Hello!
I like to make things and to put my work to good use. As a journalist, producer and correspondent, I focus on the intersections between environment, climate, and social equality. As the Head of Editorial at Earthrise Studio, I’m committed to expanding the climate narrative and championing diverse perspectives and tools in storytelling.
I have been a part of the early development of several teams, initiatives and projects, including RYOT (before and after it was acquired by Huff Post) and AJ Contrast, where I won several awards for my 360/VR documentary producing work. At Al Jazeera, I co-created and co-hosted a documentary project, Fork the System, a refreshing look at socio-political issues through the palatable lens of food, before developing video series like Between Us and working on podcasts with the newly formed Al Jazeera’s Special Projects. I’ve also worked as a presenter/correspondent, most notably in Channel News Asia’s documentary series, Deciphering South Korea. Having worked with VR, film, photography, writing and audio, I feel strongly that every story must be told in the right medium.
Democratizing storytelling tools/platforms and supporting people to author their own narratives is a core tenet of my work. I’ve started a citizen journalism program at RYOT and the award-winning initiative at AJ Contrast called My People, Our Stories that trained and equipped local creators from Za'atari refugee camp in Jordan, the larger MENA region, Los Angeles and more to produce their first 360 videos. I've held training workshops worldwide — from Spain, UK, US, Jordan, Turkey, Greece and more, and was a journalism adjunct lecturer at Northwestern University in Qatar.
awards
2022 World Media Festivals TV & Corporate Media Awards - Gold: Deciphering South Korea, Ep 2 (Presenter)
2020 James Beard Award nominee, Visual Reporting: Fork the System (Co-creator)
2020 Online Journalism Awards winner, Online Commentary: Fork the System (Co-creator)
2020 Drum Online Media Awards Finalist (Highly Commended), Content Creator of the Year: Fork the System (Co-creator)
2020 Drum Online Media Awards Finalist, Video Team of the Year: Fork the System (Co-creator)
2020 Shorty Awards Winner, 360 Video: Homelessness in Los Angeles (Producer)
2020 Telly Winner (6x) for 3 Bronze, 2 Silver, 1 Gold: Fork the System (Co-creator)
2020 One World Media Awards long list, Digital Media Award: Determined for Hope: Manal Al Amal (Associate Producer)
2020 Shorty Awards Finalist, 360 Video Social Good: Determined for Hope: Manal Al Amal (Associate Producer)
2020 New York Festival Finalist, Best Use of Technology: Determined for Hope: Manal Al Amal (Associate Producer)
2020 Telly Silver Winner, General -- Immersive & Mixed Reality: Determined for Hope: Manal Al Amal (Associate Producer)
2020 Webby Award Jury Winner, Virtual Reality: Homelessness in Los Angeles (Producer)
2019 Emmy nomination, Outstanding New Approaches: Yemen’s Skies of Terror (Co-producer)
2019 Webby Awards, People’s Choice for Video – Best Series, 2019: 7 Stories for 7 Years (Producer)
2019 Shorty Awards, Finalist, 360 Video: Determined for Hope: Manal Al Amal (Associate Producer)
2019 Drum Online Media Awards Finalist, Outstanding Digital Team of the Year
2019 Drum Online Media Awards Finalist, Editorial Team of the Year
2018 Online Journalism Awards, Excellence in Immersive Storytelling: Yemen’s Skies of Terror (Co-producer)
2018 Shorty Awards Finalist: Yemen’s Skies of Terror (Co-producer)
2018 Digital Media Awards Long List: Yemen’s Skies of Terror (Co-producer)
2018 Digital Awards Nominee: Stories After Syria (Producer)
2018 Sheffield Doc/Fest Award Nominee: Yemen’s Skies of Terror (Co-Producer)