It was important to me that directors had a safe haven to make authentic connections

and support one another. To that end, I organized a monthly gathering that began

remotely over the pandemic and continued in person, providing over 30 directors a

valuable support system through the industry’s ups and downs. It is ongoing today. 

 

 

I created and moderated a monthly community event called “The Connection Series"

to highlight our internal talent. Think Inside the Actors Studio and Tiny Desk NPR

merged together. Once a month, I moderated an in-depth conversation among

different groups in the studio—including feature directors, producers, editors,

storyboard artists, service workers, Expats—to empower and build trust.

Events were often attended by 100+. 

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NASA/JPL invited me to participate in a unique collaboration of creatives from multiple

disciplines (animation, music, entertainment) to use storytelling to bring people together.

This is an ongoing collaboration and we are planting seeds for the future.

 

 

Together with the LeoProject team, I started an animation program in Kenya, Africa

teaching animation and storytelling remotely every Friday and Saturday night. We built

multiplane cameras to teach stop motion and cut-out animation to young teen Kenyan

girls. My goal was to empower them to express themselves through creativity and art,

and will never forget their smiles every time they saw their creation come to life!

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I organized monthly hybrid meetings for members and allies of SWANA to have a

safe space to connect. The SWANA community is one of the most underrepresented

in the industry, and I wanted to make us feel visible. I filmed and edited videos of

our SWANA colleagues and screened them in town halls to represent the

underrepresented. “We are here!” (*South West Asia and North Africa Community/

New term for the Middle East)

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I organized monthly hybrid meetings for our first-generation immigrant colleagues to

come together and share our lived experiences. As a first-generation immigrant and

refugee who can’t return to my homeland Iran, I know the importance of sharing

memories to uplift one another. The exposure to each other’s cultures also created

cross-cultural pollination.