Top MENA-based podcasters of 2021
Podcast: Kerning Cultures Network
Nationality: Egyptian-American
Hebah Fisher is the co-founder and CEO of Kerning Cultures Network, the first venture-backed female-led podcast platform in the Middle East.
An award-winning and independent podcast company, Kerning Cultures raises the bar for audio storytelling and journalism in the MENA region, producing podcasts in both Arabic and English.
With a team based across the UAE, Lebanon, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Palestine, as well as the US and the UK, the network’s shows cater not only to Arabs in the region but also in the wider diaspora, telling stories of culture, business, history and art.
Most recently, the network produced its biggest show to date: “Saqr’s Eclipse,” an Arabic fictional thriller that chronicles Faisal Saqr’s journey to witness a once-in-a-lifetime solar eclipse in Rub Al-Khali (“The Empty Quarter”) in Saudi Arabia. It has been scripted and directed by award-winning Egyptian writer Jaylan Auf and features 23 actors in total. It ranked No. 1 across 10 countries regionally and No. 6 globally as a trending fiction podcast.
Its English-language show “Al Empire,” which features exceptional Arabs from around the world and their journey to the top, has also been popular both in the region and around the world. It features guests such as The Modist founder Ghizlan Guenez, radio host Jad Abumrad, comedian Hatoon Kadi, Turo CEO Andre Haddad and actor Dina Shihabi.
The platform has received widespread acclaim, including being featured in international media such as The Guardian, NPR and Gimlet Media.
A journalist and entrepreneur, Fisher previously built microfinance and business education programs in the Gulf and the US. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Global Development Studies from the University of Virginia.
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