Season 1, Episode 5: The One About Media Representation w/ Nida Chowdhry & Yumna Khan

Seats at the Table

In the fifth session of SATT, Christina invites Nida Chowdhry and Yumna Khan over for tea! They talk about launching their own production company, taking on stereotypes, and the inspiration for their first web series, Unfair & Ugly. Get to know the guests: About Yumna: Yumna is a producer based in Los Angeles. She earned her B.A. in Communication Studies from UC San Diego, combining her passion for art and business. Her goal is to create media that reflects the world as she sees it. Yumna previously worked with Nida at Fashion Fighting Famine, where she began as a marketing intern and worked her way up to Associate Producer. Here, she gained a foundation in production and realized she wanted a career in filmmaking. While attending a taping of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Yumna convinced them to hire her as an intern on the spot. On the set of The Tiger Hunter (starring Danny Pudi and Jon Heder), she was promoted three times, from intern to Assistant Production Coordinator. She interned at Intrigue Entertainment, where her boss brought her on as a board member for Creative Minorities Initiative (CMI), an LA-based network for people of color in arts & entertainment, of which she is currently President. Yumna shifted CMI’s focus to promoting minority professionals within traditionally unrepresented creative fields.Before co-founding Stranger Magic Productions, Yumna was a freelance producer, coordinating various music videos, and executive producing several short films aimed at amplifying underrepresented voices and stories. About Nida: Nida is a writer, producer, and performer based in New York City. She earned her B.A. in English and Film & Media Studies from UC Irvine. Nida’s mission and focus lies in storytelling and the impact of media representation. She’s spent the last decade gaining experience in various aspects of filmmaking, from writing (UCB Sketch Writing Program, TV Writing with Ed Lee), to production (BBC, Dancing with the Stars, Fashion Fighting Famine, Kornhaber Brown), to performance (ImprovCity, Advanced Improv at UCB, The Acting Center of LA), to project management and business administration (MIND Research, CAIR, Truth In Reality). Nida previously co-founded 501(c)3 non-profit Fashion Fighting Famine, a female empowerment organization that fostered creativity and entrepreneurship amongst its members, championed a brand shift towards ‘modest fashion‘, and was an early leading force in the ‘modest fashion movement’ (BBC, LA Times, KCET, LA Weekly). There, she executive produced international fashion shows for audiences up to 1,000, bridging Muslim women designers and customers, and creating a platform for body positivity, art, and self-representation.

Special thanks to: Stranger Magic

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