NILOU SAFINYA
Co-Founder & Director of Production
Nilou cares about a synthesis of quality in process and product above all else. She will ensure you are thrilled with the production value of the work and feel both nurtured and creatively challenged during our collaboration. She will definitely indulge you in her passion/obsession of style and skincare tips too. Nilou graduated from Columbia University and has been working in NYC for almost a decade as a producer in film, TV and theatre. Nilou’s many theatre credits include work with Juilliard and the award-winning, Off-Broadway Rattlestick Playwrights Theater. She has also served as the President of the Board of Directors for Noor Theatre for the past five years. Nilou’s film career began at Levantine Entertainment (Associate Producer for AMREEKA, 2009) where she served as VP of TV and film development and production for 3 years. Independently, she focused her attention on work that highlighted global and culturally diverse issues, helping to bring people together through the arts. Nilou currently has a feature film, JULIA BLUE (2016) in post-production and two others in development, one of which, THE SYRIAN, is slated to go into production in the Spring of 2016.
NANCY VITALE
Co-Founder & Director of Creative Development
Nancy believes that great work comes from lively collaboration, respect for the multiplicity of voices in the room, and having baked goods handy. She has been developing, producing and writing for more than a decade. She has served as a Creative Producer for Fuel Change, which helps non-profits share their voice through creative productions developed with high profile artists, and worked in Script Development at TV Land, Emerging Pictures and Columbia SoA Film. As a producer, she founded and was Producing Artistic Director of Noor Theatre, producing Food and Fadwa (New York Theatre Workshop, 2012) and The Myth Project (2013, 2014). As a writer, she was commissioned to write Tips to Avoid Rap(e) (NYU Steinhardt, 2015) and Coal, the Musical (Little Globe, Santa Fe); other work includes Losing Her, a full-length play, and RUNNING WITH SHARKS “Pilot,” adapted from her 2013 short. She earned her M.F.A. in Theatre (Columbia University, School of the Arts), and a B.A. in English (Oakland University, Honors College).
SUHA ARAJ
Creative Principal
Suha cares about bringing your story to life in the most authentic and engaging way possible. She will listen closely to understand the key elements of your message and project goals in order to deliver something we can all be excited about. She will probably try to make you laugh, but don’t feel obligated. Suha also works with agencies and clients as a brand strategy consultant. Some of her past clients include: Southwest, Avon, RedBull, Nike Women’s, BMW, P&G, GapBody, TeenVogue, Yahoo, LunaBar, among many others. She was a co-founder of DivineCaroline, a publishing platform for women to tell their stories. As a filmmaker, Suha explores the displacement of immigrant communities and her passion lies in bridging cultures. THE CUP READER, shot in Palestine premiered at the TriBeCa Film Festival 2013 and won the Next Great Filmmaker Award at the Berkshire International Film Festival and the Baghdad International Film Festival. Her feature, KHSARA (NOBODY’S WIFE) is in development and has been supported by the Sundance Screenwriters Lab, Torino Film Lab, IFP No Borders, Emerging Visions and the Berlinale Talent Campus and Talent Market. Suha is also a teaching artist with the TriBeCa Institute and Maysles Documentary Center.