Resume

 TELEVISION HOST – PRODUCER – MEDIA CONSULTANT

 International TV host and producer with over 15 years experience in front of and behind the camera in culturally diverse environments. Built a name through a unique blend of proven production business savvy and natural on-screen personality. Extensive knowledge of Middle Eastentertainment industry.

 HIGHLIGHTS AND ACHIEVEMENTS

  •  Media Campaign Management – Effectively managed the strategic Cross-Platform Promotional Consulting Campaign for national cable network TLC’s groundbreaking series “All-American Muslim” through national controversy and overwhelming critical acclaim.
  •  Versatile Hosting, Speaking and Interviewing ability– moderated town hall forum for KPCC on sensitive religious and social topics. Spoke on panels at the Paley Media center in NY and elsewhere on women’s issues and film in the Middle East. Interviewed scholars, artists and celebrities with equal skill and ease.
  •  Full Spectrum of Production Achievement – Personally launched ZOOM music channel from creative vision to final realization; developed channel identity and branding, communication, promotion, marketing. Managed team of 15+ staff of producers, production managers, PR and TV hosts for two channels – Mazzika TV and ZOOM.
  •  Multi-market know-how and Ability – Handled production projects from start to finish, working with varied budget levels in many countries worldwide.
  •  Exclusive Middle East Coverage and Multilingual A-List Star Interviews – Middle East’s only producer and host to cover the World Music Awards in both Monte Carlo and Las Vegas, and interview artists such as Kanye West, Usher, Pink, Celine Dion, Mariah Carey, and 50 Cent, as well as travel worldwide for interviews with A-List International and Arabic artists such as Ricky Martin, Shakira, Andrea Bocelli, and Marc Anthony.

Fluent in English and Arabic, good command of French

HOSTING EXPERIENCE

FREELANCE HOST

Los Angeles, CA   Oct 2010 – Present

  • KPCC and MPAC – Questions You Were Afraid to Ask About Islam – Host/Moderator                      Jan 2013

Town Hall forum with acclaimed scholar and author Dr. Maher Hathout

  • Coverage for advocacy, as well as Arts & Cultural organizations focusing on current events, social issues and international cultural awareness, including interviews with modern thinkers such as Prof. John Esposito and Imam Faisal Abdul Raouf
  • LA-based reports and coverage for various networks in the Middle East

MAZZIKA TV / ZOOM TV                                                    

Cairo, Egypt    Sept 2005 – Sept 2007

Leading music and entertainment sister channels throughout the Middle East

After several years of hosting individual projects, I was selected to be the network’s leading host and “face” of Zoom and Mazzika TV.

  • Red Room (sponsored by Vodafone) – Host                             Feb 2007 – Aug 2007

Music magazine show featuring news, behind the scenes and exclusive interviews with A-list artists on the International scene.

  • Sahra Ma’a Negm – Host                                                         Oct 2005 – Sept 2007

Extensive exclusive sit-down interviews with A-list Arabic and North African (Rai) singing stars in creative and unconventional settings shot in various cities such as Beirut, Cairo, and Paris.

  • International music specials – Host

Periodic specials spotlighting International stars with exclusive material and interviews with artists such as Ricky Martin, and Andrea Bocelli.

  • World Music Awards – Host (Freelance)                               Sept 2003 & Sept 2004

Full event coverage and reporting, including red carpet interviews and in-depth reports on the winning Middle Eastern artists.

EGYPTIAN SATELLITE CHANNEL (ESC)                     

Cairo, Egypt   Jun 1997 – Sept 2005

National channel geared towards Arab communities throughout the world

Over 7 years experience as leading host for live and recorded large-scale entertainment shows and events.

  • Cairo International Film Festival – Host                                               1998 – 2004

Coverage of the festival for 6 consecutive years including report segments and red carpet interviews.

  • Ahl el Maghna – Host                                                               Dec 2002 – Sept 2005

Live soiree featuring Arabic singing stars with interviews and performances in front of a studio audience, and telephone calls from around the world.

  • Otlob Tela’I – Host                                                                      Feb 2003 – Aug 2005

Live request show with e-mails and international telephone calls, targeted to Arab communities in the western world.

  • Donia el Cinema – Host                                                                Jul 1997 – Mar 1999

International and Arabic movie magazine show with news, trailers, EPKs and interviews.

AL-RAI TV
Leading Kuwaiti satellite entertainment channel

  • Mazazik – Host                                                               Cairo, Nov 2004 – Sept 2005

Weekly Arabic music show featuring news, behind the scenes, vox pops and reports from across the Arab world and in-studio interviews with A and B-list Arab artists.


MBC
Number one Pan-Arab news and entertainment channel in the Middle East

  • Lux Fashion World – Co-Host                                          Beirut, Lebanon Sept 2003

Only host fromEgyptchosen by MBC to be a part of this week-long fashion, beauty and glamour event inBeirut, featuring fashion shows by designers from all over the Arab world. Sponsored by international beauty products brand Lux.

EGYPTIAN CHANNEL 2
Most watched Egyptian national channel

  • Studio One – Host                                                          Europe Feb 2002 – Jan 2004

International music show with sit-down interviews featuring A-list stars such as Shakira, Marc Anthony, exclusive to theMiddle East, shot on location throughout various European cities.

PRODUCTION/CONSULTING EXPERIENCE

PROJECT MANAGER – TLC’s “All-American Muslim”
BoomGen Studios – Brooklyn, New York                                    Sept. 2011 – Jan. 2012

Responsible for all facets of the strategic media consulting campaign for TLC’s unscripted docu-series “All-American Muslim”. Managed the Publicity, Grassroots Outreach, Social Media, and Creative and Content consulting departments of the targeted, cross-platform marketing campaign. Handled all client communication with TLC.

  • Achieved client satisfaction and confidence by seamlessly liaising all correspondences with the network to assure the efficient flow of requests, deliverables and reporting.
  • Managed the Publicity Team through the tactical campaign that developed and placed 187 pieces in key mainstream and niche media (personally placed in 20+ Muslim and Arab media outlets) across platforms – broadcast, radio, online and print, and indirectly impacted an additional 850+ media pieces. Oversaw the creation and wide distribution of eight press releases and conducted two hosted national journalist/blogger conference calls with cast and producer.
  • Directed the outreach team in securing partnerships with 55 grassroots organizations of various causes, including Muslim advocacy, Arab/Middle East, Faith-based, Interfaith and Civil Liberties, for the strategic promotion of the series, using intensive calling and email campaigns, e-newsletters and alerts, and national conference calls with stakeholders and community leaders for a total reach of 8.1MM via macromedia and 1.1MM via micromedia.
  • Developed personal relationships with community influencers to assure buy-in to show promotion and support across their social media platforms.
  • Oversaw the strategic Social Media Campaign, and continuously analyzed monitoring results throughout the season to refine messaging and tactics resulting in 3.5MM post views on the show’s Facebook page alone and over 93,000 tweets by celebrities, politicians, influencers and viewers.
  • Demonstrated real-time damage control and strategy shifting to effectively deal with the fringe-group attacks and Lowe’s ad pull out situation for the benefit of the show to the show’s advantage.
  • Provided cultural and religious consulting on all creative, marketing collaterals, and promotional materials pertaining to the series. Submitted over 28 reports to the client.

FREELANCE PRODUCER/CONSULTANT

Los Angeles         2008 – Present

  • Under contract with various overseas networks – Producer for feature stories, reports, segments, and short-form documentaries.
  • Cultural and linguistic consultant for multi-national company media campaigns for the Middle East.

HEAD OF TV PRODUCTION
Mazzika TV / Zoom TV – Cairo, Egypt                                                2005 – 2007
Managed production operations for both channels with full fiscal responsibility of all production aspects.

  • Oversaw the execution of 25+ music videos for A- and B-list artists in a variety of international markets, such asBeirut,Paris,Bucharest, andCairo.
  • Orchestrated all stages of channel programming – concept development and aggregation, budgeting, production, post-production, and grid. Conceived and executed wide array of holiday programming and specials; over 10 entertainment shows and 20+ holiday and periodic specials.
  • Supervised the development of channel identity of both channels. Coordinated graphics, interface, promos, and on- and off-screen communications to solidify channel image.
  • Reduced production cost while improving quality and production value through resource allocation, negotiation, and attention to detail.
  • Generated and increased advertising revenue through improved and innovative content and programming.

FREELANCE PRODUCER
Cairo,Egypt                                                1998 – 2005

Oversaw the execution of television commercials and music videos in European and Middle-Eastern markets with local and foreign crews and cast.

World Music Awards – Producer and Host                                                   2003 and 2004
Full event coverage and reporting, including red carpet interviews and in-depth reports in Monte Carlo and Las Vegas.

Cairo International Film Festival – Producer and Host                              1998 – 2004
Coverage of the festival for 6 consecutive years including report segments and red carpet interviews.

International music specials – Producer and Host                                    2002 – 2005
Periodic specials spotlighting International stars with interviews with artists such as Ricky Martin, and Andrea Bocelli shot throughout Europe and the Middle-East.

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
Tarek Nour Communications – Cairo, Egypt                                              1993 – 1995

Headed in-house production facility of Egypt’s leading advertising agency at the time, supervised production of 60+ television commercials.

 

EDUCATION

 

BA Communication Studies (Emphasis: Mass Communication)
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
Magna cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa 


SKILLS / HOBBIES

Excellent people and communication skills, keen cultural and social issue awareness extensive music and film knowledge, fashion/styling know-how, cooking and food connoisseur.