The short version.

Born in Cairo into a fairly prominent Palestinian family from Jerusalem. Raised in Kuwait. Boarding school in the UK. High school in Jordan. University at Berkeley. And now living on an island near Seattle. A life lived between worlds—which turns out to be useful training for a career built on helping people understand each other.

I started in film. A side job translating for a documentary in college led to seven years at Industrial Light & Magic, where I learned to take impossible ideas and make them feel inevitable. Less glamorous than it sounds—mostly long hours and obsessive attention to detail. But it's where I learned to tell stories.

From there, a decade as a commercial director specializing (for my sins) in kids and animals—which I'm told is the worst thing you can do. Then twenty years of creative and strategic communications leadership at Freeman, Jack Morton, TAIT, and others—including designing the public experience for COP 28 alongside my mentor Bruce Mau.

In 2024, I wrote an essay about Israel and Palestine that half a million people read. That led to a documentary with Julie Cohen, a book with Daniel Sokatch, a leadership role with Standing Together, and a speaking and advisory practice I never planned but probably should have.

What connects all of it: the best communication isn't about what you want to say. It's about what your audience needs to feel. Empathy isn't soft—it's the sharpest tool in the kit.

I live on Bainbridge Island, Washington, with my wife, my son, two cats, and around 10,000 books.