The Hollywood Chai

For today’s episode, I have a very special guest and our first singer-songwriter on the podcast, my musically talented friend, ZAINA BERRI. Zaina is a Lebanese-American artist, raised by a single, first-generation immigrant Lebanese mother, has been writing songs since she was nine years old. It was something that came naturally to her. The 90s baby would write lyrics in her composition notebook decorated with doodles of cats and Britney Spears songs. Zaina’s unique blend of East and West, soulful voice, confessional, honest lyricism, bilingual flair, and powerful, unapologetic passion is what makes her stand out in a sea of “the next (insert female pop star here)”. She was recently featured by Sceene as an artist in the 120 Artists to Watch in 2023. We talked about her Fave 4 Albums in a NEW Segment with Singer-Songwriters we'll be having on the Chai which included: Stripped by Christina Aguilera, Familia by Camila Cabello, In the Meantime by Alessia Cara, and No Strings Attached by *NSYNC. She has a lot to share about her journeys through the music industry so, let’s let Zaina spill her own chai! --- Lists & Links for Our Guest: Her official Instagram, TikTok & Twitter: @zainaberri Her official Streaming Artist Pages: Zaina Berri Official Spotify Page and Zaina Berri Official Apple Music Page where you can find her entire discography. Check out Zaina Berri's official website here and check out her latest single, and first bilingual single: "MAMA". Several of her other singles mentioned in this episode include: "Little Man", "New Skin", "Release", "Home", and "Stop (하지마)". Zaina also mentioned this article that she was featured in and we discussed the response post-publishing on the episode: "Dearborn's Zaina Berri drops new single" by John Zadikian of Press & Guide and her official performance on LIVE IN THE D. --- Official The Hollywood Chai Info: Follow us on Instagram: @thehollywoodchai and Twitter: @ChaiHollywood Questions or Topics you want covered? Email us: thehollywoodchai@gmail.com Follow our host on Instagram: @thejakkawiarab Follow our production company on Instagram: @bougiearabsentertainment --- This episode is sponsored by: Dalia Web Design - for all your website designing needs and maintenance: http://www.daliawebdesign.com/ ZENA Events - for all your event planning needs, especially weddings!: www.zenaweddingsandevents.com The Script Doctors - a sister podcast where we fix scripts on air! Follow on instagram @thescriptdoctors Credits: This episode was recorded in San Francisco, CA and Dearborn, MI, produced and edited by Jon Akkawi. DOP: Mera Nino. Art Direction: Rosy Nino. Logo Design: Christina Raie. Theme Music: "Arab Trap" by Chef Elon. The Hollywood Chai is a BOUGIE ARABS ENTERTAINMENT production. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-hollywood-chai/support

As promised, we are finally delivering our Part 2 Oscar Special – Oscars Breakdown on the 2022 Front. Yes a pun for a film that was nominated heavily and sweeped some of the technical categories and name dropped quite a bit in today’s episode. We bring back ELIA NINO, aka the Hollywood Chai’s Arab Godfather of Cinema! Just as a reminder, in part one, we talked about everything from this year’s telecast, adding new categories to the Oscars, to the new diversity and inclusivity rules that AMPAS is putting into effect soon, and this part, part two, is our commentary as we go through and dissect every category’s nominee and winner and what artists were snubbed in specific categories! Let's dive right in! --- Lists & Links for Our Guest: His official Letterboxd: @Eclectic_EG Check out on of our favorite museums in LA: The Official Academy Museum of Motion Pictures to learn more about memberships and visiting. And check out this Rotten Tomatoes article about where to watch all the nominees for the 2023 Academy Awards. Some of the records that were broken and mentioned in this year's ceremony can be found in this BuzzFeed article. --- Official The Hollywood Chai Info: Follow us on Instagram: @thehollywoodchai and Twitter: @ChaiHollywood Questions or Topics you want covered? Email us: thehollywoodchai@gmail.com Follow our host on Instagram: @thejakkawiarab Follow our production company on Instagram: @bougiearabsentertainment --- This episode is sponsored by: Dalia Web Design - for all your website designing needs and maintenance: http://www.daliawebdesign.com/ ZENA Events - for all your event planning needs, especially weddings!: www.zenaweddingsandevents.com The Script Doctors - a sister podcast where we fix scripts on air! Follow on instagram @thescriptdoctors Credits: This episode was recorded in San Francisco, CA; produced and edited by Jon Akkawi. DOP: Mera Nino. Art Direction: Rosy Nino. Logo Design: Christina Raie. Theme Music: "Arab Trap" by Chef Elon. The Hollywood Chai is a BOUGIE ARABS ENTERTAINMENT production. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-hollywood-chai/support

Another week, another special guest! The wonderfully talented DINA NAJJAR joins us to talk about Breaking Hollywood Stereotypes of Arab and Middle Eastern characters and stories. Dina is a first generation Palestinian-Jordanian award-winning actor and filmmaker whose mission is to bring diversity without stereotypes to the screen and stage and to tell important stories that inspire, empower, and include. Some of the roles she’s proudest of include: playing Maya, a Syrian refugee searching for her place in America, in the short film MAYA which earned her the Best Actress Award at the 2018 University of Miami Canes Film Festival; recurring as alluring assassin Nadja Shah in season 2 of The Family Business on BET; and portraying troubled, rideshare passenger, Raven, in The Christmas Ride on Prime Video which she won Best Supporting Actress at the 2020 Tampa Bay Underground Film Festival. Her comedy, pilot, “Casting Josie”, was selected as a Semi-Finalist for the 2020 Screencraft TV Pilot Competition and she currently has two feature scripts in the works. I mean her talent is incredible, but let’s let Dina spill her own chai! --- Lists & Links for Our Guest: Her official Instagram: @createwithdina Her Production Company's official Instagram: @filmsbytnproductions Check out Dina's personal website here and check out her initiative UNITED COLORS OF FEMME that juxtaposes media stereotypes of different races vs the reality. You can find some of her various projects online such as short films: "Grape Leaves" and "Sasha & Clark" and her feature film "The Christmas Ride" on Amazon Prime Video. BET+'s "The Family Business" is now streaming on BET+. Dina also mentioned the wonderful organization of MENA ARTS ADVOCACY COUNCIL which is an important tool for up and coming MENA artists and those that champion amplifying the voices of such artists. --- Official The Hollywood Chai Info: Follow us on Instagram: @thehollywoodchai and Twitter: @ChaiHollywood Questions or Topics you want covered? Email us: thehollywoodchai@gmail.com Follow our host on Instagram: @thejakkawiarab Follow our production company on Instagram: @bougiearabsentertainment --- This episode is sponsored by: Dalia Web Design - for all your website designing needs and maintenance: http://www.daliawebdesign.com/ ZENA Events - for all your event planning needs, especially weddings!: www.zenaweddingsandevents.com The Script Doctors - a sister podcast where we fix scripts on air! Follow on instagram @thescriptdoctors Credits: This episode was recorded in San Francisco, CA and Florida, produced and edited by Jon Akkawi. DOP: Mera Nino. Art Direction: Rosy Nino. Logo Design: Christina Raie. Theme Music: "Arab Trap" by Chef Elon. The Hollywood Chai is a BOUGIE ARABS ENTERTAINMENT production. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-hollywood-chai/support

Just in time for this week's Tony Award nominations announcement, we have a very special guest, the iconic STEVEN CONROY. He is an award-winning Brooklyn-based actor, writer and producer. He portrayed Elias Appleby in a recurring guest star role on the third season of AMC’s TURN: Washington’s Spies; and some of his national commercials include BDO and Mastercard, among others. He co-wrote, produced and starred in "18 Grand: A Personal Space Odyssey", which won the top prize at the NYC Web Fest, and went on to showcase at several festivals across the country. His theater ensemble, No.11 Productions, wrote and performed their new play Ye Bear & Ye Cubb Off-Broadway at 59E59 Theaters, where they are a company in residence for the next several years. He is a Boston College alum, and a proud member of AEA and SAG-AFTRA. Let's let Steven spill his Hollywood (and Broadway) Chai! --- Lists & Links for Our Guest: Check out his Steven's personal website here. And his award-winning web series, "18 Grand: A Personal Space Odyssey" can be found here. The official website for his theater ensemble, No. 11 Productions, can be found here. And the official page for his Off-Broadway debut, "Ye Bear & Ye Cubb" can be found here on the official 59E59 Theaters website. AMC's "TURN: Washington's Spies" is now streaming on AMC+ and on the Roku Channel. --- Official The Hollywood Chai Info: Follow us on Instagram: @thehollywoodchai and Twitter: @ChaiHollywood Questions or Topics you want covered? Email us: thehollywoodchai@gmail.com Follow our host on Instagram: @thejakkawiarab Follow our production company on Instagram: @bougiearabsentertainment --- This episode is sponsored by: Dalia Web Design - for all your website designing needs and maintenance: http://www.daliawebdesign.com/ ZENA Events - for all your event planning needs, especially weddings!: www.zenaweddingsandevents.com The Script Doctors - a sister podcast where we fix scripts on air! Follow on instagram @thescriptdoctors Credits: This episode was recorded in San Francisco, CA and New York City, NY, produced and edited by Jon Akkawi. DOP: Mera Nino. Art Direction: Rosy Nino. Logo Design: Christina Raie. Theme Music: "Arab Trap" by Chef Elon. The Hollywood Chai is a BOUGIE ARABS ENTERTAINMENT production. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-hollywood-chai/support

Continuing with Arab-American Heritage Month, we have another special Arab guest today. Today's special guest is SALIM LAHAM, a filmmaker andmusician from Lebanon that calls Dearborn home now. A storyteller by his own right, he fell in love with movies from a young age when his father used to take him to a movie rental store in Detroit, yeah remember those? As he started memorizing his favorite films and his love grew for cinema, so did his love for music…which is prevalent in his recent short film “Joy” which has been enjoying an amazing run on the Festival Circuit, playing across many festivals in Michigan and nationwide, picking up several Best Short Film accolades along the way. In fact, today’s episode is the audio pulled from an Instagram live interview I did with the acclaimed emerging filmmaker and specifically talked about his start and journey and the “Joys” of filmmaking in Hollywood as an Arab artist. But don’t let me spill the chai, let’s let Salim spill his own chai. --- Lists & Links for Our Guest: His official Instagrams: @samthecritic & @samthefilmmaker and His official YouTube channel for "What the Flop". --- Official The Hollywood Chai Info: Follow us on Instagram: @thehollywoodchai and Twitter: @ChaiHollywood Questions or Topics you want covered? Email us: thehollywoodchai@gmail.com Follow our host on Instagram: @thejakkawiarab Follow our production company on Instagram: @bougiearabsentertainment --- This episode is sponsored by: Dalia Web Design - for all your website designing needs and maintenance: http://www.daliawebdesign.com/ ZENA Events - for all your event planning needs, especially weddings!: www.zenaweddingsandevents.com The Script Doctors - a sister podcast where we fix scripts on air! Follow on instagram @thescriptdoctors Credits: This episode was recorded in San Francisco, CA and Dearborn, MI, produced and edited by Jon Akkawi. DOP: Mera Nino. Art Direction: Rosy Nino. Logo Design: Christina Raie. Theme Music: "Arab Trap" by Chef Elon. The Hollywood Chai is a BOUGIE ARABS ENTERTAINMENT production. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-hollywood-chai/support

We're breaking from our interview episodes for Arab American Heritage Month and bringing you a special conversation with none other than the Arab Godfather of Cinema, writer-director ELIA NINO, about all things Oscars and the 95th Academy Awards. In part one of this talk, we discuss everything from this year's telecast, about adding new categories to the ceremony and about the new diversity and inclusivity rules that AMPAS is putting into effect real soon. Part Two will feature our commentary as a bonus episode about each category's nominees and winners. --- Lists & Links for Our Guest: His official Letterboxd: @Eclectic_EG Check out on of our favorite museums in LA: The Official Academy Museum of Motion Pictures to learn more about memberships and visiting. And check out this Rotten Tomatoes article about where to watch all the nominees for the 2023 Academy Awards. --- Official The Hollywood Chai Info: Follow us on Instagram: @thehollywoodchai and Twitter: @ChaiHollywood Questions or Topics you want covered? Email us: thehollywoodchai@gmail.com Follow our host on Instagram: @thejakkawiarab Follow our production company on Instagram: @bougiearabsentertainment --- This episode is sponsored by: Dalia Web Design - for all your website designing needs and maintenance: http://www.daliawebdesign.com/ ZENA Events - for all your event planning needs, especially weddings!: www.zenaweddingsandevents.com The Script Doctors - a sister podcast where we fix scripts on air! Follow on instagram @thescriptdoctors Credits: This episode was recorded in San Francisco, produced and edited by Jon Akkawi. DOP: Mera Nino. Art Direction: Rosy Nino. Logo Design: Christina Raie. Theme Music: "Arab Trap" by Chef Elon. The Hollywood Chai is a BOUGIE ARABS ENTERTAINMENT production. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-hollywood-chai/support

Continuing with Arab-American Heritage Month, we have another special Arab guest today. Today's special guest is GAMAL ELSAWAH, a queer Arab-American writer, actor, and comedian, born and based in New York City. He is the co-founder of Showdogs, a New York based independent film and theatre production that is committed to the creation of work that is provocative, diverse and accessible to all. Gamal’s plays have been workshopped and presented in New York by Fail Better NYC, The Bechdel Group, The Fresh Fruit Festival, Make/Shift, and Showdogs Theater Collective. He was Head Writer of the 'Theater By Default' Sketch Comedy Series from 2015-2017, and has written for the sketch comedy podcast show 'Only Sketches About…', as well as the sci-fi comedy web series, 'Wormholes,' which he co-created and both seasons are currently available to watch now on YouTube. He occasionally writes poetry and editorial features for Show-score.com. His Short Play, 'Do You Speak My Language?' was awarded the Fresh Fruit Festival’s 2019 Award for Best Short Play, the second season of his web-series 'Wormholes’' received the award for Best Web Series at the 2022 Astoria Film Festival. He’s funny, he’s witty, he’s the mother of his own house and before I go off and make several Drag Race references, why don’t we just bathe in the tea and let Gamal spill the Hollywood Chai! --- Lists & Links for Our Guest: His official Instagram: @thegamal His official Letterboxd: @thegamal Check out Gamal ElSawah's Official Website for more information on him and his work. Check out both seasons of 'Wormholes' on the Official 'Wormholes' YouTube Show page. His production company Showdogs has upcoming shows and projects in the NYC area! Check out their official website! --- Official The Hollywood Chai Info: Follow us on Instagram: @thehollywoodchai and Twitter: @ChaiHollywood Questions or Topics you want covered? Email us: thehollywoodchai@gmail.com Follow our host on Instagram: @thejakkawiarab Follow our production company on Instagram: @bougiearabsentertainment --- This episode is sponsored by: Dalia Web Design - for all your website designing needs and maintenance: http://www.daliawebdesign.com/ ZENA Events - for all your event planning needs, especially weddings!: www.zenaweddingsandevents.com The Script Doctors - a sister podcast where we fix scripts on air! Follow on instagram @thescriptdoctors Credits: This episode was recorded in San Francisco and NYC, produced and edited by Jon Akkawi. DOP: Mera Nino. Art Direction: Rosy Nino. Logo Design: Christina Raie. Theme Music: "Arab Trap" by Chef Elon. The Hollywood Chai is a BOUGIE ARABS ENTERTAINMENT production. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-hollywood-chai/support

We are back with Season 3! A new look, new sound, new style! All in the name of Independent Artists Breaking Hollywood in their own right! Today's special guest is WALID CHAYA, a Middle Eastern actor, director and writer based in Los Angeles. He is known for his breakout film “Driving Ms. Saudi” for which he won “Best Comedy Short” from Dubai’s prestigious WOW Middle East Film Fair and numerous festivals worldwide, incuding a special presentation at the World Expo in 2022. He can also be seen on television in various shows like "Madame Secretary" on CBS, NBC’s "Blacklist: Redemption" and even Hulu’s “The Looming Tower” based on the Pulitzer Prize winning book of the same name. He has featured in several feature films such as Oscar-winner Guy Nattiv’s A24 feature “Skin”, and even performed alongside Tony-nominee Suzanne Bertish in the feature “Mad?”. Born in Lebanon and raised in the US, Walid speaks both Arabic and English, earning a BFA in Performance with honors from VCUarts and worked on award-winning productions in NYC and DC for several years before relocating to LA. Walid has directed New York and regional shows including the Off-Broadway premieres of "Law & Order: NRU", "We Are Monsters the Musical", and the DC premiere of Disney’s “High School Musical Live on Stage". He founded Moonlit Wings Productions in 2008, which was recently voted the Best Arts Program by Washington Family Magazine, and the company continues to produce new works for the stage and screen that champion multicultural, gender-diverse and musical stories and an educational performing arts programs for all ages, which he expanded into LA, launching the Studio for Performing Arts LA, which won the 2021 BroadwayWorld Regional Award for “Best Special Event” recognizing the “MENASA Diversity Showcase” that Walid directed in partnership with the MENA Arts Advocacy Coalition. So, as you can see, he is the perfect guest to kick off this season! Let's let Walid spill his own Hollywood chai! --- Lists & Links for Our Guest: His official Instagram: @walid.chaya Check out Walid Chaya's Official Website for more information on him as well as the Studio for Performing Arts LA Website for more information and when the next Showcase is. His official YouTube channel. His production company Moonlit Wings Productions has some excellent information on up and coming productions and classes for Theater. Some of the projects Walid has been featured in can be found in the links above. --- Official The Hollywood Chai Info: Follow us on Instagram: @thehollywoodchai and Twitter: @ChaiHollywood Questions or Topics you want covered? Email us: thehollywoodchai@gmail.com Follow our host on Instagram: @thejakkawiarab Follow our production company on Instagram: @bougiearabsentertainment --- This episode is sponsored by: Dalia Web Design - for all your website designing needs and maintenance: http://www.daliawebdesign.com/ ZENA Events - for all your event planning needs, especially weddings!: www.zenaweddingsandevents.com The Script Doctors - a sister podcast where we fix scripts on air! Follow on instagram @thescriptdoctors Credits: This episode was recorded in San Francisco and LA, produced and edited by Jon Akkawi. DOP: Mera Nino. Art Direction: Rosy Nino. Logo Design: Christina Raie. Theme Music: "Arab Trap" by Chef Elon. The Hollywood Chai is a BOUGIE ARABS ENTERTAINMENT production. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-hollywood-chai/support

Ahlan wa sahlan and welcome to the Hollywood Chai! A podcast that spills the real chai on Hollywood with interviews with artists and storytellers on their craft and their individual and independent ways of breaking into Hollywood, some heavily researched educational episodes on Hollywood-related topics & groundbreaking pioneers and your occasional pop cultural zeitgeist episodes about what’s hot in the industry both on and off screen. I’m your host, Jon Akkawi, a Greco-Arab actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, stand-up comic (in and out of drag) and script doctor dedicated to my mantra of helping Arabs, Middle Easterners and MENASA artists Break Hollywood. My mission is to help amplify and support the voices of marginalized and underrepresented groups in the Entertainment Industry. So, grab your favorite cup of chai and come spill it with us! If you’d like me to cover a specific topic or be interviewed on the show with your own chai spills on the industry, then email me at thehollywoodchai@gmail.com. The Hollywood Chai is a production of Bougie Arabs Entertainment. Produced and edited by Jon Akkawi, DOP: Mera Nino, art direction by Rosy Nino, logo design by Christina Raie of Zena_Creations and theme music by Chef Elon. ___________ Instagram: @thehollywoodchai Twitter: @ChaiHollywood --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-hollywood-chai/support

On this week’s episode, we give you a special preview episode of the new screenwriting podcast, The Script Doctors! It is a co-production between JAKKAWI Studios and Cooper Home Entertainment and is co-hosted, co-edited and co-created by myself and by one of my closest and best friends, Jonathan Cooper, who you may recognize from Episode 120, Coping with Screenwriting. The Script Doctors is a podcast showcasing two professional screenwriters at work as they diagnose, prescribe, and discuss solutions to common script problems found in feature film scripts and television pilots and series. Available to stream now on Spotify, Apple Podcast, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio and more! --- Follow The Script Doctors on Instagram: @thescriptdoctors Have a script you want to hear doctored on air or does your script need doctoring? Email the Dr. Jons: thejons.scriptdoctors@gmail.com Follow us on Instagram: @thehollywoodchai and Twitter: @ChaiHollywood Questions or Topics you want covered? Email us: thehollywoodchai@gmail.com --- This episode is sponsored by: Dalia Web Design - for all your website designing needs and maintenance: http://www.daliawebdesign.com/ ZENA Creations - for customizable gifts, merchandise and whatever you need: https://www.instagram.com/zena.creation DrafTees, Inc. - for all your writer t-shirt needs, follow on instagram and twitter @drafteesinc The Script Doctors - a sister podcast where we fix scripts on air! Follow on instagram @thescriptdoctors --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-hollywood-chai/support

On this week’s episode we have our very first Hollywood Chai Roundtable with the topic of the 2022 Austin Film Festival and Writer’s Conference that just took place a few weeks ago. Joining me on this episode are previous Chai Spillers, Melissa Graves, who you may remember from Season 1’s epic two-part Spec episodes, episode 112 and 113, and Elia Nino, from this season’s Halloween special, Episode 130 and new Chai Spiller, Pierre Joudy! All of us attended (alongside some other great friends of ours) the annual film festival and writer’s conference in Texas’s state capitol which some screenwriters and filmmakers call the Holy Pilgrimage of Screenwriters. Okay, no one calls it that but me, but still – it's such a fun time where one gets to learn so many things about writing and creating stories, watching some Oscar buzzy films, be surrounded by a plethora of talent and meet some of the best and most prolific working storytellers in the industry. Dive right into the roundtable and spill that AFF Chai! --- Follow us on Instagram: @thehollywoodchai and Twitter: @ChaiHollywood Questions or Topics you want covered? Email us: thehollywoodchai@gmail.com Official Austin Film Festival Website: https://austinfilmfestival.com/  --- This episode is sponsored by: Dalia Web Design - for all your website designing needs and maintenance: http://www.daliawebdesign.com/ ZENA Creations - for customizable gifts, merchandise and whatever you need: https://www.instagram.com/zena.creation DrafTees, Inc. - for all your writer t-shirt needs, follow on instagram and twitter @drafteesinc The Script Doctors - a sister podcast where we fix scripts on air! Follow on instagram @thescriptdoctors --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-hollywood-chai/support

We are doing things differently this week and taking a look at the industry from an Actor's Perspective. And for that, I’ve brought on a very special friend of mine to talk about the art of acting – Isaac Ramsey! Born in Southern California, he hails from the Mojave Desert. He developed a love for writing and literature at a young age, and his love for movies fueled his love for acting. He joined the U.S. Army after high school and spent five years as an artilleryman, during which time he served two tours in Iraq, in 2009 and 2011. Afterwards, he completed his AA at his local CC, his B.A. in Theater and Performance Studies at UC Berkeley and then his M.A. in Acting at UCLA. He currently resides in Tempe, Arizona. So, as you can see, he is the perfect guest to talk about the art form of acting! So grab a notebook, a cup of chai and let us hear Isaac spill his own Hollywood chai! --- Follow us on Instagram: @thehollywoodchai and Twitter: @ChaiHollywood Questions or Topics you want covered? Email us: thehollywoodchai@gmail.com --- This episode is sponsored by: Dalia Web Design - for all your website designing needs and maintenance: http://www.daliawebdesign.com/ ZENA Creations - for customizable gifts, merchandise and whatever you need: https://www.instagram.com/zena.creation DrafTees, Inc. - for all your writer t-shirt needs, follow on instagram and twitter @drafteesinc The Script Doctors - a sister podcast where we fix scripts on air! Follow on instagram @thescriptdoctors --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-hollywood-chai/support

This week, we are celebrating Halloween with a Horror-filled Chai Spill! To help us, we have my cousin, the Godfather of Cinema in our Family and horror film aficionado, Elia Nino. Elia is an Arab-American screenwriter, director and a graduate of the UCLA Professional Program in Screenwriting and is based in the San Francisco Bay Area. He balances his time screenwriting, directing and self-producing shorts along with his tech job as an Analytics Program Manager and every year, he embarks on a Film Viewing Adventure in the month of October where he tries to watch 31 horror movies, basically one per day average. So who better than to talk about the evolution of the horror genre then him! Let's spill some chai! --- Follow Elia on Letterboxd: @eclectic_eg; https://letterboxd.com/eclectic_eg/ Follow us on Instagram: @thehollywoodchai and Twitter: @ChaiHollywood Questions or Topics you want covered? Email us: thehollywoodchai@gmail.com --- This episode is sponsored by: Dalia Web Design - for all your website designing needs and maintenance: http://www.daliawebdesign.com/ ZENA Creations - for customizable gifts, merchandise and whatever you need: https://www.instagram.com/zena.creation DrafTees, Inc. - for all your writer t-shirt needs, follow on instagram and twitter @drafteesinc The Script Doctors - a sister podcast where we fix scripts on air! Follow on instagram @thescriptdoctors --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-hollywood-chai/support

This week, we are back after a lengthy mid-season hiatus with a special guest. We are blessed to have the iconic, the hilarious, my bestie from another testie, Leyla Lacombe. Leyla is a French Tunisian multi-hyphenate: an actress, streamer, content creator, podcaster and associate producer for Video Game Developer Ubisoft. She has a long history and background in theatre and is looking into moving towards Voice Acting as her next passion project. She has a BA in acting from UC Berkeley, where she met the light of her life, me! She is on this week to spill her own chai about her own journey through the Entertainment Industry and how she found herself working in a particular section of it: Video Gaming! Let's spill some chai! --- Follow Leyla on Twitter & Twitch: @leylabelle Listen to Leyla's Podcast about Genshin Impact, "AD ASTRA ABYSSOSQUE": https://open.spotify.com/show/5V3jJzNP2MiDLBEMsZjQ9q?si=0ed5c31e11b24e3c  Follow us on Instagram: @thehollywoodchai and Twitter: @ChaiHollywood Questions or Topics you want covered? Email us: thehollywoodchai@gmail.com --- This episode is sponsored by: Dalia Web Design - for all your website designing needs and maintenance: http://www.daliawebdesign.com/ ZENA Creations - for customizable gifts, merchandise and whatever you need: https://www.instagram.com/zena.creation DrafTees, Inc. - for all your writer t-shirt needs, follow on instagram and twitter @drafteesinc The Script Doctors - a sister podcast where we fix scripts on air! Follow on instagram @thescriptdoctors --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-hollywood-chai/support

FAIR WARNING: This episode is another nerdy one...because we invited on, none other than cinephile and Doctor of Film and now Chemistry himself, Dr. Nicholas Akkawi, for another genre masterclass of sorts but this time about a niche in the sci-fi genre that is the Star Wars Universe. In this episode, we specifically talk about the different trilogies, the pros and cons of the series, and our thoughts on the ever-expanding stories that Lucasfilm and Disney are putting out with the many new series in development for Disney+, the streaming platform that is home to every Star Wars film, animated and live-action series, micro-series, shorts and series. So put your Millennium Falcons in Hyperdrive and go forth with the force... If you need to catch up with the various Star Wars Films and Series, the following projects are currently streaming on Disney+: - The Skywalker Saga (Episodes I - IX) - Star Wars Anthology Films (Rogue One, Solo) - The Mandalorian (Season 1-2) - The Book of Boba Fett (Season 1) - Star Wars: The Clone Wars (Seasons 1-7) - Star Wars: Rebels (Seasons 1-4) - Star Wars: The Bad Batch (Season 1) - Star Wars: Visions (Season 1) - Much more! With more becoming available in the coming months. The next Star Wars project, OBI-WAN KENOBI, hits Disney+ on May 27th, 2022 with weekly episodes released every Friday through June 22. --- Follow us on Instagram: @thehollywoodchai and Twitter: @ChaiHollywood Questions or Topics you want covered? Email us: thehollywoodchai@gmail.com --- This episode is sponsored by: Dalia Web Design - for all your website designing needs and maintenance: http://www.daliawebdesign.com/ ZENA Creations - for customizable gifts, merchandise and whatever you need: https://www.instagram.com/zena.creation DrafTees, Inc. - for all your writer t-shirt needs, follow on instagram and twitter @drafteesinc The Script Doctors - a sister podcast where we fix scripts on air! Follow on instagram @thescriptdoctors --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-hollywood-chai/support

It's a GREATEST HITS Episode!!! We've had such amazing guests on that we wanted to curate some of the advice and tips that they've given us and package them for you in a mini-episode! Enjoy! 1:49 - Tara Abboud: A Conversation with "Amira" Star (Ep 117) 2:46 - Rana Sobh: An Arab-American Girl, UN-INterrupted (Ep 123) 5:14 - Amanda Dieli: The Art of Self-Producing (Ep 126) 19:14 - Jonathan Cooper: Coping with Screenwriting (Ep 120) 24:00 - Diana Abousaleh: Screenwriting& The "T-Word" (Ep 125) 26:04 - Sabine Kahwaji: What Hollywood Dreams Are Made Of (Ep 124) 30:02 - Stephenie Cooper: How to Succeed in Hollywood By Being Independent (Ep 122) --- Follow us on Instagram: @thehollywoodchai and Twitter: @ChaiHollywood --- This episode is sponsored by: Anchor - for all your Podcasting needs Dalia Web Design - for all your website designing needs and maintenance: http://www.daliawebdesign.com/ ZENA Creations - for customizable gifts, merchandise and whatever you need: https://www.instagram.com/zena.creation DrafTees, Inc. - for all your writer t-shirt needs, follow on instagram and twitter @drafteesinc The Script Doctors - a sister podcast where we fix scripts on air! Follow on instagram @thescriptdoctors --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-hollywood-chai/support

I am joined this week by a special friend of mine, the Queen herself, Amanda Dieli. Amanda is an award-winning Brooklyn-based actor, writer, and comedian. She holds a BFA in Acting from the University of Southern California, and a Graduate Certification in Television Writing from the University of California, Los Angeles and has studied screenwriting at Columbia University. She has trained professionally with The School at Steppenwolf in Chicago, Upright Citizens Brigade, and LABryinth in NYC, and at NYU in their Florence, Italy campus. She is a veteran sketch and improve performer of the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. And most notably, in 2012, she had a scene with Sigourney Weaver in a pilot. She’s a proud member of SAG-AFTRA. I’m excited to have her on today and talk about her experiences as master of all trades artist from tv writing, sketch comedy and improv, acting and, notably, how to produce your own work – from the pros and cons to the hardships and joys of it. Fun fact: she is avid lover of Halloween novelty music. She created, wrote and produced her first short series, 18 Grand: A Personal Space Odyssey, which had its world premiere at NYC Web Fest in 2018 where it took the top prize of Best web Series, later appearing in several other festivals in 2019. You can check out the webseries at the link below. She also performed in Under the Radar in 2015 at The Orpheus Variations, a piece she also co-wrote with The Deconstructive Theatre Project. Amanda and I met at UCLA and trained professionally together in our time and oversaw the development of several spec scripts and TV pilots together. Besides being a Reference Queen, she is one of the most caring and excellent advice-giving people I have ever met and we are excited for her to spill her Hollywood Chai.  --- Follow us on Instagram: @thehollywoodchai and Twitter: @ChaiHollywood Check out Amanda Dieli on her official website: http://www.amanda-dieli.com/ Amanda's Award-Winning Webseries can be seen here: https://www.footprint.tv/series/18-grand-206154 --- This episode is sponsored by: Anchor - for all your Podcasting needs  Dalia Web Design - for all your website designing needs and maintenance: http://www.daliawebdesign.com/ ZENA Creations - for customizable gifts, merchandise and whatever you need: https://www.instagram.com/zena.creation DrafTees, Inc. - for all your writer t-shirt needs, follow on instagram and twitter @drafteesinc The Script Doctors - a sister podcast where we fix scripts on air! Follow on instagram @thescriptdoctors --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-hollywood-chai/support

I am joined this week by a special friend of mine, the iconic Diana Abousaleh. Diana is a Syrian-Venezuelan independent writer/filmmaker, mental health advocate, and educator based in Texas. She insists that writing is a journey, and not a destination. That being said, she loves to encourage writers to aim for progress, not perfection, something I try and practice in my everyday writing thanks to her. She is passionate about amplifying unique SWANA voices and experiences through her monthly newsletter titled Screenwriting&, a newsletter that I religiously follow and read and was featured as Artist of the Month in the 2021 August edition. Diana loves writing grounded sci-drama as well as stories that highlight themes of multiculturalism. She has provided script consulting experience to several festivals and production companies including Eclectic Pictures, Televisa USA, BlueCat Competition, International Screenwriters Association and most recently, the Emmy-nominated indie web series “WASHED.” She has a Bachelor’s in Radio/TV/and Film and a Master’s in Entertainment Business.  One of her favorite things about storytelling is the ability to make interior life visible, and also show that exterior life can be worth a second look. I mean her work has been selected to participate in New York’s Cinephilia Productions which is a Film Development workroom for African & Middle Eastern filmmakers and in Stowe Story Labs. This summer, she will also be participating in the Mosalsalat Screenwriters Lab of the Royal Film Commission of Jordan. And if that doesn’t convince you how much of a genius she is – take it from me, she is an ICON and I learn so much from her. I’m excited to finally have her on the pod and talk about her experiences and works.  --- Follow us on Instagram: @thehollywoodchai and Twitter: @ChaiHollywood Check out Diana Abousaleh on Instagram: @darolina & her official website: https://www.dianaabousaleh.com/ The Screenwriting& on Instagram: @screenwritingand & the official blog website: https://www.dianaabousaleh.com/blog Diana's Upcoming Short film "Plug It Up" on Instagram: @plugitupfilm --- This episode is sponsored by: Anchor - for all your Podcasting needs Dalia Web Design - for all your website designing needs and maintenance: http://www.daliawebdesign.com/ ZENA Creations - for customizable gifts, merchandise and whatever you need: https://www.instagram.com/zena.creation DrafTees, Inc. - for all your writer t-shirt needs, follow on instagram and twitter @drafteesinc The Script Doctors - a sister podcast where we fix scripts on air! Follow on instagram @thescriptdoctors --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-hollywood-chai/support

I am joined this week by a special friend of mine, the iconic Sabine Kahwaji. Sabine is a Lebanese Canadian director, writer and music videographer. Her narrative-focused directorial style has led her to work actively in the music industry with prominent labels and artists with a combined total of over 1.4 million views across her projects. As a proud Lebanese woman with a passion for storytelling, Sabine strives to eradicate cultural stereotypes through her work, ensuring that marginalized groups have a voice. She is dedicated to using her expertise to continuously raise awareness for causes such as Epilepsy and MS, as well as amplifying the female-identifying perspective on and off-screen. Her work has been featured on ETALK Canada, The Vancouver Sun & Province, Diafanis Argentina, iHeart Radio, among others. Most recently, as a strong storyteller her work has transitioned into directing and writing for television, commercial and film all while continuing her work in the music industry. You may recognize her as the special guest on our first two episodes (Episode 101 & 102) ever – a conversation that we did in March 2021 over Instagram Live that we both thought was important to share. I’m excited to finally have her on the pod in an actual capacity and talk about her experiences and works! Enjoy! --- Follow us on Instagram: @thehollywoodchai and Twitter: @ChaiHollywood Check out Sabine Kahwaji on Instagram: @sabinekfilm & her official website: sabinekahwaji.com "Mind vs. Body" Short Film: https://vimeo.com/682172932 Tess Anderson's "Don't Believe In" Music Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8gbIhp3DnM  --- This episode is sponsored by: Anchor - for all your Podcasting needs Dalia Web Design - for all your website designing needs and maintenance: http://www.daliawebdesign.com/ ZENA Creations - for customizable gifts, merchandise and whatever you need: https://www.instagram.com/zena.creation DrafTees, Inc. - for all your writer t-shirt needs, follow on instagram and twitter @drafteesinc The Script Doctors - a sister podcast where we fix scripts on air! Follow on instagram @thescriptdoctors --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-hollywood-chai/support

This week we have another very special and unique guest. I am joined this week by a special friend of mine, the iconic Rana Sobh. Rana is an Arab American actress and model. Her passion for storytelling, interest in psychology and understanding emotion and motivation is heavily influenced by the film “Girl, Interrupted.” She speaks Arabic fluently and has a Bachelors degree in psychology from Oakland University. Syrian actress Amal Arafa, Nadine Njeim and Jim Carrey are her idols and she often imitates their characters. Aside from being on camera, she also works in film/TV production such as HBO Max’s “No Sudden Move” starring an all-star talented cast led by Don Cheadle and Benicio del Toro, and the Starz original crime drama series BMF, starring Russell Hornsby as well as in entertainment public relations. We sat down for a fun conversation about the psyche of acting, the psychology behind storytelling, what motivates us both as well as Rana's work behind the camera as production crew for several projects that shoot around her area. Enjoy! --- Follow us on Instagram: @thehollywoodchai and Twitter: @ChaiHollywood Check out Rana Sobh on Instagram: @vivalaranasobh & on TikTok: @vivalarana1 --- This episode is sponsored by: Anchor - for all your Podcasting needs Dalia Web Design - for all your website designing needs and maintenance: http://www.daliawebdesign.com/ ZENA Creations - for customizable gifts, merchandise and whatever you need: https://www.instagram.com/zena.creation DrafTees, Inc. - for all your writer t-shirt needs, follow on instagram and twitter @drafteesinc The Script Doctors - a sister podcast where we fix scripts on air! Follow on instagram @thescriptdoctors --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-hollywood-chai/support