I was born in Beirut, Lebanon and I spent my elementary and high school years in in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. I earned a degree in International Relations with a focus on space, power, gender and identity from DePaul University in Chicago, with minors in French and Philosophy.
In 1998, I began working at The Washington Post’s website. I was first hired in a temporary position where I clicked around the site and reported what was broken. I soon learned to fix the mistakes and, in early 1999, I was offered a permanent job as the web developer for the Post’s pioneering multimedia section, Camera Works. One day, as I toiled away building web pages, I became captivated by a video story one of my colleagues produced. In a matter of seconds, I had found my calling: video journalism. I was lucky to have a supportive boss and patient colleagues who taught me the trade. Two years later, I officially transitioned from web developer to video journalist.
In 2010, I left the Post and began freelancing. I now work with clients like The New York Times, PBS Frontline, NPR, The World Bank and many others. I’ve also worked on independent documentaries in roles like cinematographer, editor, director of photography, producer and director. In 2022, I began working with NPR in Washington, DC, first as a video editor creating the visual newscast (a visual version of the hourly radio newscast) and then as the visuals editor with NPR’s global health and development blog, Goats and Soda. I had the pleasure of filming many a Tiny Desk concert at NPR as well.
I have reported on secret migrant prisons in Libya, the election of President Barack Obama, the Charlie Hebdo terrorist attacks in Paris, the Black Lives Matter movement in Italy, the 2005 elections in Lebanon, a Hepatitis E epidemic in Nepal and genetically modified mosquitoes. I’m a native English speaker with fluent French and Italian and intermediate Arabic.
My work has garnered numerous accolades including the James Foley Medal of Courage in 2022 for his work in Libya documenting secret migrant detention centers. Other awards include two Emmys, an Edward R. Murrow Award and the George Polk Award. I was named the 2007 Editor of the Year by the White House News Photographers Association.
The Philadelphia Art Museum exhibited my work for Whitman, Alabama and my photographs have been displayed at the 2022 Architecture and Landscape Biennial in Versailles.
I enjoy working on projects that peel back the layers of prejudice, racism and ignorance that, to some degree, we all hold within us. I’m currently based in Washington, D.C.
