From press to paint: entrepreneur leaves New York Times in ‘leap of faith’ to launch successful online art gallery start-up

British entrepreneur Omar Obaid took a leap of faith that saw him leave his former role at the New York Times to embrace his natural talent as a painter. From advertising operations to independent artist, he added to his personal repertoire by launching FineArtSeen, the fastest growing online art gallery start-up with his partner, Summer Obaid in 2016. Quickly becoming a go-to destination for seasoned art collectors, Omar’s passion soon turned into profit, showing the benefits that can be achieved when combining natural flair with underlying business acumen.

After enjoying 5 years of success in the competitive publishing sector, Omar resigned from his role at the New York Times in December 2015. Since then, in just over a year he has formed a premium online art gallery while also building a strong client base for his personal art that includes both private and commercial clients in over 40 counties. He uses this insight and understanding of the commercial art world to inform the curation process of FineArtSeen, helping to build its trusted reputation amongst the art buying community.

Omar Obaid, Co-Founder & Director, revealed, “I have been a keen painter ever since I was a child, but it wasn’t until I started creating and hanging my larger paintings in my home that I started to realise the business potential that lay in this passion. Friends and family would often compliment me on the pieces and ask who painted it. But it was Summer, my personal and business partner, who convinced me to take things further.”

Summer Obaid, Co-Founder & Director, added, “I always knew Omar had a talent so I persuaded him to pursue it as a career and to start putting his artwork up for sale. As Omar’s work started selling quickly, that’s when it all started and Omar hasn’t looked back since!”

Summer also made a similar, bold decision, resigning from her former career in advertising to focus solely on the online art gallery start up. As well as enabling the couple to follow their dreams while filling a gap in the art gallery market, it provided the opportunity to raise their child outside of the limits of the standard 9-5 working life. FineArtSeen is a true product of passion, using this authentic drive to build a strong client base and unrivalled art purchasing experience while providing ultimate customer service.

View Omar’s work on FineArtSeen at www.fineartseen.com/artist/omar-obaid/