Born and raised in Istanbul, Yusuf studied at Bilgi University where he majored in Film and Television with a minor in Comparative Literature. His shorts were screened and awarded at local and international film festivals. Later he moved to Los Angeles to pursue an MFA degree in Film and TV Production at USC School of Cinematic Arts. 

During and upon the completion of his studies, he worked on a number of films, commercials, music videos, documentaries and TV shows for companies such as BBC Worldwide, Milk & Honey Films, atSwim, Dirty Robber and Karga Seven Pictures. 

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Yusuf taught a semester-long production class at Ghetto Film School in Los Angeles, and has conducted numerous courses at Marmara University, Bahcesehir University and Bogazici University in Istanbul. He currently resides in his hometown and continues to teach, write and direct.