Q: You clearly have a big passion for automobiles. What led to that interest?

A: Actually my affinity for motor vehicles goes back to my childhood, even before I was born. I was born in Pakistan where my father was pretty well known for founding the country’s first marketing agency.

My father purchased the first Suzuki sold in Pakistan while my mother was still pregnant with me. Mr. Suzuki actually came to deliver it and when he gave my mother the keys he said “You should name your son Suzuki.” And so my birth certificate does actually read Asim Kaleem Uddin Pasha Siddiqui Suzuki.

So, riding in cars with my father, there was something about it that really hit a note for me and was a very big part of self expression. It’s an extension of your identity, riding that line between man and machine, technological innovation and human creativity.

My family included a lot of engineers and gearheads as well who were constantly tinkering with cars so I actually learned how to drive a manual shift and a motorcycle at age six or seven.

So this is really something that’s been with me from the beginning.

As someone who loves to personalize their car, I am always on the lookout for cool new features. I was always trying to figure out what to do with my license plate.

Q: What drew you to these particular makes and models of car?

A: Some people like their cars a bit flashy. But I’ve always preferred something a bit more timeless, but personalized. I like to make people take a double take and start to realize some of the subtle personalized details that draw you in and make you want to keep exploring.

That’s always been my style and how I evolved into my Camaro, the American muscle car, and my JDM sports car, the Toyota MR2 as well. They may look simple and stock at first, but the closer you look, the more you start to notice. 

The Camaro in particular has a lot of significance for me. There was a time where I was struggling to find a job and had the good fortune to be hired at a GM dealership. I didn’t know much about the Camaro at the time, but learned about the racing heritage of Chevy performance through that experience and became very intrigued – I fell in love with the Camaro. 

Q: How did you discover the Rplate?

A: As someone who loves to personalize their car, I am always on the lookout for cool new features. I was always trying to figure out what to do with my license plate. 

One day I was commuting to work and saw a Tesla in the Bay Area with a digital license plate and just thought it was amazing. I started stalking the Tesla for a bit and told myself I had to get one. Then I heard about it through an NPR story and went online to discover Reviver. I bought three of them straight away and have loved them ever since. 

Q: So you have actually crossed over from customer to employee at Reviver. What made you want to work for the company?

A: I’ve worked in car dealerships at various points throughout my life, in and around my big passions as an actor, filmmaker, and photographer. But car dealerships have played a huge role in my life – it’s where I met my wife, how I acquired my cars, how I even found my cats (by rescuing them at the dealership). 

I have spent time pursuing my various passions in the jungles of Hawaii, the Bay Area, and now back in SoCal. When I began to search for opportunities down here again in the midst of the pandemic, I was just driving for DoorDash at first and wanted to get a new Rplate for my car. So I reached out to the customer support team at Reviver for some help. 

I was talking to Wallie on the Reviver team and she was telling me how much they loved me as a customer and I wound up asking if they were hiring. She said yes and connected me with the sales VP who mentioned he was looking for someone with dealership experience and who knows the product – it was a perfect fit. The rest is history. 

I’ve found the team’s energy amazing and am just so happy to join the team. I support our partnerships with auto dealerships that help to sell the Rplate. So I get to spend my time getting our dealer partners and car buyers as excited about Reviver as I am. 

Q: What else would you like readers to know? 

A: Actually, yes. Most people assume my name is pronounced “Uh-seem,” but it’s actually “Ah-sem.” That seems like an important detail. 🙂