Ms
Neda  Sarmast

Music management, marketing and PR, in order to shift her focus towards playing a positive role in her community

Biography:

Feeling that Iranians and Muslims have not been depicted evenly in the US media, Neda Sarmast left a rewarding fifteen year career in music management, marketing and PR, in order to shift her focus towards playing a positive role in her community. Her personal experience growing up as an Iranian-American combined with her professional background and the ability to bring a message to the masses through the arts, led her to use music and film to promote tolerance and unity among Eastern and Western cultures. Neda was born in Iran, moved to the US at the age of nine, and has traveled back and forth ever since. She was an eye-witness to the Iran-Iraq war and her memories still haunt her as she lost her best friend to an Iraqi aerial raid. During the 1979 Iran hostage crisis and again after 9/11, Neda found herself defending Iranians and their beliefs to Americans, and in turn defending Americans and their way of life to Iranians. Fearing that history was about to repeat itself in 2005, Neda left New York and traveled back to Iran to film a documentary on the youth culture of Iran, called "NOBODY’S ENEMY" (2009)-(co-produced by the award winning production company Chat The Planet) Neda has been screening her film and speaking at select conferences and Universities across the country discussing the importance of cultural diplomacy through entertainment and the arts. She has also been invited to screen her film at the US Library of Congress. In an effort to continue the cross cultural dialogue and promoting better understanding among people from various cultures, in April 2010, Neda launched her most recent initiative, Culture Talk Network (www.CulturetalkNetwork.com). Culture Talk Network is cross cultural social networking site dedicated to connecting people to one another, as well as cultures outside their own, through the power of entertainment, art and culture. Neda plans to launch twenty-five countries and four faith based cultures to her roster of networks within the company’s first year.

Status: Confirmed