Founder, Producer

Asad Butt is the creator and Executive Producer of Ramadan America, the first-of-its-kind anthology film featuring stories about the Muslim holiday season.

Asad founded Rifelion, a media startup that elevates diverse voices to produce Ramadan America and other content for and about minority communities. He was the Executive Producer on King of the World, an award-winning podcast series about American Muslim life after 9/11. He has more than two decades of experience working in startups, investing, and media.

For 10 years he managed global accelerator programs in education technology and pet tech. Asad is a partner in the RASA Film Group and adjunct professor at Boston University's School of Communication.

Editor-in-Chief

Mona is excited about anything related to education, media (especially for kids), and positive Muslim representation. She is a published researcher and has won awards for her academic, journalistic, and creative writing. She has also served as a teacher and curriculum designer at the Islamic Center of Boston, and previously worked at MIT Kids/Candlewick Press.

In her free time, Mona checks out (and reads) way too many books from the library. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Learning Design, Innovation, and Technology at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Producer, Editor, Writer

Ari is based in Portland, OR. They hold a Master of Arts degree in publishing and focused their studies on transmedia storytelling and audio production.

Building an audio career engaged in educational content and uplifting underrepresented voices, Ari has sound designed for the queer horror anthology podcast Monsters out of the Closet, produced podcasts like 1 Point 5: A Kids Podcast About Climate Justice with A Kids Co., and written reviews of children's podcasts with Common Sense Media. They also bridge their passions for book publishing and audio production by content editing and producing audiobooks, including work with Sounds True Publishing.

When not producing podcasts you can find Ari listening to more podcasts, playing video games, writing D&D sessions, or planning their next cheesecake recipe.

Producer, Writer

Kem is a writer, producer and creative consultant with Boston roots. His content background includes published writing for the Village Voice and Complex, and television programming for PBS, VH1, Discovery, History Channel and Lifetime. Kem holds a B.A. in American Studies from Wesleyan University, and currently resides in Los Angeles, CA.

Host, Producer

Shahjehan is a Boston-based voice artist, actor, and musician. You can hear him as "Matteo" on on RomComPods Season 1 (which debuted at #1 on Apple Podcasts' Fiction category and is still a top show with over 100k downloads to date) or watch him as 'Humayun' in the first ever virtual staged reading of Rajiv Joseph's "Guards at the Taj".

He is also the co-founder of The Kominas, an internationally acclaimed South-Asian American punk band. Their lyrics proclaim a bold political awareness, with broad streaks of humor, outrage, and the absurd; the songs are meant to catalyze change in the predominantly white culture while simultaneously fostering a safe and fun space for listeners of color.

Host, Producer

Chad is a Massachusetts-based producer, creative consultant and educator. He has worked at the intersection of community development, education, arts and media for over two decades. He has co-produced numerous websites, promotional videos and a short documentary film, “Caste in the Classroom”, which was an official selection of the 2022 Bronze Lens Film Festival. Witness is his first podcast-based project. Chad holds a B.A. from Stanford University.

Producer, Editor

With more than nineteen years of entertainment/media industry management experience supporting the operations of content providers such as Studio71, MTV, Comedy Central, USA Network and SyFy, Mark has acquired extensive knowledge of all digital entertainment sectors - both U.S. and International - across podcasts, digital media, television, film, and production.

He has been editing audio and video for almost two decades, specializing in podcasts, interviews, trailers, and short-form digital content.

Producer

Charlie has worked as a part of the Production team in numerous aspects and in cities all over the U.S., notably in Dallas and Los Angeles.

Content Writer & News Editor

Katie is a writer and editor based in Portland, OR. She holds her master of science in book publishing from Portland State University. Her recent experience includes the Series A–funded startup Radish Fiction, where she handled creative and strategic marketing for a digital fiction audience.

Katie has a special interest in diverse media trends (with an even specialer interest in pop culture), and is dedicated to fostering accurate and authentic representation in every project she touches.

When not working, Katie can be found experimenting in the kitchen or curled up with a good video game.

Digital Strategist

Ather Ahmad, based in San Francisco, is a versatile digital media professional with a commitment to amplifying diverse voices across a range of publications. Holding an MS in Digital Media Management from Northeastern University, Ather has cultivated his expertise through a diverse array of experiences. He has worked across a wide variety of digital publications including a financial journal, new media startup and a legacy publication. Through the course of his career Ather has held multiple roles including but not limited to hands on content generation , digital marketing and technical support.