A chance encounter got Nooriyah into the world of radio hosting from which she began to DJ and curate music mixes. Her visually rich music compilations were unique, highlighting how some of the most iconic Western pop songs sampled Arabic melodies. When she started posting them on Instagram and Twitter, they quickly went viral. Growing up between Saudi Arabia, Japan and the UK, Nooriyah is now known for her vividly diverse music sets that blend music from around the globe. At the end of 2022, No...
May 22, 2023•28 min•Season 3Ep. 7
There wasn’t a huge emphasis on music education when Majid Al Maskati was growing up in his home country of Bahrain. But an unlikely chain of events would somehow lead this young man with big dreams from a small Gulf island to co-create a hit single for Drake and get signed under his label. In this episode, Majid speaks to Hebah Fisher about his musical awakening that started with him and his producing partner Jordan Ullman making songs together from a dorm room and a basement. Eventually the pa...
May 15, 2023•31 min•Season 3Ep. 6
Young Maha Abouelenein was always full of confidence. It was a trait her dad instilled in her from a very young age and she carried it with her throughout her life. It helped her launch her career in Egypt in the late 90s, starting in the telecoms business and later navigating several industries to become the renowned communications superstar she is today. In this inspiring conversation, Maha speaks to Dana Ballout about how a little Egyptian girl raised in a small Minnesota town goes on to buil...
May 08, 2023•28 min•Season 3Ep. 5
Hassan Hajjaj is known as the “Andy Warhol of Marrakech” - but his style transcends that comparison. His work lives in the intersection of fashion, pop culture, Moroccan heritage, Afro influence, orientalist critique, and many other disciplines, truly placing it in a league of its own. In this episode of al empire, the British-Moroccan photographer and artist sits down with Dana Ballout to talk about what it was like moving from Morocco to the UK in the 1970s, his journey to calling himself an a...
May 01, 2023•27 min•Season 3Ep. 4
In 2008, Hassan Ahmad Dennaoui, a Jeddawi with a larger-than-life personality, came upon a mixtape with music from Arab hip hop artists like Narcy, Lowkey, Shadia Mansour, and Omar Offendum. What he heard changed his life. Hassan - better known by his radio host and MC name Big Hass - is an authority when it comes to hip hop music in the region. From launching an Arab hip hop culture blog, to hosting the very first radio show playing hip hop music in Saudi Arabia, to even becoming a music execut...
Apr 24, 2023•33 min•Season 3Ep. 3
When Khaled Kteily told his colleagues he was quitting his job to get into the sperm business, he raised a few eyebrows. But in his words, the idea to launch a digital male fertility clinic was his “one hit wonder” and he never looked back ever since. In this episode of al empire, Khaled chats with Dana Ballout about the misconception of fertility being exclusively a woman’s responsibility and why every man should consider investing a small price to freeze their sperm. They get into it all: the ...
Apr 17, 2023•37 min•Season 3Ep. 2
In ninth grade, Palestinian-American stand-up comedian and actor Mo Amer struck a deal. If he recited a monologue from Shakespeare’s Hamlet in front of class, his English teacher would let him do a stand-up set and help him pass. Mo killed it. Mo always knew he wanted to be a comedian, and he has turned that life-long passion into an incredible career in stand-up, TV, film, and many other mediums. The star of Mo, Ramy, DC’s Black Adam, and many Netflix specials like The Vagabond sits down with D...
Apr 10, 2023•25 min•Season 3Ep. 1
al empire returns for Season 3 with more stories of exceptional Arabs from around the world and their journey to the top, from comedians and entrepreneurs to musicians and media mavericks. This season of al empire, we’re also releasing the full uncut video episodes online. Subscribe on Youtube through this link to learn more. al empire is hosted by Dana Ballout and Hebah Fisher. Produced by Alex Atack, Ahmed Ashour, Al Shaibani, Ban Barkawi, Finbar Anderson, and Hager Eldaas. Edited by Dana Ball...
Apr 03, 2023•48 sec
Today on al empire, our season finale and last episode. So who better to end it with than the person who made this all possible? Hebah Fisher, KC Network’s co-founder and CEO, demystifies her name, shares beautiful family stories, and reveals a love for kickboxing. Through the highs and lows of building KC Network, Hebah tells us what kept her going. Although al empire is coming to an end, we continue to believe in the importance of celebrating our community’s accomplishments. Search ‘Kerning Cu...
Dec 10, 2020•1 hr 18 min•Season 2Ep. 7
Omar went from being an investment banker to adventuring around the world. He’s been on adventures climbing the highest mountains in the world, attempting to row across the Atlantic Ocean, skiing in the North and South Poles, and a lot more, like starting his travel and adventure business, Wild Guanabana. Omar walks us through life’s eccentric highs, literally, and mournful lows. This episode was produced by Hebah Fisher and Tamara Rasamny with editorial support by Dana Ballout and Alex Atack. S...
Dec 03, 2020•38 min•Season 2Ep. 6
Ghizlan Guenez always loved fashion. But, as she entered the corporate world, Ghizlan could never find modest yet fashionable clothing to suit her style and the women around her. In 2017, she founded The Modist, the first online luxury site for modest fashion. This episode was produced by Hebah Fisher and Alex Atack with editorial support by Dana Ballout and Tamara Rasamny. Sound design by Alex Atack, and mixing by Mohamad Khreizat, fact-checking by Zeina Dowidar. The original sting for al empir...
Nov 26, 2020•33 min•Season 2Ep. 5
You may know Bernard Khoury from Johnnie Walker advertisements. He is the man behind some of Lebanon’s most iconic structures. Bernard takes us back to his childhood and the beginning of his architecture career, with his first major project, B 018, an underground nightclub that made global headlines, and tells us the impact that fame had on his work today. This episode was produced by Tamara Rasamny, Dana Ballout, Hebah Fisher and Alex Atack. Sound design by Alex Atack and fact-checking by Zeina...
Nov 19, 2020•33 min•Season 2Ep. 4
Mona Ataya, a serial entrepreneur, started early by selling chewing gum in grade school. Now, she runs the region’s largest online baby store, Mumzworld. She talks about the balancing act of being a mom and running a leading e-commerce company and how her Palestinian background contributed to her entrepreneurial spirit. This episode was produced by Hebah Fisher and Tamara Rasamny, with editorial support by Dana Ballout and Alex Atack. Sound design and mixing by Mohamad Khreizat, fact-checking by...
Nov 12, 2020•33 min•Season 2Ep. 3
Host and co-creator of Radiolab , More Perfect , Dolly Parton’s America , and more, Jad Abumrad has inspired the sounds of thousands of podcasts and radio shows around the world (Kerning Cultures Network shows included). In this episode, he opens up about being raised in a Lebanese household in Tennessee, curious about the intersection of music and stories. He shares with us his journey towards developing the craft of storytelling through sound, including how he was ignored and (literally) tuned...
Nov 05, 2020•51 min•Season 2Ep. 2
Nadine chats with us about how her love for film began, the years of preparation and work for her 2018 film Capernaum, and her journey to becoming the first Lebanese woman in history to be nominated for an Academy Award. Note: The first airing of this episode mistakenly claimed Nadine was the first Arab woman to be nominated for an Academy Award. That distinction goes to Jehane Noujaim, another brilliant director. This episode was produced by Dana Ballout and Tamara Rasamny, with editorial suppo...
Oct 29, 2020•37 min•Season 2Ep. 1
This is al empire season 2. Subscribe and leave a rating and review! Search ‘Kerning Cultures Network' to hear other podcasts like this one, and follow @kerningcultures on Instagram to stay in touch! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Oct 22, 2020•2 min
In our season finale, Hatoon talks about the video that accidentally went viral and made her famous. From being named as BBC’s 100 Women in 2014 to dealing with trolls, this is the journey of Saudi’s first female comedian. Follow Hatoon Kadi on social media: @hatoonkadi. This episode was produced by Hebah Fisher and Dana Ballout, with editorial support by Linah Mohammad and Alex Atack. Sound design by Mohamad Khreizat, and fact-checking by Zeina Dowidar. Our original sting was composed by Ramzi ...
Oct 24, 2019•39 min•Season 1Ep. 7
Andre talks about growing up during the Lebanese civil war and how discovering The Economist at age 13 inspired a spirit of entrepreneurship in him early in his life. Fleeing the violence of Beirut, Andre moves to France where his love of music led him to build his first company. From there, his journey towards success had only just begun. Update: As of October 2019, Turo raised upwards of $450 million in funding, has 350,000 cars listed on its platform, and 12 million signups. This episode was ...
Oct 17, 2019•42 min•Season 1Ep. 6
Dina, now an acclaimed actress with shows on Amazon and Hulu, initially set out to become a professional dancer, despite trying to quit ballet as a child. In this episode, she talks about the critical moments that propelled her acting career forward and the rewards of pushing the envelope. This episode was produced by Hebah Fisher and Dana Ballout, with editorial support by Alex Atack. Sound design by Mohamed Khreizat, and fact-checking by Zeina Dowidar. Original sting composed by Ramzi Bashour....
Oct 10, 2019•38 min•Season 1Ep. 5
Bassem reflects on the moments that inspired him to leave behind 19 years in medicine for political satire, a show that was watched by 40 million people every week. Now, he tells us about what it’s like reinventing a career for himself in the US, and about the time long ago when he raised baby chicks. This episode was produced by Hebah Fisher and Dana Ballout, with editorial support by Alex Atack. Sound design by Mohamad Khreizat, and fact-checking by Zeina Dowidar. Original sting composed by Ra...
Oct 03, 2019•46 min•Season 1Ep. 4
Joy talks about building three companies from the ground up: from signing a $10,000 lease at the age of 23 to raising $56M across her ventures. She also talks about how she always challenged the status quo, even as a child. This episode was produced by Hebah Fisher and Dana Ballout, with editorial support by Percia Verlin and Alex Atack. Sound design by Mohamad Khreizat, and fact-checking by Zeina Dowidar. Original sting composed by Ramzi Bashour. al empire is a Kerning Cultures Network producti...
Sep 26, 2019•30 min•Season 1Ep. 3
Mona tells us about the unusual freedom her Iraqi parents gave her as a kid, the meticulous process behind her work, and how she’s dismantling the idea that data journalism is an impenetrable truth. This episode was produced by Hebah Fisher and Dana Ballout, with editorial support by Linah Mohammad and Alex Atack. Sound design by Mohamad Khreizat, and fact checking by Zeina Dowidar. Original sting composed by Ramzi Bashour. al empire is a Kerning Cultures Network production. Search ‘Kerning Cult...
Sep 19, 2019•42 min•Season 1Ep. 2
Hamed chats with us about his childhood and what fuels his charisma onstage (including how he’s always wanted to be sexy like Tina Turner). He takes us through Mashrou’ Leila’s evolution - and his own. This episode was produced by Hebah Fisher and Dana Ballout, with editorial support by Linah Mohammad and Alex Atack. Sound design by Mohamad Khreizat, and fact checking by Zeina Dowidar. Original sting composed by Ramzi Bashour. Selected music by Mashrou’ Leila . al empire is a Kerning Cultures Ne...
Sep 12, 2019•44 min•Season 1Ep. 1
Be sure to subscribe to this show and leave a rating and review! Support the show. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Sep 01, 2019•4 min
