knew he had no choice but to make a change if he wanted to make it all the way to the end – teamwork was important for him, but so was winning.
Neesh Riaz Took Leadership Seriously
From the moment Neesh first came across our screens, it was evident he’d be one to watch out for owing to not only his utter confidence but also his overall charm and trusting aura. “I’ve been training all my life for this game,” he conceded in the show. “I’m a leader. When I play video games, when I’m playing sports, I’m always the most active. I want the ball in my hand; I want it to be the fourth quarter with five seconds left. What a chance for me to have these niche experiences that I’ll never have anywhere else. I’m very, very excited.” But alas, the game began both in favor and against him.
That’s because as soon as the talk of needing a leader in the first mission began, Neesh nominated himself, only to quickly back out since a loss would mean his elimination. The others then voted him to be the leader anyway, yet they were fortunately able to follow through with what was needed, unaware he’d also automatically assume leadership in the second mission too. However, no one really seriously minded since he was a team player through and through, just for things to gradually change since the prize was key.
Neesh Riaz is a Rising Public Figure
It was while Neesh was still pursuing a Marketing degree from California State University-Sacramento (2015-2018) that he kickstarted his professional career to get a grasp of the world. His first job was actually as a brand manager at Lumpy’s Flowers, where he proudly served from 2017 to 2020, while also dabbling as a leasing specialist at Assist Living from 2018 to 2020. Only then did this youngster make the move to his true passion by landing the role of social media director at Dog Haus, a title he held for three years before further expanding his wings completely independently.
The truth is that Neesh had established his own AI digital marketing-media company in his hometown of Thousand Oaks in 2022, only to seriously kickstart his own journey as a content creator over a year later. Since then, he has actually done wonders for himself by not only securing over 50k followers across all platforms but also launching his own clothing company, VyrusCo. And as if all that wasn’t enough, he recently also evolved into the host of The Garage Mahal, a show on the South Asian-centric Rukus Avenue Radio on iHeart Radio.
Neesh is Gradually Learning to Embrace His Roots
Although Neesh has Indian-Pakistani heritage, he admittedly isn’t particularly too aware of what it means, what it represents, and how they, as a community, are so different from other South Asians. He has thus been learning about the same over the past year by not just talking about it more with his loving family but also having open conversations with fellow Indian-Americans, attending community events, plus much more. He’s essentially finding his unique identity by acknowledging his roots, understanding his past experiences, and opening more gates for his future self.
Though the fact his family, as well as his girlfriend, is supporting this entire journey is arguably what means most to Neesh. You can actually check out all his social media platforms to see the way his loved ones, like his grandmother and his dad, have been helping him find a way. Plus, there’s the fact his partner Feraz is Jordanian-American herself, so she can understand the importance of this chapter of his life.
Read More: Muna Abdulahi: Where is The Mole Cast Member Now?
