Our Founder
Azita Ghanizada is an Afghan American actress, producer, speaker, and founder. Her family fled Afghanistan and landed on the steps on the US Capital as political asylum seekers. Having learned English on TV, she dreamed of being on television, so after graduating from University, she bought a one-way ticket to Hollywood, landing shortly before 9/11, and somehow found her way to becoming one of the first women from Afghanistan to lead a series on television in the US, “Alphas.” Crediting only instinct and naivete, Azita has continued to work consistently on film and television, holding her own opposite the likes of Academy Award Winners Rachel Weisz, Mahershali Ali, Casey Affleck, Michael Shannon and others greats. She was named one of the "Seven Sundance Breakout Actresses You Must Know," for her work in "Complete Unknown" (2016). She recently recurred on both HBO's "Ballers," and Freeform's "Good Trouble," and will next be seen in the three feature films, including a small role in "Our Friend," which had its world premiere at TIFF (2019).
In 2017 that Azita, after two years of lobbying, studying the census, the contracts and diversity MOUs, Azita helped build the MENA category into the SAG-AFTRA theatrical contracts. For the first time in 37 years, a new hiring category had been introduced into Hollywood. She went on to launch @menaadvocacy to blaze a path for new representation for the often erased MENA community. She presented the first-ever study showing the bleak representation for MENA performers on television, has rolled out education for studios and networks on the MENA experience, held casting directors training on the MENA and MENASA regions, helped facilitate open MENASA calls in Hollywood, worked to launch MENA groups at various guilds and companies throughout the entertainment industry and so much more. Last year, she gave her first TEDx talk on the path to visibility in Hollywood and she is currently recurring on CBS’s United States of Al.
Azita Ghanizada
Actress, Producer, Speaker, & Founder