Basel Meets

Luay Al Shurafa is an icon in the Middle Eastern auto industry. He is the first Arab man to head a General Motors office in the region after 20 years of being an absolute rock star at his job. Luay was there when the bankruptcy happened and helped the company find its way out of […]

Amin Matalqa is a film maker best known for his work on Captain Abu Raed and Disney’s The United. Amin has an amazing story but also he’s been through alot in his personal life. During this episode, he opens up like he never has. Welcome back to Basel Meets!

Hello everyone, it’s been a minute. this is an update on what I’ve been up to! Enjoy.

This week we talk to legendary Lebanese rocker Anthony from the band Adonis. Anthony and I talk about music, writing and becoming who you want to be.

This week I am joined by the legendary Fatima Al Dhaheri to talk about Covid19 for the second episode on the cast. Fatima is a fellow at Harvard Med who gives us her perspective on the current global situation. It was an awesome conversation. Enjoy!

Hello guys! Long time .. umm what happened? We’re kicking off season 3 with a few episodes to dig deeper into understanding this global pandemic that we are going through. Dr Hassan Masri is a physician based in Saskatoon, Canada. We had a great conversation around COVID-19

My guest seriously needs no introduction but what the hell, I’ll do it anyway. I speak to Aziz Maraka, a man who has taken the Arab music scene by storm. Aziz talks about his journey from dreaming to be famous to actually achieving his goal. Humble, funny and intelligent – I love this conversation!

This week’s guest is the founder of Pas-port, Nada Zaher. Nada has had extensive experience as a college athlete competing in Tennis for Columbia University. She has now founded a business based on recruiting up-and-coming athletes into professional college programs.

This podcast was taken from the Middle East Podcast Forum, September 2019. It’s a panel that I’ve hosted where we spoke about growing an audience for a podcast. My guests are the incredibly talented Rana Nawas, Big Hass & Digital Hoos of ‘Lets Take this online’.

This week I had the awesome Loulou Khazen, the founder of Nabbesh, on the programme and we talked about alot about startups, starting a family and the ins-and-outs of maternity leave. I loved having her on the show. Hope you enjoy this.

This week’s guest is the legendary motocross champion, Mohammed Balooshi. Mohammed talks about his beginnings and what drove him to continue in an unconventional path for over 25 years. Available now on all podcasting apps.

This week’s guest is William Mullaly, a writer and film critic. During this hour, we talk about the various forms of story telling, upcoming movies and the implications of movies on society.

This week I have legendary podcasting duo Majid & Mshari, founders of Finyal Media. A podcasting startup that produces the ‘Yalla Startup’, ‘Millennial Mirrors’ and ‘1001 nights’. When a bunch of podcasters get in a room with each other, we’re bound to talk about podcasts! Enjoy.

Ed Clowes is a Journalist who wrote for multiple publications – He’s got great insight into technology, music, pop culture and business. We speak about all these things and go deep into the nuances. NOTE: This episode was recorded prior to the Game Of Thrones finale – so our predictions arent exactly up-to-date! ENJOY.

It’s my 50th conversation and I couldn’t be happier. This week, roles are revered. My first ever guest Joe Akkawi takes over host duties to interview me about Basel Meets. Hadi Sariedine joins us to add some perspective. Thank you for fifty episodes! on the next next 50.

Elissa Freiha is the founder of the media company ‘Womena’. Throughout this company we talk about Michael Jackson, starting a business and making it in the media industry. Elissa is a great guest with so much positive energy, this is her second appearance on Basel Meets

Malek is kind of a big deal in the gaming industry, he works for Ubisoft – one of the largest gaming publishers in the world – and has been at the forefront of growing their presence in the Middle East region. In this episode we talk about the gaming industry, localisation efforts and how much […]

New day, New episode! This week with the man behind legendary gadget website, Jado Pado. Omar is one of the OG entrepreneurs who eventually sold his company to Emaar/Noon.com – Find out the details in this awesome conversation

This weeks guests are the incredible women spear-heading the Wings Of Angelz initiative. We talk to Shibu about her history and her journey from being a vibrant young girl, to having to deal with being on a wheelchair in her teenage years, to becoming the face of wheelchair accessibility. Ruchika, her sister and partner in […]

Today’s podcast is with health and diet expert, author of ‘The Real Grocery Food Guide’ and fellow podcaster of ‘Happier and Healthier’ – it’s Maria Marlowe. We have an in-depth conversation about all-things food – from Gluten Free to Free Range Chicken.

This is a special episode that originally aired on The Hamburger Generation podcast last month. In this conversation, hosts Jamil and Isra had me on their awesome show to talk about Metallica (probably my favorite topic ever!). I love their energy and spirit so much that I wanted to share this with the audience of […]

A returning guest to the show, the legendary Luz is back to share her cancer story, from diagnosis to fighting the good fight. This episode sheds light on what it means to be diagnosed with breast cancer and why it’s very important to get check-ups so regularly. I appreciate Luz for her bravery and choosing […]

Rana Nawas is the host of one of the strongest original podcasts to come out of the Middle East region. In this conversation, she shares her journey of leaving the corporate world, becoming a mom, facing a serious diagnosis and being an outspoken women activist.

Alex Skolnick is a musician with an impressive track record. He’s best known for his work with heavy metal legends Testament. Alex Also played with the Trasn-Siberian orchestra and rebuilt himself as a premier Jazz musician and led his jazz band, Alex Skolnick Trio.

This episode is with the legendary guitarist Slash! Best known as the lead guitarist of Guns n’ Roses, in this episode we focus on the solo side of the man and the projects that he worked. Slash is by far one of the most legendary guitar players that ever lived, and it is an absolute […]

Miltiadis Kyvernitis is a man of many many talents, he’s producer, musician and a voice-over legend. He’s best known for his metal outfit, Private Government, who just dropped an epic record! Throughout the podcast we talk about rock n roll, his album, and had fun with voice-overs! Side note .. this is the best sounding […]

Have you ever met someone who tell’s stories for a living? Meet Hebah Fisher, the founder of the awesome Kerning Cultures Podcast! We talk about the podcasting scene, running a podcast network as her startup and her journey to podcasting greatness!

This week we have the man behind the Lovin’ brand (Lovin Dubai, Lovin Saudi) and founder of Augustus Media, Richard Fitzgerald. During this podcast we talk about the state of New Media and how the consumption of content is constantly changing. We also discuss socialand publisher platforms, as well as their roles in this new […]

On the podcast this week are fellow podcasters and all-round awesome people Jamil Adas & Isra Abu Zayed, the hosts of Hamburger Generation. Throughout this podcast, we talk about identity, story telling & building communities. Both Jamil & Isra are some of the most genuine people I’ve met, and made this a super-fun conversation.

If you have Dubai TV on during iftar in Ramadan, then you’ve definitely seen Ali doing his Doroub show. Or you may have been exposed to his work during his stint with Ask Ali. This week I sit with Ali to talk culture, traditions and ants eating private parts (you have to listen to understand!). […]

This week I talk to two musicians that I truly respect on both a musical and personal level. Shaun Warner is a DJ that’s been dominating global charts in the past weeks with his latest album release, Stay. P. Storm, 1/3rd of my favorite hip hop group, The Recipe DXB, just released a hard hitting […]

Joumana Saber is one of Dubai’s most notable Yoga instructors and an outspoken vegan advocate. Throughout this podcast we talk about her adopted lifestyle and how it’s helping her in raising her child. Joumana also owns & runs the fully-vegan restaurant, Hippie Deli. I had an awesome discussion with her – hope you like this!

Today we have a conversation with French author, Mathilde Loujayne, who recently launched her debut book; Big Little Steps. Throughout our conversation we talk about finding spirituality, women’s rights in Islam, and the greater dialogue she wants to have with the world. Hope you enjoy this!

1 year edition! In this episode, my guest is the awesome Joe Akkawi, making his comeback to the podcast to mark the 1 year anniversary of Basel Meets. During this episode, Joe and I talk about what we always talk about: Technology, Fake news & online polarization. Thank you to every person who spent some […]

Today I have a conversation with one of my favorite UAE-based Podcasting shows, Dukkan. I love the genuine approach they have to the content they cover. During this episode we talk about Cultural appropriation, being triggered by certain topics and having meaningful conversations.

Raw and unfiltered, this is my conversation with the passionate and energetic Elissa Freiha, the founder of WOMENA, a company dedicated to increasing female representation in the tech industry. We talk about Tech, making things happen, startups and the #MeToo, #TimesUp movements.

I had the absolute pleasure of having ArabNet founder & CEO, Omar Christidis, on Basel Meets. You may think you know Omar, but I bet you didnt know he had an acapella band.

Today’s guests are Shamim Kassibawi and Maan Jalal, founders of ‘The Arab Edition’. We speak openly about being an Arab and a Muslim in this day and age, and what nationalism means to us

Luz Salem Villamil is a prominent PR personality that dedicates her time to building the independent Cinema scene in the UAE. Throughout this podcast, she talks about her journey and her incredible personal story about her early upbringing in Colombia.

My guest today is TEDx speaker & organizer Masarat Daud. Throughout this podcast we talk about TEDx and the trials and tribulations to bringing community change to a village in India.

DISCLAIMER: This Episode contains explicit language, listener discretion is advised. Today’s guest is Nemr Abu Nassar, arguably one of the most successful Arab American comedians on the planet. Throughout this podcast we discuss so many different topics, it may very well be one of the most entertaining conversations I’ve had in a long while! Note: […]

In this episode, I meet legendary Saudi Hip Hop MC, Big Hass. We discuss a little bit of hip hop, but a whole lot of life, inspiration, purpose, autism and talent. Insightful man and a great conversation.

My guest today is Serene Touma, a PR personality and a self-proclaimed feminist, throughout this podcast we delve into feminism and explore why its such a polarising topic to many people.

The Axis of Evil Comedy tour that took over the Middle East by storm and how it ended, the stark difference between the LA and NYC comedy scenes and what it takes to make it in Hollywoord! Comic and actor Ahmed Ahmed lays it all out on the table for this episode of ‘Basel Meets’

Andreas Kisser is the lead guitarist and song writer of one of the most important bands in rock history, Sepultura​! We caught up at the Hard Rock Cafe Dubai​ to talk about the history of Sepultura, the rebirth of the band in 1998, the role of Sepultura in rock history in the 80’s and vocalist […]

Jeff Staple is a world renowned designer that is widely known for his sneaker collaborations with some of the worlds largest sports brands. He owns and runs the designer brand ‘Staple Pigeon’. I had a sit down with him at one of the largest sneaker events in the world, Sole DXB.

Adnan is the lead vocalist of Dubai-based Heavy Metal band, Svengali. We spoke about the state of heavy metal around the world, how it is to be an up and coming band today and how it feels to meet your heroes!

Instagram star and Fashion Blogger Zahra Lyla is this weeks legendary guest! We talk about the industry of content creators, remaining relevant and how to conduct a business on digital platforms.

This week I talk to ‘relationship architect’ Khaled Ghorab. Listen to us talk about successful relationships, how to find happiness and tinder!

Hadi is a Dubai-based producer and musician. He’s a recording artist ad well as a frequent live performer at some of Dubai’s coolest music events.

Samer Hamadeh is a Dubai-based entrepreneur who is best known for premier Dubai night spot, Stereo Arcade. Samer talks to me about how we found the business and what other ventures he got into throughout the years. We also talk about video games. you gotta talk about video games amirrite!?