I'm an Emmy-award winning documentary filmmaker and journalist with a passion for vérité—capturing human emotions and moments as they happen. Many folks I've interviewed or filmed tell me they feel comfortable around me, that I'm easy to talk to. That's my holy grail. I thrive while on the ground, hashing out the next shot, chasing the ever-changing thread of a story.

I work with organizations like The New York Times, PBS Frontline, NPR, and The World Bank and independent filmmakers to tell complex human stories through observational documentary. I serve as director, cinematographer, editor, director of photography, and producer—whatever the story needs.

Stories I've Told

I've reported on secret migrant prisons in Libya, Barack Obama's first presidential campaign, the Charlie Hebdo terrorist attacks in Paris, Black Lives Matter in Italy, the 2005 elections in Lebanon, a Hepatitis E epidemic in Nepal, and genetically modified mosquitoes in Rome. My work has been featured in art museums, film festivals, aired on public television, and displayed at the 2022 Biennial in Versailles.

How I Got Here

I discovered my calling accidentally. In 1998, I was fixing broken links during a website redesign at The Washington Post when I saw a video story one of my colleagues produced. Within seconds, I knew: this was what I wanted to do. Two years later—with support from wonderful bosses and colleagues—I transitioned from web developer to video journalist, a one-person-band backpack VJ. Ten years of intense learning, shooting, editing and storytelling followed.

In 2010, I left the Post and began working independently. In 2022, I joined NPR in Washington, D.C., first as a video editor, then as visuals editor for NPR's global health and development blog, Goats and Soda, and finally as a producer on the hourly newscast. Bonus: I filmed a few of NPR’s Tiny Desk concerts.

Background

I was born in Beirut, Lebanon and grew up in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. I've lived in Paris, Riyadh, Cairo, and Rome—Washington, D.C. is home now. I earned a bachelor's in International Relations from DePaul University in Chicago.

I'm a native English speaker with fluent French and Italian and intermediate Arabic.