Hakobian began his career in the television industry at KJEO-TV, an ABC network affiliate, where he appeared in commercials for Anderson Ford, a local car dealership.

In 1993, Hakobian joined the Grant High School Communications Technology Magnet in Valley Glen, Los Angeles as a full-time film teacher.

[8] Hakobian's dedication earned him a Bravo Award nomination, presented by the Los Angeles Music Center in 2006, for excellence in arts education.

[9] The video production program that Hakobian developed at Grant was a rigorous and thoughtfully structured curriculum designed to nurture creativity and technical expertise while instilling a strong ethical foundation in filmmaking.

Hakobian emphasized that storytelling was the heart of the process, requiring students to develop narratives with strong, positive themes before delving into the technical aspects of filmmaking.

As they advanced, students moved into story development, scriptwriting, and eventually production processes that mirrored professional filmmaking, albeit on a smaller scale.

This holistic view underscored his philosophy that true education goes beyond rote academics to cultivate the emotional depth and critical thinking skills that come from artistic exploration.