Sana Youssef

About the Candidate

SANA YOUSSEF

sanayoussef@gmail.com

613-298-3646

COMMUNICATIONS EXPERT AND PRODUCER

Media Expert with over 15 years’ experience in Production, communications and Media development projects. Holds a Bachelor of arts in Journalism and a Bachelor of arts in Psychology. A Former Al-Jazeera Producer and Thomson Foundation Project Coordinator and United Nations Public Information Officer. Communications, editing, coordination and projects planning and assessment have always been major components of my work.

 

EDUCATION*

·       Bachelor of Arts with a Specialization in Psychology from the Lebanese University. 4-year program; graduated September 2004 (with distinction).

·       Bachelor of Arts with a Specialization in Journalism – Radio and Television from the Lebanese University. 4-year program; graduated September 2003 (with distinction).

*Credentials Assessed by World Education Services for Canada

 

LANGUAGES:

·       French: Fluent – TCF pour le Canada : niveau cadre européen C2- C1

·       English: Fluent – IELTS: Canadian Language benchmark: 9

 

WORK EXPERIENCE

Public Information Officer – United Nations Human Rights, MENA Beirut (June 2021-March 2022)

The Regional office for the Middle East and North Africa of the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights OHCHR aims to promote and protect all human rights for all people. Serving 10 countries in the region, the MENA office provides assistance in the form of technical expertise and capacity-development in order to support the implementation of international human rights standards on the ground.

My responsibilities include:

·       The implementation of programs to publicize priority issues

·       Monitoring and analyzing current events and advising management on appropriate action

·       Promoting Media coverage in the framework of a media strategy

·       Webinars coverage and livestreaming

·       Website and Social Media management

·       Conception and supervision of production of documentaries and awareness raising videos

·       Production of specific types of written information communications products: Media advisories, Press releases, briefing notes, reports, pamphlets, digital content stories

 

Executive Coordinator, communications expert and mentor – Thomson Foundation, Brussels-Beirut (February 2017- June 2021)

The OPEN Media Hub, an EU funded Media support project implemented by a consortium led by Thomson Foundation, aimed to improve independent and objective reporting, and to reinforce a network of journalists and media professionals through a production support scheme paired with training activities. Key responsibilities within the project:

 

·       Coordination of the activity “Production support” in the MENA countries: launching calls for applications, assessing eligibility of applications to receive grants, due diligence concerning companies/applicants

·       Providing support to design the process, advice and revise templates and related documents: Press releases, online campaigns, newsletters.

·       Supervising the timelines of outputs production within the scheme.

·       Contributing to the promotion and dissemination of Calls, eligibility checking, selection of participants and projects, set up of juries and reporting for funding approval.

·       Contributing to the website and Social Media management

·       Providing guidance and oversight to the mentors and awardees in the editorial and production phase: Advising on the edited story versions, suggesting improvements to ensure higher quality of final outputs.

·       Editorial overseeing of content to ensure objective reporting, absence of hate speech, balance of sources and accurate fact checking.

·       Local trainings and seminars preparation: Logistics set up and implementation of activities.

 

Executive Producer – Road 2 Films, Beirut (June 2016-February 2017)

Conception and production of new TV programs:

·       Created a Cinema TV Magazine show, which aimed to cover international and Arabic cinema news and to debate themes, tackled in fictions and documentaries.

·       Editorial and scriptwriting.

·       Production and post-production follow-up.

·       Coordinating with producers and directors.

 

Producer – Al Jazeera Media Network, Beirut (September 2012-March 2014)

Worked on the production of a new Pan Arab Youth Magazine to portray Arab youth engagement in their civil societies, their activism on many societal and environmental levels.  Production aimed to create a platform for the Arab youth, on Al Jazeera Arabic.

·       Editorial Overseeing of outputs produced in the following MENA countries: Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, Algeria, Morocco:

·       Development of proposals.

·       Advise on form and content, follow-up and supervision.

 

Executive Producer (2008-2012); Producer (2007-2008) – Future News TV, Beirut

Program: “Mazaj” – Weekly Youth Magazine, 26 min. The only platform for youth on Lebanese Television at the time aimed to be a platform for a wide group of the Lebanese society, covering their ways of civil engagement, artistic and cultural expressions.

·       Team management: team of producers and technicians to produce the show.

·       Editorial Overseeing: Editorial line supervision, fact checking and angle focusing of segment stories.

·       Production and Post Production management and Scriptwriting.

 

Producer – Exit Film Productions, Beirut (2004-2007)

Documentary Series on Cinema (August 2005 – June 2007) for Al-Jazeera Channel.

–        Worked on 60 episodes pre-production, research & script supervision, Production coordination and post-production supervision.

·       Produced & Directed for “Emirates Film Competition 07”- “Emerging directors in the gulf countries”

Arts & culture Magazine  (October 2004 – July 2006) for Al-Jazeera Arabic Channel.

·       Produced and directed two video stories per week: designers’ portraits- events’ coverage.

 

TRAINER AND RESEARCHER ACTIVITIES:

·       February 2021: Producing the handbook “Towards sustainability in today’s Media: Effective Ways to Grow Your Audience” for online journalists, based on Thomson Foundation experts courses.

·       July 2020: Desk researcher: Collecting effective data to analyse, to contribute to the evaluation of a list of Moroccan Media outlets.

·       July 2019: Co-trainer “Migration Reporting Seminar” for MENA video and multimedia journalists: a 3 days  peer to peer exchange activity in the framework of the Migration Media Award- Malta

·       March 2019: Covering the EU-UN conference “Supporting the future of Syria and the region”- Producing the Syria Freedom Bus story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKc6cf46VRs

·       January 2018/ June 2018: Preparation, delivery and follow up of two parts In-Depth Production led training for Lebanese video Journalists: Setting up the logistics and contributing with co-trainers to deliver the training courses.

·       January 2017: Consultant and Local fixer for the Advanced Training for broadcast journalists with Thomson Foundation

·       March 2012: Co-trainer at BBC/Unesco “Writing for documentaries” training workshop for young TV producers.

 

References available upon request.