Famous Iranians - Shabnam Rezaei: Animation Czarina
Mariam Noronha
Writer, business woman, innovator are just some of the many hats Shabnam Rezaei, Persianesque Magazine's Iranian-American Woman of the Year for 2009, wears with élan. The lady behind the Iranian online magazine: PersianMirror.com and alumnus of NYU and University of Penn Shabnam Rezaei tasted super success with her venture Big Bad Boo Studios.
Shabnam's foray in to animation happened when she and her partner Aly Jetha decided to produce 'Babak & Friends - A First Norooz' as an initiative towards teaching children about the Persian New Year. The idea though simple found the gap in the market - the lack of culturally rich, high quality content for children.
Following this Shabnam and her partner entered the NYU business plan competition where they were in for a pleasant surprise. Not only did their idea come across as innovative and viable but the judges there also helped the duo to develop the business idea into something larger. Thus was born an endeavor to create cultural content to help teach kids about the world.
Mixed Nutz
Spurred by the success of their maiden venture 'Babak & Friends - A First Norooz', they embarked on their first TV production Mixed Nutz, targeted at children in the age group of 5-8. The series teaches children about different cultures. The show tasted phenomenal success and the everyday stories of four friends Babak, Sanjay, Damaris and Jae, the stars of Mixed Nutz enjoyed viewership of 31 million in 2009.
Taking this a step further Big Bad Boo became the first company ever to animate the stories of Hezaaro-Yek Shab (the very popular Thousand-and-One Nights)-stories narrated by the Persian Princess Shahrzad-in their second animated TV-series "1001 Nights".
Cashing in on the market for culturally rich entertainment for kids Big Bad Boo offers animation services and also working on their propriety shows Mixed Nutz, 1001 Nights. With a large production facility in Vancouver and sales offices in New York, Big Bad Boo's futuristic approach is evident from their smart use of iPhones to conduct presentations on-the-go. They are also collaborating with technology majors like Apple.
Persian Mirror
On the other hand Shabnam's digital magazine "PersianMirror.com" makes for interesting reading on a variety of subjects like Persian food, culture, traditions, travelogues, reviews and also features business listings and events from contributors across the globe. In her journey towards success Shabnam has shattered many a glass ceiling. Her open mindedness and futuristic vision are probably the main reasons why a panel of independent judges selected her to participate in the Ernst & Young Entrepreneurial Winning Women.
Other awards and accolades to her credit include featuring in Business in Vancouver's 40 under 40, the sixth annual Stevie Awards for Women in Business and recognition for the Big Bad Boo Studios by major media outlets like NPR, CNN, Forbes and Entrepreneur.
Armed with experience, confidence and success Shabnam's other digital venture is oznoz.com, a multicultural hub engaged in selling their products and other similar products like the Rotam comic books. Be it the redefining the art of storytelling, bringing alive folk lore and marrying technology with tradition Shabnam Rezaei is a lady who does it all with ease. A role model for many an Iranian woman aspiring to be an entrepreneur Shabnam Rezaei is certainly enjoying the first mover advantage on many fronts.